In the Quiet

+ J.M.J. (I did this last year too.) Dear 2016, Whew! What a whirlwind it has been! I'm not quite sure how 12 months passed by already. This realization saddens me. How precious life is. It is so fleeting. We must appreciate each present moment, for it is a gift. January  I started dating someone. I also walked through the Holy Doors at St. Paul's Cathedral, welcoming the Year of Mercy.  February  Yes, I had another romantic Valentine's Day. I sang with my boyfriend at the time at a senior home. I spent part of the day with my family also. March  I was so happy that I gave up a lot of things for Lent. On Palm Sunday, my relationship was ended. Holy Week was my own personal way of the cross. April  I turned 25. I had always wanted to get married at 24, but I reconciled myself to the fact that it was just a number in my head and it will happen if and when it is supposed to, according to God's plan. May  I went to Seattle wi...

Palouse Falls + J.M.J. On January 5th, 2016, I wrote the following letter to this year, indicating (in bold is how it played out) : What I want from you: More money: I was blessed with a full-time job Clear idea of what to do with my life: I really want to become a wife and mother. That is my ultimate goal. A forever kind of love: I certainly felt very loved this year. The forever love I found was with God. I fell more deeply in love with Him than I ever have. Joy: I watched a movie in January by this title, which I loved. I wrote a review about it on my blog if you want to go back and read it.  I did have some dark times, but thankfully, I was helped out of them by God, my boyfriend, family, and friends. Peace: for years, I asked (and still ask) for the peace that surpasses all understanding. My boyfriend helps me to experience that feeling every time I am with him. Singing: I did sing at Mass and on a few other random occasions. I enjoyed it. Dancing. Please...

+ J.M.J. For what felt like years, I had been praying to God, begging Him for the peace that surpasses all understanding. What I expected in return was the feeling of peace. I thought that I was peaceful. I experienced times of brief respite from the stresses of life, usually when I was completely alone.  This year, I met Matt, my boyfriend. As we began to spend more and more time with each other, I began experiencing an overwhelming sense of peace. One evening, as we sat together in the park, just enjoying the scenery and talking quietly, something popped in my mind and I spoke it aloud: "I feel like you're an answer to prayer." I told him that I had praying for years for the peace that surpasses all understanding, but I had no idea that God would send a person in whose presence I could grow closer to God and feel completely at peace.  My peace does not come from my boyfriend. God supplies the peace, but allows Matt to be the instrument which I exper...