100 Hard Things

79.  Finished my homework, even though it was late.

80. Kept from blowing up when I was really mad.

81. Practiced violin when I just wanted to sleep.

82. Got up and worked out when I just wanted to sleep.

83. Went to school even though I felt awful.

84. Persevered.

85. Held the tears in.

86. Asked for help in class.

87. Was completely honest.

88. Said I was sorry.

89. Meant it.

90. Ran a Kids’ Zone for a festival.

91. Did precalculus homework without a calculator.

92. Figured out how to do said homework all by myself.

93. Played violin until my fingers bled.

94. Didn’t argue with my teacher.

95. Hiked four miles with ten small children telling the same bad joke over and over and over…and over.

100 Hard Things–62-78

62. Didn’t give up when my orchestra teacher informed us that we were playing 4.the first movement from Mozart’s Concerto No. 25 in G minor and handed it out and I had not the slightest idea what to do. Did it sound good? No. Did I fudge it? Oh yeah. Did I try? Yes.
63. Collected donations after Mass for my AHG troop.
64. Took responsibility for something that I could have prevented.
65. Apologized.
66. Asked for help in orchestra.
67. Went along with my group in preparing a skit en Espanol.
68. Said something that took a lot of courage (that’s all the details you’re getting)
69. Finished learning the Bach Double Violin Concerto and played it in a duet with my teacher–it actually sounded good!!
70. Spent four hours on HL notes (and yes that was required to complete the assignment!)
71. Smiled when I felt broken inside.
72. Worked on building a friendship I never had.
73. For a group project, I worked with someone besides who I’d have rather been working with.
74. Double-checked all my precalc homework and worked through it again to be sure I got it right.
75. Worked really hard on understanding conversions in chemistry.
76. Helped the boys clean up the cafeteria.
77. Put my girls first. 🙂
78. While running, didn’t push my brother even though I wanted to go faster.

Witness to Hope

So I’m reading this seriously great book right now. It’s called Witness to Hope and it’s by a man named George Weigel. Weigel is really cool for a number of reasons:
1. He was born in Maryland (like me…oh yeah! Plus, anywhere named MARYland is just cool. KIDDING)
2. He’s Catholic.
3. He’s really Catholic.
4. I mean REALLY Catholic.
5. He’s the EPITOME of Catholic. (Do you get the picture yet?)
6. He’s Polish.
7. He’s been to a LOT of churches all over the world (and he describes many of them in Letters To A Young Catholic).
8. He’s really really smart.
9. He somehow came up with (I still have yet to figure out how!) EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX PAGES about the life of Pope St. John Paul II. That’s not counting the footnotes, index, and appendix. Total, there are ONE THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN pages.

I am on page one hundred and sixteen.
I have quite a long way to go.
but that’s okay! so far it’s a really great book. He’s very, very detailed in his descriptions of every event, person, and backstory. By the end I will have learned a lot (and it’s lucky my family owns a copy because there is no way ever I’d be able to read this in three weeks.)

Reason # 16 through Reason # 23

Reason #16: I’m so happy. I feel way happier now than I did last year, and, let me tell you, it’s not because the classes are easier (they’re NOT) or more fun (definitely NOT) or because I see my friends more (it’s like we’re never together and then POOF it’s the dismissal bell). So that leaves about one variable. Jesus. And that’s all there is to it.

Reason #17: I want to tell everyone I see. Forget about it being the appropriate time. It’s usually not. But I want to explain it.

Reason #18: When I think about the miracle of the Eucharist, I get all fluttery inside (it’s a very technical medical term. Fluttery.) Jesus is giving HIMSELF to ME. Little, sinful, unworthy me.

Reason #19: How can we  be so terribly imperfect without something to strive for?

Reason #20: There’s something in the Bible for everyone. Lawyers? read Leviticus. Tell me how you like it. Insomniacs? Also read Leviticus (just kidding.) Romantics? Song of Songs or the Psalms, or Esther. Only someone who knows everyone in the world could have planned that, and I know I certainly don’t!

Reason #21: People die for it. People don’t sacrifice their lives for atheism, because the very principle of atheism is that there’s NOTHING to die FOR. We have martyrs, who hope that they will get to see their God face to face and experience eternal joy; they have the hopeless.

Reason #22: If nothing else, at least our martyrs get to die looking forward to something.

Reason #23: If there’s nothing to die for, how sad is that? If there is nothing you’re committed to enough to sacrifice your life for, isn’t that sad? It’s passionless, emotionless. And joy? Nope.

100 Hard Things

I’m officially halfway there! I can do this!

Anyway, here’s more:

51. Instead of emailing my friend like I wanted to, I went to bed on time,

52. Was really cheerful and friendly to some freshmen girls who aren’t my favorites.

53. Said hi to a boy who absolutely despises me in the hallway.

54. Complimented a girl I didn’t know.

55. Went out of my way to learn some of the middle-schoolers’ names.

56. Ran four miles.

57. Finished my precalculus homework and went back and checked them all. And it’s only Saturday!

58. Played on the swings with my baby sister when I would have much rather been reading.

59. Cleaned the bathroom…gross.

60. Didn’t yell at my brother when he was being ridiculous.

61. Practiced even though I didn’t really feel like it.

 

Don’t give up

Poetry of an eccentric sheep

I love you, don’t give up. I want you to stay here so I can read about your life. I know its hard right now. Believe me, I know. I’m here listening, please speak away, just don’t give up. And I don’t have to know you, because you’re one of God’s children, and he loves you, and so do I. Don’t give up.

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Hail Mary

 

Freaking out and saying a Hail Mary works too…you may even find yourself calming down!

Undercover Boss

 

So true. Think about it. He’s OUR undercover boss. He knows what we’re thinking, all our intentions, what a day in our lives is really like. We can’t hide from Him. And that’s not supposed to be scary…He also knows exactly what went wrong and how to heal us so we can do better next time, if we only ask Him.

 

26 Struggles Anyone Raised Catholic Will Totally Understand

Another thing I found on Pinterest–this one is about being raised Catholic. It made me laugh: http://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/catholic-born-and-raised

Southern Catholic shirt on Pinterest

I found this shirt on Pinterest, and as someone who moved to Colorado with a Southern drawl (and just as a Catholic in general…) I thought it was seriously funny. Despite the fact that the parts of the Mass have been re-translated.