The 5 Love Languages

I have yet to actually read Chapman's "The 5 Love Languages."  But in the last year, I did take the quiz to discover my primary love languages.  You can do so here: http://www.5lovelanguages.com. 

Between hearing my mother talk about the content of the book, and seeing how others have put the quiz to good use in discovering their own love languages, I've had some time to think about and discover some common themes in the culture's reception of the book and the knowledge it has imparted to society.

You'll hear a lot of people talk about what they're love language is.  Among my own circles of friends, it will come up in conversation often.  Not overly frequently; but often.

Here is a basic description of the 5 different love languages from Chapman's website:

Quality Time: "...nothing says “I love you” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes you feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed activities, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful. Whether itʼs spending uninterrupted time talking with someone else or doing activities together, you deepen your connection with others through sharing time."  

Physical Touch: "A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, and thoughtful touches on the arm—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive. Appropriate and timely touches communicate warmth, safety, and love to you." 

Receiving Gifts: "The receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures. Gifts are heartfelt symbols to you of someone else's love and affection for you." 

Words of Affirmation: "Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important— hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten. You thrive on hearing kind and encouraging words that build you up." 

Acts of Service:  "Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most wants to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter. When others serve you out of love (and not obligation), you feel truly valued and loved."  

Knowing your love language is definitely of value.  It is good to know yourself and to know what you need.  Knowing your primary love language also helps you to know more clearly the way you show love to others, since, often, the primary way you receive love is the primary way you give love.  

But this cannot be the end all be all: "This is how I love and this is how I need to be loved." What's wrong with that statement? There is no other subject in that sentence than "I."  Love is an exchange between two persons.  By definition, it is willing the good for the other for the other's own sake.  St. John Paul II calls this "friendship" and ranks it as the highest form of love. (Marriage, he says, is the most intimate kind of friendship.)  

I'm glad knowing your love language is beneficial to you. I'm happy to know mine, too.  But, I've realized that this knowledge, instead of showing us how to love others, can lead to putting limitations on the way we show love.  We think because primarily our way of showing love is acts of service that we can/want/should only do acts of service to show people we love them. But the fact is, this is not what loving others looks like.  Love is about sacrifice.  It's not only about what fulfills me, what makes me happy.  No. Love is giving and receiving, and the love languages are about giving love in the way that those receiving that love need it.  Now, of course, because this goes both ways, sometimes other people need to let you love them in the way that you primarily show love, even if that is not the primary love language they respond to. That is part of the exchange of love. You need to give love in that way and so that means sometimes people need to receive love in that way because you need to show them love in that way.  But we must respect and honor that this is true for the other person as well.  

To put this in context, let's set up a scenario: Patti and Maggie are friends. Patti's primary love language is acts of service, and the lowest-ranking love language in her results is physical touch.  Maggie, on the other hand, has the primary love language of physical touch and acts of service is the one she gives/responds to the least.  How does this work in their relationship? 
Patti realizes that Maggie shows her love by giving hugs, squeezing another person's hand affectionately, or even high-fiving.  Maggie needs to show people love in that way.  Patti does not necessarily enjoy being touched; but Patti knows Maggie is expressing her love for her when Maggie gives her a hug.  How do you find the balance? You recognize that this is an expression of love.  You stop focusing on you and you focus on them: they are showing you that they love you, and that is something to be thankful for, whether the expression is our favorite or not.  Patti realizes that, even though Patti does not enjoy hugs, Maggie needs to show her love by giving Patti hugs and Patti has reached a point where that is fine with her. 

Now, on the other hand, Maggie needs to notice that Patti shows how she loves other people by doing things for them.  So when Patti washes the dishes so Maggie won't have to since Maggie is stressed about the amount of homework she has to get done, that is equivalent to Maggie giving someone a hug because they're stressed.  Patti is showing Maggie love by doing something to help her out.  Maggie should not be upset that Patti did not give her a hug; she should be grateful that Patti wanted to help Maggie out and show her love for Maggie by taking care of the dishes.  

Like so many things in our lives, love languages are about balance.  Balance definitely isn't easy; but who ever said that life was made to be easy? Or love for that matter?  

