This Season

I remember those times when Christmas was about presents and I was disappointed most Christmases because I didn't get what I wanted.

I attempted to find fulfilment and lasting happiness in materialistic gifts. The happiness was fleeting. I wanted to feel complete and satisfied. I never got that and I always wondered why. 

Everyone always remind me about Jesus and his birthday and how It was his day. I always found it annoying. But the older I got the more I understood that happiness does not come from gifts. It comes from love. Love given by family, friends and Christ. True, genuine love is more than the giddy feelings. It's about unconditional love. Loving the good, bad, ugly, pretty, messy and clean parts of our soul.

 In a world that thrives on the "feel-good" motto, holidays are robbed of their true meaning. It has turned into being about spending, buying, pleasing,and satisfying. We buy gifts for people simply to please them. We panic thinking they need to be of high quality and expensive. We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need.

That is what our world is. No longer is it about family, or enjoying others company because technology has robbed us of company. 

We shouldn't want to wait until the holidays are over. We should enjoy the time we have with people we seldom see because immediately it could call be taken away from us. Death is inevitable and we spend a large portion of our life bitterly complaining about family. 

Family is not perfect but it is what you have, they may not love you the way you need to be loved but be thankful for the family you have. Whatever holiday you celebrate, look at the good though it may be difficult and count what you have instead of what you don't have. And in this, you'll discover the happiness you attempted to get from presents when you were a child.

Life lesson learned in three weeks time

After running my marathon, it was like my life has fulfilled its purpose and everything sort of stopped.

I had stopped running, I was still "recovering" two weeks after the marathon. I made up more excuses, woke up later than usual. And l felt lazier, cranky, stressed and overwhelmed.

Needless to say I had set goals, accomplished them but failed to continue on after.

This would take discipline, a lot of it. God supplied me with the grace to wake up each and every morning during the summer to train but I simply could not for the life of me have the discipline during this time. Maybe school, extra curricular activities and church played a part because that needed my energy but I definitely was being a baby in denying my body the exercise it needed. Sure I went to the gym but it was not the same.

You need discipline not just for running but for anything you want to accomplish. As for me, I struggled with consistency. It made me question what I was running for. Did I run for goals, or for health and sanity? 

I made up plenty of excuses and oh how all of them were baloney. I HAD the time to run, I HAD the support to get up in the morning; my mom runs several days of the week; so what stopped me? 

To tell you the truth, It was laziness. It has gotten the better of me. Once you identify the problem, it is easier to fix. If you cannot pinpoint your problem, the first step is to recognize it.  

Running clears my mind and give me sanity. It makes me realize the world will not end if I fail. I am human and striving for perfection is okay but I am not perfect.

Everything will come together with patience, dedication, passion and hope.

No longer will I lay in bed those hours I could be running, I will be productive.

No longer will I waste my precious minutes on reckless social media, I will make a schedule and discipline myself to follow it.

Life is yours to add meaning to it. You can do so many successful things in life and may still feel like you haven't "lived life". You may never "accomplish something great" as defined through the eyes of society but if you love life, those in it, you have accomplished much.

You are the one who adds meaning to the life you have been blessed with. Make the most of it, do no dwell in misery but keep your eyes looking forward and never give up hope. Practice discipline, avoid excuses and get back into life. The best is yet to come. ✨

Virginity and Purity...What's the difference?

Okay, so I stumbled upon an article dealing with these themes and while reading it I became inspired to define as to what many people in society confuse.

To say that one is a virgin doe not imply they are pure.
You can be a virgin as much as possible, but if you have impure thoughts, have impure intentions then you are not pure.
There is a difference.
Many people confuse these and combine both together.
To no longer be a virgin is to have sex and lose your virginity.
However if you do not directly have sex, but talk dirty, send inappropriate pictures, fantasize, lust and have impure thoughts you are not considered pure.
To be pure is something you are constantly working on.
To be pure means working towards purity every day. Choosing to be selfless over selfishness is pure. To serve someone out of the goodness of your heart because they are a brother or sister in Christ rather than to please them, is pure.
This does not have only to do with our sexual intentions but with any part of our life.
To think good of others rather than judge them, is pure.
To not be greedy, or selfish is pure.
To give and not expect something in return is pure.
As Christians were are called to have pure of heart and this is what it means.
Granted, this is not easy but it is what we are called to do.
To be pure of heart is greater than all the riches in the world we must strive for it daily and not settle for the minimum amount of work.

