Winter Wonderland

So we've continued to get little bits of snow every few days. We have a ground cover of about six inches right now, with certainly more to come. All this snow and the Olympics being on makes me think about skiing. Although I'm in pancake land, all I can think about are the mountains. The last time I went skiing was back in 2006, with my Mom and my sister. It was quite a hilarious trip! My Mom and I enjoyed it - my sister, not so much. Perhaps our 2 minute "detour" on the double black trail was enough.

Anyway, I think that when I graduate and finally get a real job and a real life (although I resent the idea that my current life is not part of the "real" world- as if I'm living in some parallel universe) I think I'll take up skiing as a hobby. That would mean I'd have to live somewhere near mountains... Makes me think of Frassati, to whom my blog is dedicated, and about whom I have not spoken in far too long, who wrote: "Every day that passes I fall more in love with the mountains; if it weren't for my studies, I would spend entire days up in the pure mountain air, contemplating the greatness of the Creator..."

Rick Steves

Those of you who knew me in undergrad know that I love Rick Steves. It's been 5 years since my last trip to Europe, and with the potential for travel in Europe on my horizon, I thought I'd check out his website again and see some of his updates. (Not to mention, I found out Rick Steve's son is here at ND).

I found the following videos which I thought were delightful, informative, and thought-provoking.

Travel as a Political Act

http://www.youtube.com/ricksteves#p/a/4057D3B4E1FA80B3/0/TJbv4BdrDzs

http://www.youtube.com/ricksteves#p/a/4057D3B4E1FA80B3/1/Wran4i-HLDw

http://www.youtube.com/ricksteves#p/a/4057D3B4E1FA80B3/2/fK6mKEV11bw

Bring on the Incense!

I've always loved the smell of incense at Church. To me- the more the merrier! Apparently, incense has healing properties.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8505251.stm

Bring on the incense!

Thanks for a prof of mine for mentioning this intriguing article.

Great Quote

Along the same lines of my more recent posts, I just got this quote in my inbox, courtesy of E-devotions from FUS:

“Anyone who knows he is loved is in turn prompted to love. It is the Lord himself, who loved us first, who asks us to place at the center of our lives love for him and for the people he has loved. It is especially adolescents and young people, who feel within them the pressing call to love, who need to be freed from the widespread prejudice that Christianity, with its commandments and prohibitions, sets too many obstacles in the path of the joy of love and, in particular prevents people from fully enjoying the happiness that men and women find in their love for one another.”

Pope Benedict XVI Family: Spiritual Thoughts Series, USCCB Publishing

Potpourri

This entry is going to be a hodgepodge of sorts.

First, a great quote which I found that relates to my last post:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it careful round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable ... The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers ... of love is Hell" (C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves).

Then - YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

are going to be on OPRAH This Tuesday!

http://sistersofmary.org/

MEETS

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Human and Spiritual Formation

So anyone who knows me well knows that a part-time job of mine is reading self-help books and thinking about pop psychology. (Perhaps it's one of the quirks that makes me me.) Really, the reason I read so many of these things is that, like my Martial Arts School Creed stated, "I'm on a quest to be my best!". I don't want to let life pass me by, but want to live it "to the full" (Jn. 10:10).

Also, being in a program of formation in preparation for a life of ministry to the Church, we're required to focus on both our human and spiritual formation, which means that I'm constantly having to do some introspection and to work to better myself. But instead of being an exercise in navel gazing out of a misdirected self-love, it's rather a conversion-process which has it's final aim in the good of others. It's a process in which we have to be honest about ourselves and open ourselves up to Transcendent Love in deeper ways so that ultimately we can be more perfect reflections of that Love in the world (mission).

Lately I've been confronted with the realization that I keep people at a distance; I have had only a few close friendships, and really haven't had any romantic relationships (read: significant others). Having been on a first date last weekend, I've been thinking about what it will look like for me to cultivate an intimate relationship with another person in general - and realized how much that scares me, although it's something that I desire deeply. What scares me most is that I have no idea what I'm doing! I've never done this before, and I don't exactly know how to go about it!

What this says to me is that this is an area of my heart that needs to do some growing, expanding. It's been comfortable to just keep to myself - but letting someone else in means I have to open up, that my heart has to expand to include another, has to grow in its capacity to form intimate relationships.

* It means I have to be able to let another person close to me;
* to be able to share on many levels - work, faith, experiences, feelings;
* to be able to share positive and negative aspects with others;
* to learn to relate comfortably with men;
* to become comfortable with my sexuality;
* to let myself love deeply and to allow others to love me deeply in return.

Lord, expand my heart!

Mission Accomplished!

I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging lately. School has been insanely busy, and I'm trying desperately to stay afloat of all the work I'm supposed to be doing.

Just thought I'd write to say that I accomplished one of my New Year's Resolutions this weekend by going on a first date with someone I met online! I was a bit nervous going into the date (always am!) and not sure how it would go. I was pleasantly surprised!

It sounds like we'll meet up again - I'll be sure to let y'all know how it goes.