So, the next time you really want to show that person that you love them, don't immediately revert to your top love language. Look at what that person does for other people to show them that they care, and do something similar for them. If they love to hang out with people (quality time), then set up a time to get coffee together and just sit and talk and be present.  If they are always building people up with words of affirmation, do that for them: tell them what they do well, what about them inspires you, etc.  If they are always making or buying something for someone else, even if it's something as simple as a candy bar or a note, do that for them in return.  

I'm not saying that you should hide your primary love language away in a dark corner never to be seen. Heck no. God made you to love that way. You are meant to love that way. What is necessary is that we look around us and recognize that others need to be loved in particular ways at particular times. How do we know when to love them one way vs. another? Well, that's tricky. That requires us to be perceptive and tactful. 

We can't bar ourselves from receiving love in certain ways. That hurts people. It hurts to be told by someone that they don't want you to love them in the way that may be your primary way of showing love.  We must find a balance, and come to a point where we are able to receive love and give love in various ways. Naturally some are stronger than others; God made us that way. But we need to remember again and again that love is not just about giving love the way we want/need to give love and receiving love in the way we want/need to receive love.  It is also about giving love in the way that others need to receive it, and receiving love in the way that others need to give it to us.  

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  -1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"The Hobbit:" Thoughts on Tolkien's book and Jackson's movies

I am extremely blessed to be able to take a class on the great author J.R.R. Tolkien this semester as my literature core for my major.  Who'd have thought that you could read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," among other works of Tolkien's, for homework?  It's been wonderful! I just finished "The Hobbit" today, and it was a tremendous joy to read this book again.  The last time I read it was when I was 10 years old or so.  Reading it again was almost like being a kid again.  I would sit and read, and I would be enthralled by the story, having forgotten many of the smaller details and the parts of the story that you read rather passively when you're younger.  Taking an adventure in my imagination has been amazing, and traveling side-by-side with Bilbo and Thorin and company has thrilled me to my core.
The Lord of the Rings has been a part of my life since I was 7 or 8 years old.  Though this semester will be my first time reading the books for myself, the movies intrigued me at an early age.  Most of the imaginary adventures of my childhood were taken with Strider, Legolas, and Gimli, or with Merry and Pippin in some sort of mischief.  I can certainly say that I dearly love Jackson's movies, and I don't believe that this will change with the reading of the books.
Of course, being a slow reader, and being a bit slow to catch on to particular series of books (and even TV series), I've often seen the movie rendition of a story before I've actually read the book.  Now before you raise your cries of "Sinner!" and your gasps of horror, hear me out.  I love books.  I love stories! But again, I'm a little slow when it comes to reading, and between reading for school and everything else you do as a kid and later a young adult, reading books does not always fit in to the agenda (though I'm doing my best to amend that lately).  So, yes, I have seen most of the Harry Potter movies, and only just finished book 3 of the series a few weeks ago.  However, did that ruin the book for me? Well, the story is not as suspenseful perhaps, and I have more of an idea of what happens then I would otherwise.  But I would say I still loved the book as much as I would if I hadn't seen the movie first.  Perhaps because I'd only seen the 3rd movie once and so reading the book was like rediscovering the story again (and then, when I watched the movie afterwards, I was sorely disappointed about many things that were left out).
So that age-old question arises: is it a crime to read the books after having seen the movies? Well, here's my philosophy: you are more likely to enjoy the suspense and characters more in the book if you don't see the movie first.  Nevertheless, if you happen to see the movies before you read the books, the books can still hold innumerable riches for you.  Plus, there's a bit of a benefit to seeing the movie first: if the movie wasn't very good (or even if it was good), (most often) the book can only be better and more enjoyable than the movie was.

Well, that was a rather long tangent.... But now to get to the main subject mentioned in the title.  "The Hobbit."  Did I like the book better? And did Jackson's movies do it credit?

To the first: Yes. Definitely. The book was magical and a great adventure for my imagination.
To the second: I've been critical of Jackson's movies, as have most people who are great fans of Tolkien's work.  But, I think perhaps we're being unfair to say they were totally off-the-mark.

