Peace and Joy is where it's at.

Like John Bowers said yesterday, "Satan can mimick peace, but only true peace and joy come from knowing and loving Jesus Christ."

:)

God is doing great works in me, i know that for sure.

God has great plans for my life, I am slowly beginning to realize this, and discern His plan for my life.

I am slowly beginning to discern my vocation in God's will.

Please pray for me, that i may be silent and still and hear God's voice through all of this chaos.

Please pray for my family that they would understand and support me, whatever my choice and God's will is.

Peace to you for now.

new year, new changes.

So the new year has begun, and as life would have it, i got sick on day 2. ha. shocking, right? i know i know. But I'm starting to feel better so yay. I'm ready to stick to my life style changes, and follow-up them through. I think i'm more likely to follow-up them through if i call them lifestyle changes, and not new years resolutions. New years resolutions seem to fail not ling into the new year.

God indeed has great things in store for me. I found out this week that i'm going to be a bridesmaid for one of my best friends weddings next January! I am so excited for that. I want to finally get hold of my weight, and my health, and be the woman that God wants me to be.

I'm so tired of being slowed down, not being able to shop where i want, having the feeling always staring at me. I want to be who i am underneath the layers of hiding, the layers of emotional eating.

I'm so excited for the change to unravel and to take place.
I am already beautiful, and i'm going to be even more beautiful.

I'm going to finally have everything i ever wanted.

I am so thankful to my faithful reader, bella :)

until next time....

beauty.

As seen on a friend's blog –
"GK Chesterton's definition of a saint lies on my heart again. He says a saint is one who exaggerates what the world neglects. If I could choose one great gift that the world is neglecting I would have to choose feminine energy. It is what we need to save the world. It is what we need to be saints. Feminine energy is powerful because it is pure presence--gentle yet firm. It is an energy that gives warmth, comfort, and spirit simply by its presence. It receives rather than takes. It invites rather than demands. It unfolds rather than controls. It empowers rather than overpowers. It finds itself in being rather than in doing. Feminine energy shows her best face in leisure. She doesn't take time. She has time. She has time to be. This world is starving for this energy. It is part of the fire Christ came to cast on the earth-- a slow flame that burns from within and gradually transforms what it touches, precisely because it touches rather than clutches."
– A Tree Full of Angels by Macrina Wiederkehr



I love that. I have nothing more to say. :)

amazing is Our GOD!

God is pretty much amazing. He loves me so much it's unreal. He loves all of us so much it is unreal. He loves us despite our failings, He loves us despite our shortcomings. He is the only one who will love us despite our problems. He loves us where we are. He is amazing.

These 2 scripture verses have been on my Heart Lately.

1 Corinthians 10:13 -- No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Romans 12: 1-2, 9-21
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Last weekend i went on a women's retreat with Our Lady of Sorrows sisters at their Convent in Alexandria. God opened up my eyes in so many ways. IN the past i had thought about a calling to the religious life, but i just blew it off as i was scared about that and i did not feel that God was calling me there. I still do not think that God is calling me there. However, I am not scared of the call to religious life. I am open to this calling. This is a beautiful calling. Some are made for it indeed, others are not. I am still discerning where God is calilng me -- single life, religious life, or married life. I do know that i want to get married, have a husband, and start my own family for as long as i can remember. God has put this on my heart for a reason i am sure of that. Discernment is difficult indeed, discerning God's voice through the noise of everyday life is difficult for me. Please pray for me that i can discern God's call in my life and in my heart, so that i may hear Him more clearly.

missing you.

so tonight i saw Nights in Rodanthe with randi, her mom, and her great aunt. it's a movie based off of a book of the same title by Nicholas Sparks.

So Good!!! i haven't cried that much in a movie in almost a year since P.S. I Love You.

God seems to reveal things to me in movies sometimes. It is quite interesting i find.

At the end of the movie, the mother character tells the daughter to hold out for a love that will make you a better person than you already are. I feel that is what God is trying to tell me lately.

He knows that i am tired of waiting for the so called "one". He knows that my wait and perserverance in virtue of chastity has not been for nothing.
He knows that i want to love someone without limits, and i want to love someone so much and make them better than they already are.

He knows i am lonely. He knows i get depressed sometimes from being lonely. I just need to lean on God when i do get lonely. He alone can fill my heart.

Almost i had some feeling in my heart of what my shay went through when papa red died. Maybe not exactly what it was like for her, but i know that she is lonely like i am. and she misses him too.

Also, i felt that i understood what it was like for my dad to lose his father at some level. That he died and was sick and as a doctor could not do anything to save him. i love my father for that. It really did mean something to me to see my dad cry and for me to know that he is not all mighty. We all have our weaknesses. Not one of us is perfect, no matter what we may think.

papa red i miss you and i love you. i want to see you face and hear your laugh and hear your stories. i can not wait until we meet again in Heaven.

good vs. evil

i don't understand how there is so much evil and good at the same time in the world.

there are so many good people, and evil still exists.

life is so good at times, and sometimes it's bad too.

Life is indeed a roller coaster ride.

We must pick our heads up and keep going!!

“It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.”
-Vince Lombardi

choose life!

this is dedicated to matthew lafleur.

what a great and amazing brother in Christ you are. I am so blessed to have you in my life.

You are amazing.

I found a note that Matt wrote and it moved me deeply.

"

Dear Future (even just Prospective) Parents,

My name is Matthew Lafleur. I am not a parent, so it seems weird that I would be able to give any parenting advice, but, if you will, humor me.

I was born with a genetic defect: a disorder called Freidriech's ataxia. This disorder has, over time, caused me to require a wheelchair and have a poor sense of balance.

Because the symptoms develop over time, it wasn't known that I had a genetic disorder until I was diagnosed in fifth grade, and I didn't need the use of a wheelchair until my freshman year of college. I have been wondering lately that if my parents had known that they were carriers of FA, would they have still borne me?

The tentative answer scares me, but doesn't shock me. Childhood for me had plenty of its discouragements and struggles and I told myself that I would never have kids; because in doing that I'd pass on a defective gene, thereby keeping FA in the world, perhaps making future generations suffer.

I've lately become aware of how grateful I am that my parents didn't have this philosophy when having me.

Life with a disability is difficult. To ignore this would be ignorant. But life, with or without a disability, is indeed worth living. Nothing for me compares to seeing the pyramids and sphinx at Cairo, skydiving in California, road trips taken with friends, "being there" for people, having people "be there" for me, good books, cute girls, prayers, and warm pizza.

Yes, I am sappy. But my point is that existence - even with a disability - is infinitely better than non-being.

So here is where I get to you, potential parents. Please don't choose not to have a child if early on (or later on) you find out the child has a handicap or limitation. I know this will cause a lot of difficulty for both you and the child: you will suffer. But that suffering doesn't need to overcome you. To exist is the greatest gift anyone can give. Period.

Now as for me, is the world better because Matt Lafleur is in it? Maybe not, but I am trying my best to better it. Probably I will make no lasting contribution to this world; and that's okay with me. To live, to enjoy life, to build relationships - I think that's enough. Maybe the purpose of life isn't 'doing' something, but just being.

And that works for me.

Sincerely,

--matt

"