In the Quiet

+ J.M.J. When I was a little girl, I used to look forward to going to the fair. For months I would count down the days until it started. It was a state fair, with carnival rides, booths at which I could gaze at special merchandise, and tons of tantalizing food. The rides were what I looked forward to the most. Nothing filled my heart quite like going on all the rides that I liked. Back then, that's all it took to fill my heart with joy. Now that I'm older, it seems that life is a little more complicated, and with that transition, it seems to be more difficult to truly experience authentic joy. The example from my childhood is simple, but I think that authentic joy is simple. God wants us to be happy. If we experience great happiness from simple pleasures, that is from God. So why is it so hard to experience this now, in adulthood? Good question. I'm not sure I have the complete answer (I'm still trying to figure it out, and probably will be for the rest of my lif

+ J.M.J. Right now, I'm going through a transition phase in my life. I graduated from college, and now I'm trying to find a job. What I have never liked is not knowing what is going to happen next. I have always been a planner. From the time I could scribble on paper, I have taken notes, written stories and poems, and above all, made lists and schedules . Indeed, I used to have my day so planned out that every last detail was on my piece of notebook paper that I carried around everywhere. Somewhere along the line, I realized that this was unrealistic. As I got older, my plans didn't always happen because I got busy with life. A lot of the things that I wrote down didn't happen. Because of this, I became discouraged. I looked at all of the things that I hadn't accomplished and felt guilt: guilt at not living up to my own expectations for myself. Yes, you guessed it: I'm a perfectionist. Looking at things that I hadn't crossed or checked off my sche

I was honored to write a reflection on the Gospel reading for this Sunday for Renovate Reflections. Check out the link below. Reflection on the Gospel reading for this Sunday