(1) Keep in mind that some decisions (making the book into three movies when it probably could have been done in one or two; Tauriel and Kili's "romance"; among others) were not entirely Jackson's decisions.  With any movie, you've got people to please: producers, who are paying for the movie, for one.  And, sometimes, in order to get a project that you love off the ground, you have to concede to decisions that you're not always a fan of.
(2) Certain things that Jackson chose to do, while not central in the book, do have some foundation there.  For example, Azog, the White Orc:

Ugly lookin' fella, ain't he? My thoughts exactly. What the heck is he doing in the movie?  I mean, he's mentioned in the book, but he's not a major character.  Yes, exactly.  

I'm not a big fan of this decision to make him a major villain throughout all 3 movies.  There are plenty of villains and antagonists in the original story: goblins, Gollum, wolves (Wargs, to be more exact), Mirkwood spiders (shudder), elves who imprison dwarves (not that they're villains, but they are antagonists), Smaug, and more goblins.  Plenty of villains! Why do you need Azog? Well, you don't really.  But the decision is not unfounded: a consistent villain throughout a series of movies is not a bad idea; in fact it can be a very good one.  For instance, in Harry Potter, Voldemort is consistently the one behind the bad things going on, though his bidding is often done by his agents.  Furthermore, by making Azog a major character and showing his alliance with Bolg, whom we don't encounter in the book at all until the Battle of the Five Armies, you build up more of a resentment of the leader of the goblin army.  So, while Jackson may not be a purist about sticking to the plot of the book, he is a smart filmmaker and knows how to make us dislike the villains.  Is that a very good reason for including Azog? Well, if I were making the movie, I would not have done the same. I'll say that much.  

I did find it interesting, though, that Azog's chosen steed is in the book.  The white Warg, though not of major importance, does show up after the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo have escaped the goblin caves.  So Jackson's incorporation of that was interesting; though it could have been just as cool if the wolves had shown up alone and then the goblins had come and started the fire, like in the book.  

(3) What about all the stuff with Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, and Galadriel?  I don't think this was necessary; but, for those who may never read the books, it could be helpful and interesting to see some of the background to the Lord of the Rings.  It answers some of the questions of how Saruman became evil and where Gandalf was when he wasn't with the dwarves.  But this could have been done similarly to how Tolkien did it in the book: told and not seen.  

(4) Kili and Tauriel: Ick! No! Nonono. Stop it right now.  Obviously, dwarves and elves do not have good relationships going.  While there are exceptions (Gimli and Legolas, but much later on), and I wouldn't say it's true that in "The Hobbit" the dwarves and elves hate each other (as it is made to seem in the movie with Thorin's ultimate dislike of the woodland folk, which is not at all an aspect of Tolkien's story), the likelihood of a romance = 0.  However, this was another of those decisions that I don't believe Jackson was at the root of.  He didn't want to put that in there; but because it would be appealing to the teenaged audience, romance in the film is a good move for bringing in revenue.  And, since the producer's paying, most of the time the producer gets what he wants.  I won't even put a picture of them in here because...ew. Just no.

(5) Legolas: Well, I take the opinion of the "How it Should Have Ended Video:" 

Legolas isn't part of "The Hobbit."  I'm sure Tolkien had another place in mind where he would have been during the time that all of this was taking place.  At least a cameo in Mirkwood would have been all right; but...did he really need to be in the movie?  I would say "no."  There are more than enough characters you can develop in this story without adding another one, or two for that matter (*cough*Tauriel*cough*).  

(6) Beorn: Beorn could have certainly been given more screen time, and it would have been well-spent.  He's a very interesting character, and I would have liked to have seen more of him.  But, I was definitely guilty of watching: "Battle of the Five Armies" and saying "Oh come on!" in my head when Beorn just turns up in the battle.  It seemed unnecessary to me.  But then, I'm reading the book, and "...Oh. Beorn was there. In fact, he killed Bolg. ...Why wasn't that in the movie?!"  Well, we were too busy finishing of Azog, I guess.  However, I can't say that I'm not a little annoyed by the fact that Legolas gets Beorn's role of finishing off the ugly orc leader. And, while I'm on the subject of things I was wrong about...: I thought that more of the dwarves died in the Battle of the Five Armies than did in the movie.  But I was wrong. Just Thorin, Fili, and Kili.  Though I wished they had stuck with Fili and Kili's courageous act to shield Thorin's body when he was wounded.  