We must not allow virgins to think it is okay to continue to internally sin. If you are doing something to better benefit you, that is not pure intention.Give give give and love love love as Christ has endlessly loved us.

"Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God" Mt 5:8

Loving the stone throwers

All else put aside, vulnerability.

How comfortable must one be with this in order to get through life? 

What is God calling us to do? 

One thing we must recognize is that we are not from this world. We are in it but not of it. This is not out final destination, having said so, we will suffer. We are going to hurt, we are going to struggle.

we are called to struggle, constantly.

Family, oh family, how beautiful and yet breaking.

Iron sharpens iron.

Family is people destined to be in your for to help you on the road with holiness.

Christ did not pair us up with these people for pure enjoyment.

In some way or another, we will lead each other to heaven.

We do this through prayer, intercession, guidance and healing.

No matter what happens, no matter what you go through, YOU are responsible for showing Christ to your family. YOU are responsible for showing what authentic LOVE is.

Authentic love is loving through thick and thin.

If your sister criticises you; LOVE her.

If your parents belittle you; LOVE them.

If they do not show you any support through hardships; LOVE them.

Oif your family does not show you love; LOVE them.

This Is extremely crucial because it only shows that Christ is first and foremost our true love. The one whom are supposed to be In union with. This is why  mass is so important, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.

Our heart must break, we must be hurt, so that we may rely soley on Christ. Do not expect love and comfort from earthly beings. Seek from God first.

He is the most important in our life. With him as our center, we can get through anything. 

Our hearts will break, yes several times and the beauty of that is Christ has expirienced all we will. 

He has a plan for all this.

As comfortable as we are in complacency. We are called to suffer on different forms. 

Love, give give give love.

Receive first from Christ.

This will only strengthen us into the person God is calling us to be.

It WILL be emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically draining at times. But The Lord will provide graces.

All glory to his honour and name.

My journey thus far: marathon in training

About this time last year, an idea to run a full marathon sparked my brain. The desire slowly came and to actually fulfil this turned my wishful heart to being coated with determination. It could have been all just talk. I wouldn't be able to train until May of 2014. I kept on repeating my future dream to others. And it was so often said that I felt as if I did not fulfil it, I would be a failure for advertising it,and not following through with it. 

I dreamt of all that would come along with completing a marathon; cheers, applaudes, supportive family members, tears and pride. 

So May 2014 came around and I put together a schedule. I began my training. I was alone in this. In training I mean, I would be training alone there was no one else whom I knew that would be doing this.

When I told my family what I was about to do, they simply nodded their head. Not surprised, yet not fully against it.

As training continued, I felt as if people didn't take me seriously. I doubted my purpose for doing this. 

(Early in May I promised a good friend of mine that I would run my marathon for her sister who had been recently diagnosed with cancer) 

"Out father does not inspire us to do anything that cannot be done" St. Therese of Leisuix 

When I first read this, my thoughts went straight to my marathon. 

There is not one dream that isn't God based. He places desires in our hearts for a reason. This entire time I had forgotten that with Christ anything is possible.

He believes I can do this, and so if he thinks I can accomplish this, then I can.

This quote sparked a new rejuvenated feeling of determination and preserverance to continue with my training. Granted, training for 5 months is not a breeze but so worth it in the end.

With that being said, if The Lord places a desire in your heart. Pray about it. "Lord of this from you let it stay, if not take it away" 

With Christ, nothing is impossible. 

