These are the Things

Well, it has been a very long time since my last post; and I got some inspiration today, so here I am again.
College is going well. It's the time of year when midterms make their appearance and loom over you day and night.  So far, I've had 3, and a presentation, and I've felt pretty good about them.  One more for Friday, and it's the scary one. Any prayers you can send up for that one at 3 p.m. this Friday would be much appreciated, thanks.
OCTOBER IS HERE!!!! And so far it has been greatly blessed.  The first weekend of October is parents' weekend at my school, so there were fun times there.  I went to Mass that Friday evening, which was great; and the talent show was that night, which was fun as well.  If you want to witness some of the crazy awesomeness that is one of the households (like a fraternity, but with a spiritual focus) on my school's campus, you can click here: Disciples of the Word "Talk" About Break-Ups
Saturday was the St. Francis Festival.  My school celebrates the feast of our patron saint with a medieval-themed festival with vendors, costumes, and food. So I got to enjoy the day walking around wearing a medieval dress and barefoot, drinking cider and chilling with friends.  It was great.  Then I celebrated welcoming in the Lord's Day with friends, and my family came to visit! It was so good to see them!

But anyway, getting back to the subject of this blog and the purpose of my post...

God's been doing a lot in my life.  Well, He does that all the time, I suppose; sometimes I just notice more.  I wouldn't say things have been very easy. The semester's been more difficult than I anticipated for various reasons; but through it all God has been very good to me and gets me through it every time. When things don't go the way I wanted, there's always a reason, and things work out.
The other day I was at my on-campus job in the Library (which is so nice: study time, get to be around books, get to find books to read), I was trying to find something good to listen to while I studied.
Quite a few weeks ago now I was riding in the car with someone and heard this song.  I'd heard it before (it's in the movie October Baby), but hadn't paid attention to the words aside from the chorus.  In the car, I started listening to it more and thought "I like this song."
So, as I'm sitting there in the Library, I remembered this song and decided to look it up, with the lyrics, and listen to it.
Pretty much everything about this song speaks to my heart!  I've said it before: I'm a little things person (yes, I'm a little person, too, so your pun is not original).  It's the little things about life that can get me excited and that bring me great joy.  Like the other day, Monday morning, it's chilly, it's raining, and I walk out the door and just smile and celebrate because for the first time it feels like October!! That's me.  Or...that's me when I'm really being myself and living to the full, as Jesus says: "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly [to the full]."  Not only that, but I walk into the chapel last night and started singing it, realizing that the first verse is like Jesus, waiting in the tabernacle for me.
What's the song? Well.... :)

Life is Beautiful by The Afters
(play the song)
Through the window
I see You waiting
You are smiling
Cuz I'm coming
Your eyes are a story
An ocean of memories
Pictures of faces and places
And all of the things 
That make us feel like we have it all
All of the times
That makes us realize we have it all
We have it all!

Ooooooo....Life is beautiful!!
Ooooooo....Life is beautiful!!
Ooooooo...

Livin' and dying
Laughing and crying
If we have the whole world
Or have nothing
I know there are long nights
But we'll make it
With every sunrise 
Comes a new life
And all of the things
That makes us feel like we have it all.
And all of the times
That makes us realize we have it all.
We have it all!

Ooooooo....Life is beautiful!!
Ooooooo...Life is beautiful!!
Ooooooo....Life is beautiful!
Ooooooo....

A father's love
A wedding dance
New Year's dreams
A toast with friends
A soldier coming home from war
The faith, the hope of so much more
A brand new life
A mother's prayer
Shooting stars, ocean air, 
A lover's kiss, and hard goodbyes,
Fireworks, and Christmas lights!
These are the things that make us feel alive!
These are the times that make us realize...

Life is beautiful!! 

Oooooooo...Life is beautiful!
These are the things that make us feel alive!
Life is beautiful!
These are the times that make us realize.

I just love this song.  It's amazing how such simple words and phrases can mean so much and be so profound.  I mean, that one line: "I know there are long nights, But we'll make it" alone is...wow.  Without any description of what that feels like, we can all relate to that: we've all had those nights, those dark times, where we just feel like things are so messed up.  But when we look back and see how God has brought us through every time, we can be sure that He's right there telling us "We'll make it."  Notice I say "we."  We can't do it ourselves; God's been showing me that in the last few days.  We're not supposed to do it ourselves.  It's about doing it with Him, for without Him we can do nothing.
Living and dying: we celebrate life, and we console each other when we lose ones that we love.  We celebrate their entrance into eternal life and we celebrate the life that we shared with them.
Laughing and crying: Anyone who knows me knows that the first verb there is something I do everyday. What's less obvious is that the second one happens often, too.  But the point it, both are beautiful.  Both can be such beautiful experiences: think about it! Remember sharing that laughter with those people who mean so much to you?  Remember when you couldn't contain your tears anymore, whether from joy or sorrow, and you shared that? How beautiful!
If we have the whole world, Or have nothing: "My family's always been rich, we've just never had any money." This quote comes from a (rather cheesy, but funny) movie called "Grand Champion Steer." But I love it because it reminds me of my own family.
A father's love,  a wedding dance, New Year's dreams, a toast with friends: we treasure those times we spend with those we love, whether family or friends, whether at weddings or just times when we were hanging out.  Cherish those moments!
A soldier coming home from war: I'm a romantic, so I love stories about our guardians returning home.
The faith, the hope of so much more... That can speak to you in many ways.
Shooting stars, ocean air: These are some of nature's beauties that make me stop, take a deep breath, and just rejoice in being alive.
A lover's kiss, hard goodbyes: I have not experienced the first of those things; but witnessing it between my parents and other married relatives and friends is beautiful.  Hard goodbyes? Oh yes.  I've had a number of those, and there will be more in the future; but, again, those times when tears are shared and you part from someone you love, those times are hard; but what's beautiful is that that person has come to mean so much to you that the separation is painful.  It's part of loving others.
Fireworks, and Christmas lights: I love fireworks! I love Christmas lights!! Anything that twinkles and shimmers like the stars can take my breath away. Fireflies, light reflections on water... And Christmas lights when the holidays come are one of my favorite things. :) I love to take a drive in the car through the neighborhoods where my home is and see all the lights. It's something we've done since I was a small child.

These are the things that make us feel alive!
These are the times that make us realize...we have it all!

How true this is!  Those moments where we bask in the blessings around us and choose to be thankful: those are the times when we feel like we have everything we could ever need. And, honestly, I don't believe that's a fantasy, or wishful thinking.  God gives us what we need for each day, and the greatest gifts are not ones that we can put in boxes.  As Helen Keller said: "The greatest and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart."

In closing, I realized that I can't just know all of this about this song and fall in love with the words of this song and not try to do something different.  So I want to start forming a habit of waking  up in the morning and just thanking God for life, and then living that day with passion and purpose: "abundantly."  As Mr. Magorium said: "Your life is an occasion: rise to it!"  Everyday is a gift! Let's treat it that way.  When you wake up tomorrow, just lay there for a minute and whisper a heartfelt thanks to the Lord.
"Every night will end/ And every day will start/ With a grateful prayer and a thankful heart." -Scrooge, "A Muppet Christmas Carol"

God bless and good night! Remember,
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!!