(7) Smaug: ...No complaints. 

 

You want: awesome, scary-looking, huge, intimidating, intelligent, fire-breathing, red dragon. You get: exactly that! And, bonus: he's voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Who did a splendid job of it, I might add.  

(8) Alfred: ....Yeah....what was the point of that one? 

I thought I'd get an answer by the end...but that never happened.  Seriously...who is this guy? 

(9) Thorin: 

I was actually surprised as I read Tolkien's book again and found how minor of a role Thorin seems to have in the beginning of the story.  I mean, it is the account of Bilbo's adventures; but for someone as important at the end of the story as Thorin, it seemed a little odd.  But Tolkien knew what he was doing.  To talk too much about Thorin would have meant talking less about Bilbo, the hero of the story.  But, Jackson's decision to make Thorin a more central character is not one that I object to.  Among the dwarves, Thorin would have been the leader.  And I liked watching his character develop throughout the movies.  Some things (the obsession with the Arkenstone, his dislike of elves (which is nowhere in the book)) may have been slightly overdone. But I only say that the Arkenstone business was overdone because the movie failed to show the other dwarves being a bit overcome with the lust for treasure.  It wasn't just Thorin.  But, all-in-all, I liked Thorin's representation.  And, hey, it's Richard Armitage, who does a great job of being a king who wants his throne back, and has a bit of a pride problem.  

(10) Bilbo Baggins: 

Personally, I don't think they could've picked anyone better to portray our friend Mr. Baggins.  Martin Freeman, I salute you.  Best Bilbo ever! From his sneaking about the hobbit hole to make sure everyone was gone, to riding a pony, to encountering trolls, to riddles with Gollum (which was perfect) and Smaug, and everything else that Bilbo did, it was done exceptionally well.  And, just as I almost cried as I finished reading "The Hobbit" and reached the part where Thorin dies, I almost cried when it happened in the movie, too (though under circumstances quite different from the book).  And, at the end when Bilbo calls Thorin his friend, ...oh man.  Pulling on the heartstrings.  

Still, Tolkien's writing of Bilbo Baggins in the book is so fantastic that I don't think it can be outdone.     As I read, I found myself relating to Bilbo so many times.  I think there's a little of him in each of us: a side that loves adventure, and a side that longs for hearth and home.  Also, like him, we don't fully realize what we're capable of until we're put in a situation where we're hard pressed and our true colors begin to show.  That's what's a remarkable thing about Gandalf as a Christ-figure in Tolkien's books: he sees in Bilbo more than Bilbo sees in himself, and he gets Bilbo involved in a great adventure that will help him to discover who and what he truly is: a little hobbit in a great world, yes; but a little hobbit who can make a difference nonetheless.  

So, while not a perfect representation (few movies are, unfortunately), in the words of Bofur: "Well, that could've been worse."  I would have liked to see a movie that stayed closer to the book, certainly.  But I can't argue with the characterizations of Bilbo, Gandalf, the dwarves, Smaug, and Gollum.  While I read the book, I heard Martin Freeman's voice when I would read Bilbo's parts. I heard Ian McKellen when Gandalf is scolding Bilbo and the dwarves.  I heard Richard Armitage talking about the Kingdom Under the Mountain.  I heard the kind old voice of Balin, the lighthearted voice of Bofur, and so on and so forth.  So I must thank Peter Jackson for bringing them to life.  

But, I'm sure Jackson would agree with me that Tolkien's books are almost impossible to match in their ability to fill us with wonder.  The genius of this mythology that Tolkien himself created is amazing!  He achieved things in his writing that I can only dream of.  

And so, I salute the great creator of Middle-Earth, and look forward to the next adventure: "The Fellowship of the Ring."  

"Farewell, dear Bilbo...until our next meeting."

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!!