New Insight on clothes: how little clothing means back then and now-a-days

Today during prayer I read about the death of a saint. The death itself was brutal as mostly all are, but the thing that caught my attention was something I have often overlooked.
I noticed that many saints were killed with little clothing on.
In the description of their death, it is said that the soldiers "stripped them of their clothes"
I read this many times in history books and knew that when clothes were being torn off, it brought upon humiliation, mockery and embarrassment due to the fact of how properly clothed they were back then.
To show one's skin was not common. They were covered mostly from head to toe (considering the time era and where exactly there were in the world)
For time's sake let us say we are talking about AD 250
How they would kill Christians varied but many times- as I have stated before- they would take off their garments leaving them with almost nothing on.
So, wearing little clothing was humiliating due to the fact that one was exposing himself to the world.
Let's fast forward to today's day and age.
Granted the times have changed and we no longer dress as people did however the radical-ness of how one properly dresses oneself is baffling.
To think that there was a time in society where wearing little clothing was humiliating, embarrassing and shameful and how people freely choose to do that now!
We see people walking around with bottoms as short as 2 inches, see-through shirts, stomachs exposed, backs bare as if it means nothing.
This has become normal.
The body was once a mystery and treasured, only showed to their betrothed and to think that now 95% if not all of our skin is exposed for the entire world to see?
It seems as if showing skin now means prideful, and as if accepted into today's society.

I often have felt as though I am being looked at or judged for dressing modestly and sometimes old fashioned.
Perhaps it is because I have no desire to show every part of my skin to the world,
perhaps it is because I am consciously aware that depending on what I exposed means I am giving permission to be fantasized after
perhaps it is because I want people to know me for my intellect and dignity not my body,
perhaps it is because I may have a similar mindset to the people back in AD 250.

Where is Life in society?

Our world is full of paradoxy.
They say one thing, but do another.
We have too may people in charge, too many people telling us what to do, what is in, what is out, what is cool, what is not.
Let's focus on the models. on what Society is telling us that represents the people. Models.
I will not be talking about sizes, because there are a plethora of articles that cover that.
Pictures say a thousand words, they say.
Well when we see pictures of models what goes through our mind? Or even supermodels?  And Those who walk the runway.
I ask myself, why aren't they smiling? Aren't they happy to be alive?
 Why do they always look so mad or upset or apathetic or in despair?
I have heard the answer of, "they are not trying to draw attention on themselves but rather on what they are wearing" And I understand that for those supermodels that wear such things that make you question as to wear you would ever wear that to?
But how about the models in the magazines that promote clothing to actually buy and wear?
If you look at their facial expressions, they look serious, upset, mad, angry, seductive and I simply do not understand.
I see no life in those photos. I only see how this can lead to the mindset of despair and indifference.
Our society is all about indifference, about showing no feeling, showing nothing but that we are apathetic.
I see no joy, no life.
Our faith calls us to be the opposite of that. We are called to laugh, love, share joy, hearts, tears, struggles.
That is why we are so confused. Because our faith calls us to step out of our comfort zone.
How will one spread joy and peace if you look mad all the time? I do not understand one bit.
Granted, perhaps walking around with a smile twenty-four seven might seem a little strange, but give off an air that is hopeful and approachable not one that looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
When I see pictures of models, I pity them because I wish I could see their smile because I am sure it is ten times more beautiful than the glare they give to the camera.
These blank-stared photographs that are being taken everywhere in social media aren't attractive to me. They give me a feelings of despair, of not caring. Granted, I understand that they show much emotion. I am not condemning all photographs but those photographs that have life are more interesting.
It is not even just models or photographs,but they way we carry ourselves when we are running errand. Walking by, not even acknowledging the people we pass by, what happened to hello and good days. No manners, no respect, no life.
We live in a world where we are taught by society to only care for ourselves. We are great students.  It will not kill for one to smile at a stranger, or a simple hello won't damage you. If you promote happiness, then live it. If you promote good vibes, then give off good vibes. Practice what you preach.