In the Quiet

+ J.M.J. That's right, folks. The picture says it all. And a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm done.  Just kidding. No, but really, I've been procrastinating about writing this review because I really disliked it. Pretty much the only thing I enjoyed about it was spending time with my friends, which has nothing to do with the movie whatsoever. *Sigh* I digress, on purpose. Procrastination session is over. Now for what I didn't like. Any Christian/Catholic watching this movie would have plenty of opportunity to be offended if he or she was paying attention. There were a lot of jokes made at our expense as church-goers, and the center of operations occupied by the bad guy was in a church. Not exactly what I love to see (to put it mildly). There was even a joke about a "Catholic rabbit." Do I need to explain further?  Usually I try to find at least one redeeming quality, and often I don't need to look that hard. Here, I really...

+ J.M.J. Pinterest I'm sure you've heard them all. You know, those expressions that cry, "dare to be different!" "Stand out from the crowd!" "Don't be like the rest!" "Be yourself!" And so on... What do those phrases mean to you? Do you take them seriously? I do. I always have. Not always by choice. Now, I wouldn't have it any other way. Let me explain. Christians are called to do all of the above just by existing and living out their call to live for Christ. As a Catholic Christian, I definitely stand out. For example, on Ash Wednesday this year, I wore ashes on my forehead at work because I had gone to Mass beforehand. What is my job? I work as a waitress. Yep. I served each plate, cleared each glass, and took each order with a huge smudge of glaringly-black ashes hugely on my forehead. This also affects what I will and won't say. I believe that we should lift up other people with our speech instead ...

+ J.M.J. Popsugar.com Nobody really wants to hear a thin person talk about body image. I don't care. I have a unique perspective on the subject. When was the last time you read an article featuring a thin person talking about how they felt about themselves? It's probably been a long time. Maybe never. I digress. There is an immense array of magazines to be seen at any given store at any given time. Said glossy collections of pages contain unrealistic images of how we as a society are "supposed" to look. Think about this concept for a moment. A bunch of people who don't know you, your life circumstances or background, your experiences, or anything you care about are charting the course for your appearance. People you've never met are setting the trends, determining makeup colors for the season, and shaping today's "ideal" woman. Like this idea? Maybe you don't care that they are doing all this. Which brings me to my next poi...