Snippet of Reflection

We had a substitute today in my Theology of Christ class today as we discussed the preliminaries to the study of Christ (namely, man's created state, original sin, the fall, the unity of the soul and body in the human person).  This was all very interesting.
The professor discussed the importance of understanding the human person as an end within itself, not a means to an end.  The human person has this dignity because of the unity of soul and body that is the person.  This unity is part of our being made in God's image.  Our ability to reason is rooted in this, and our dignity is rooted in our ability to reason.  In this discussion, he mentioned the passage from Genesis in which God says:
"It is not good that the man should be alone.  I shall make for him a suitable partner."  
God proceeds to make the many creatures that dwell on the earth, and He brings all of them to Adam to receive their names from Him.  This shows the character and dignity of man above creatures: that Adam gives the creatures their names shows that the creatures have been made differently than Adam, that they are subordinate to him; not in the sense that he may do anything he pleases to them, but that he is their steward, and that he is made in God's image: having authority over created matter that has not been made in the image and the likeness of God.  Of course, God is present in all of His creation in a special way: all of creation proclaims His glory simply by being what it is, and His beauty is reflected in the organization and wonder of creation.
The passage from Genesis goes on to say that Adam (and God) found no suitable partner for Adam among the creatures.
When my professor mentioned this, I suddenly had a new understanding of the meaning behind this passage.  Adam found no suitable partner among the creatures.  So, I wondered, then why would God bring all of them before Adam?  Then it hit me.  God's intention was to show man that none of these created beasts were the suitable partner for him to cherish, love, and give himself to.  God proceeded to create the first woman, Eve, from Adam's rib.  Adam sees her for the first time, and what does he say?  "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."  He recognizes her as the suitable partner for him, the one that God intended for Adam to be united with in love and to wed, giving himself to her, and receiving her gift of self to him.  Eve, too, is above all the other creatures because God has made her in His image and likeness, as He made Adam: with a body and a soul, with the ability to reason, with dignity.  She, too, exists, not as a means, but as an end: an end in herself.  She is not something to be used; nor is Adam.  Both are persons to be pursued, loved, and cared for.  They are made for each other.  God did not make the animals for Adam's partner, nor did he make another man.  He made a woman, one who would complement him, love him, learn from him, teach him, and more.

I've seen this quote a number of times on Facebook, and someone shared it in my English class once, too.  I really like it, as it illustrates very well the proper attitude that should exist between husband and wife:

“Woman was created from the rib of man to be beside him, not from his head to rule over him, nor from his feet to be trampled by him, but from under his arm to be protected by him, and near to his heart to be loved by him.”

(The quote is credited to David O. McKay.  I made a few edits, though, to the one I found online so that it was more like what I had originally heard.)

To read more about the mystery of man and woman and how they have been created for each other, you can read Blessed Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body," or reflections and commentaries therein.  

God bless! and thanks for reading.

Return of the College Studies

Good (early early) morning!

In case you couldn't judge by the time that I'm posting this, I am back at college!!  Back to late nights studying.  Well, most of the time I'm up late it's because I'm studying.  Not tonight, though. Heh heh.
It's been a very good first two weeks.  Moving into my dorm went well, and I have had a chance to decorate a little.  I may still do some more horse pictures on the wall, or I may just have to sit down and draw someday and put some of my own artwork up there.   I'm in a new hall this year, so first day was kind of like being a freshman again because I didn't see a lot of familiar faces right off the bat.  But it's been good to reconnect with friends and spend time with people I haven't seen in a while.
My classes are going very well so far.  Spanish is...Spanish.  Nothing really new or exciting there.  But it's good.  Catechetics is awesome!  I am enjoying the class (and the professor) very much so far.  Plus, I get to read a kid's "adventure catechism" called St. Patrick's Summer.  It's a pretty awesome book!  And I just enjoy reading a children's catechism for a college class. :)  Haha!  Adolescent Psychology looks to be interesting.  I'm enjoying what I'm learning, and I think it will be very helpful, as I intend to do youth ministry (God-willing) after I graduate.  (I just hope the blasted free loose leaf edition of the professor's book that I ordered comes in the mail this week as it should have already been here. :P ) I also get to take a class in Youth Ministry this semester, which I really like, too!  The professor for that class has done years of ministry, so very often his lectures seem like an inspirational talk, and it's all about doing ministry and doing it well, so it's exciting, and fun. :)  My fifth class is Theology of Christ, which was an adventure and act of God to get into the section I'm in now, and is also going very well.  I really like the professor for this class as well as he is very good about acknowledging students' questions and comments, and doesn't throw out anything that a student says in the class.  He's always very positive and encouraging toward his students, and so intelligent.  All in all, I think I'm going to be learning a lot this semester, and I'm excited!  I'm also singing in the university's chorus (Chorale).

Though the semester got off to a rocky start, it has been incredibly blessed.  I was able to see my immediate and extended family the first weekend.  Though the circumstances, sadly, were not joyful, it was really good to see everyone, and we all had a good time together.  Sunday we had a grand adventure as we traveled out to a German Festival.  I bought myself a German hat for my trip to Austria next semester.  During the festival, it poured down rain, and after the rain subsided, we tried to drive out of the parking field in the 15 passenger van that my uncle was driving.  ...We got stuck.  Big time.  The field was super muddy.  So, my cousins, brothers, and uncle all came to the rescue and helped us push and rock the van out of the mud.  They also assisted several other cars and vehicles experiencing the same problem.  "A bunch of Good Samaritans," as my uncle called them with a smile.  It was an adventure!  And we were all laughing during and after it.  God is good!

This week I've been able to enjoy some great quality time with friends, as well.  It means so much to me to be able to talk to some of my friends about my spiritual life, and to hear about theirs too.  As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to have this communion among us, and it's always a great feeling to know, not only that someone cares about you, but that they're really listening to you and want to help.  I also got to see some good friends this weekend whom I haven't seen in a while, and got to travel out to one of my second homes (Catholic Familyland) twice this weekend: once to hang out with friends and have a bonfire, and the second to celebrate the life commitment of one of the lay consecrated women at the Apostolate.  :)  The latter was especially beautiful, as, not only was it wonderful to see this bride of Christ so faithful and happy, but our Lord opened my eyes again to His beauty, glory, and love, and gave me such clarity on something I was praying about.  He touched my heart, as well, and opened me up to discerning my vocation more perfectly and more peacefully.  It was truly wonderful.

Through all the struggles and pain, God is always good, and there is always something to be thankful for.  Blessed and happy Sunday to you all!

"My home is by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God!  Blessed are those who dwell in your house!  They never cease to praise you."  -Psalm 84

Random, sometimes useful, and amusing things that run through my head at work

Once again, I haven't posted in a while.  Summer's been unexpectedly busy at points, some of those times for the better.  And I'm glad to spend time doing other things besides sitting around typing random thoughts on my computer.  But life's been good: there have been numerous blessings (as well as trials) since my last post; but I'm not going to go into that here.
Work is (finally) winding down to an end. HUZZAH!!! Just 1 more day of it left and I will leave that building yelling "Free at last! Free at last!" (in my head). ;-)  It's not all been bad; most of the time it's been all right, though not nearly as awesome as what my sister and friends got to do this summer and, similarly, what I got to do last summer.  But I've gotten through, thanks to some great people that I met. Unexpected surprises are nice when they're good acquaintances/friends.  Most of them helped keep me sane and smiling, so I'm thankful for that.
But! to the point...seeing as work is almost over...I thought it would be good (and fun) to write up some of the random, funny, occasionally useful but most often not, smatterings that pop in and out of my mind as I walk around a warehouse for 8 or 9 hours a day looking for items to put in boxes.

1.  Actually, sand rainbow blocks are boring.  I was confused in my last post.  It's the shimmering waters rainbow blocks that are awesome.  :D  See? These could keep me entertained for a good while.
2.  These darling little baby dolls can make your day sometimes.  When I pass by them in an aisle, I see them and I just have to smile.  Sometimes I even say something to them or squeeze their hands.  I know...weird.  It's a girl thing.  Apparently, it's not just real life babies that can trigger that oxytocin release that causes girls to react "Aww!" to cute babies.  D'aww! They can also be rather distracting. Sometimes you just can't resist the temptation to put them in cute positions or make it look like they're peeking out at whoever comes down the aisle next.  And don't listen to those people who say they're ugly or look like demons.  It's not true.  "I'm not listening, lalalalalalalalala! ... Still not listeningggg!!"
3.  Packing toys is probably the best part of my job.  I get to pack: Mr. Potato Head, board games, jumbo farm/jungle/zoo/forest animals, zoo animal sets, kitchen sets, costumes, doll house furniture, etc.  And I get to see some cute toys, even if I haven't had the privilege of packing them.  (Yeah, sometimes I stop for a short interval and check out the toys in the box.)
4.  This stuff, concentrated liquid glitter watercolors, looks like magic in a bottle.  Look at it! The green looks like something out of the merry old land of Oz!
5.  Listening to country music on the radio while working keeps me cheery!  Think this...

Especially when it means not listening to the station that plays "the hits;" which here means: the same lame 10 songs every day!! Blehhh.  Then I tend to be more like this.

  And.......wen I had the station on the country music and ten seconds later someone changes it back to the terrible station, inside I can get like this:

. Heh heh.

6.  It's great for back-to-school ideas.  I see all these products while I work, so I know what's out there, and remember what I still need.  

7.  I get a firsthand look at all kinds of art products: paints, pencils, sketch pads and journals, drawing books, ceramic glazes, and lots more.  As an art enthusiast, and amateur artist, this is a lot of fun.  

8.  9 hours of work (minus the 20 minute and 10 minute breaks) makes working 8 hours look very very nice.  And your feet hurt for an hour afterwards. Owch.  

9.  If you didn't wash your knees after every night of work, you could probably grow seeds in the dirt that builds up.  I'm serious, my knees look like someone kicked me with steel-toed boots.  They're black.  :P  Yup, working in a warehouse is *Dory imitation* *cough cough cough!* Wow. Dusty!  

10.  The sight of sunshine and trees through the loading doors for the semi trucks is a gift from God.  It makes me very happy, as do the other little blessings that He grants me everyday: like packing not 1, but 4 adorable baby dolls in a box today; and noticing that the box I'm packing is going to a Catholic school.  

Well, good night (or should I say good morning) everyone!  I hope you have enjoyed this a little. :) I'm headed back to school soon, so there will be other posts coming, hopefully, and perhaps more frequently.  God is good!  The summer has been trying; but it has also been very good to be with my family, and God has taught me many things and blessed me in many ways.  I'm looking forward to going back to school; but I will certainly miss my family and my home.  But God is good, and always in control.  

Until I write again: "Tomorrow is another day/ Tomorrow is the judgment day/ Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store/ One more dawn/ One more day/ ONE DAY MORE!!!!!" 

Heeheehee! 

10 Things You Learn While Working in a School Supplies Warehouse

Well, it has been a very long time since I've posted here, so when some ideas for a post hit me yesterday I decided I'd go with it and update this.
Life has had many blessings since my last post.  Work has been going very well.  I'm not having to juggle 2 jobs, which was a relief since that would have taken up a good chunk of my time in addition to the hours of work I have been doing.  The variety of the work is nice, and I've seen some pretty cool stuff. But I'll get to that more later.
About a week and a half ago, God blessed me with a visit to my second home: Catholic Familyland.  3 members of my adopted family of last summer were visiting that week, and 2 others are working there, so I decided that I really wanted to go visit.  God was so good to me and allowed this to work out perfectly!  We got there in the middle of the day, and I got to see my sister and 2 of her (and my) friends.  Then I embarked on a journey to find my "brothers and sisters".  :)  It was so good to see them!  It kept seeming so surreal on the way there that I was actually going to physically be with these people after we've only been able to talk over Skype and letters and phone calls for almost a year.  Being with them was amazing!  It felt like nothing had changed in our friendship with each other, and anything that had changed had become even better!  I practically tackle-hugged a few people when I saw them.  Haha!  It was such a blessing, not only to be with my friends, but also to get to spend some time in the Lord's presence in Queen of Angels Chapel.

This is probably my favorite chapel in the whole world.  When I sit in this chapel, I have so much peace.  It feels like my soul is at home.  While this is true for anywhere that I can be in the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, I think this place is so special to me because this is where I really started to truly know the Lord for Who He is and meet Him in the depths of my heart.  Other experiences at Familyland compounded that, but I think the beginning was here.  

I was so blessed to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with my "sisters" here after taking a walk with them in the rain and talking about life.  After the Chaplet, we just sat there for a while.  As I sat there gazing upon the glory of God, Christ gave me a few beautiful revelations about what He is calling me to do, and what that is going to require of me.  

I also got to go to Benediction with Patrick, Jenny, and Sarah (and Maura was there, too, but I didn't know till afterwards).  We also went to dinner with my sister, and Dad surprised us by suggesting we stay for the Rosary, so I got to be with my friends even longer and close up the visit with prayer and loving goodbyes.  

The 4th of July was another blessed day.  I didn't have to work, so it was great to have some family time.  We started off the day with Mass, and enjoyed the afternoon together.  I watched my first episode of Dr. Who (we are starting with the season from 2005, and, while it's not been extremely fantastic, it's been enough to keep me interested).  Dinner was delicious!  And we all went to watch the fireworks together, played some Mad Gab, and played with sparklers in the driveway.  

My birthday was a few days after the 4th, and was on a day that I didn't have work: another blessing.  I got to start the day off with Mass, and went to see Despicable Me 2 with my brothers and sisters.  The movie was really cute and clever, and I thought it was very good for a sequel. :)  My mom picked out some really nice clothes for me as a gift from my Grandma, and I got one of my favorite movies, and an itunes card to get some music.  Dinner was fantastic, and dessert was great. :) 

Now that that is pretty much summed up, I'll get to the subject of the title.  Here are 10 things that I have learned while working in a school supplies warehouse filling boxes.  Enjoy!  (This is meant to be funny.)

1.  Play food has gotten a lot more fancy and sophisticated since I was a kid.  Instead of looking vaguely like the food it is supposed to resemble (for example, a purely yellow banana), it looks very realistic, like this:  Fancy Play Food

2.  I have discovered a really neat toy: sand rainbow blocks.  Shimmering-Water-Blocks.jpg  When I found these on the shelf for an order, I was like: "Wow, these are cool. I want these!"  

3.  You can tell when it is an art teacher making an order based on a few factors:  they order lots of paint brushes, or canvases, or paint, or posters with quotes about painting. A drawing teacher orders lots of sketch pads, pencils, etc.  

4.  Ordering 75 calculators is a good indication that you are a math teacher.  And takes 3 of the really large sandwich bags to carry and contain.  

5.  Some boxes just like to keep coming back to you even when there's nothing for you to put in them.  When it's been to your station 4 times, it's time to force it to move on.  Carry it past the scanner and let it go.  

6.  You may have to turn the baby dolls' heads back to their correct position, since some people think it's terribly funny to contort the baby so that it's head is completely turned around.  Feminine instinct kicks in and you just have to help those poor babies. 

7.  Muggy day, plus warehouse with no air conditioning, plus busy workday and working machinery is not a good combination; but there's not much you can do about it, so drink lots of water.  Sitting at lunch (well, technically dinner) with some co-workers, we thought it would be a great idea for the company to hire people to go along the line and spritz people with water and fan them to keep them cool.  Sounds like a fun job!  Hey, you'd get to squirt people in the face. "Oh, sorry, I did not see you there. *spray* Or there." -Mr. Gru, Despicable Me 2

8.  You get to meet one old school buddies when you work in a warehouse that supplies them: the counting bears! pattern blocks, mega blocks, play-doh, the list goes on.  

9.  Teachers like to order pencils that say: "[Insert grade] graders are the best!"  Which leads you to wonder...they can't all be the best, so...where does that leave us? 

10.  Other teachers like to order pencils for every season/holiday of the year, including the 4th of July it would seem.  But...seeing as the 4th of July is in the summer....I'm confused. ;)  

Well, I hope that was somewhat entertaining.  Have a great day, everyone! God bless!

"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance ; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement." -St. Augustine of Hippo