ThirstyFountains

     Servant. What does it mean to be a servant? According to Merriam Webster, a servant is someone who performs duties to help another. So how does this relate to the family? It relates to the family because, when in a family, sacrifices are performed (well, should be). Recently, I attended Faithful Servant Leadership Retreat. People there taught me how to be sacrificial with time, wants, desires, preferences, and their will over another's.      How have you been a servant to those around you? How can you be a better one? In your family, who do you admire the most for their selflessness? Do you want to be like them?      A family is a group of people that help you, challenge you, heal you, cry with you, suffer with you, laugh with you, and take care of you. Before Faithful Servant, I thought it almost impossible that  I would find someone who I could be real with, but I prayed anyway that I would find that one person. I wa...

Word.      Love someone with a true, sacrificial love. Do not "I love you if" or "I love you because." No. Instead, love period. Love no matter what. It is okay to like certain characteristics and physical features of a person, but do not love them; love the soul, the heart. Characteristics and physical features change and fade over time, but the soul is everlasting.      If we do not love solely because they are made in God's image, if we shape them and make our habits their habits..... then we really are only loving the reflection of ourselves we see in them . When we love, we will challenge the other person to become a better-version-of-themself. Love is bold. Simultaneously, love can be hard to see: a small smile, an encouraging word, an act of kindness, letting another speak before you, etcetera. Love is simple. It is putting the other person's needs before your own. If we humble ourselves, we can become love experts. I was thirteen when ...

(Left: my eldest brother and I, 10 yrs old, when I went to MT for the first time; we were looking for waterfalls amidst the MT mountains) (Below: the most recent trip to MT) Here is a poem I composed on 05-25-17 in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Be Come, I say. Follow Me. If you do, You will have joy and peace. You do not have to talk. Do not worry if, at first, you do not hear. I want to see you. I want you here. Come and relax. Come; seek Me. All that I ask, Is for you to just be . Reflection: For me, it is sometimes hard to realize that God wants to literally just be with me. With you! Imagine the God who decided where to put constellations and what color for each ocean, lake, river, stream, brook, and even a pond- He wants to just watch you! Us! Watch us exist. He is content to watch us breathe.  He is immensely in love with us. Some people of other faiths may believe that God is only in love with those of the Catholic faith. No. Not at all....

I do not know who is familiar with this book, but it is a great one!  It's called: 33 Days to Merciful Love by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. Here's a link to it: https://www.ignatius.com/33-Days-to-Merciful-Love-P2411.aspx I do not know the exact wording of it, but one of my favorite quotes in this book goes something like this: When you say things like, "If I get to Heaven" it hurts My Heart. It is as if you do not believe in My abundant Mercy. Today, I went to Mass at St. Dorothy's. Fr. Miller (one of my favorite priests) talked with my family and I after Mass. He said something that really stood out to me: "It is better to work with someone who hates than someone who is lukewarm." This is true because if you are trying to help someone who is apathetic/lukewarm- they won't care. Yet, if you are trying to assist someone who hates- you can work with hate. God will use their pain, and He will transform it into inspiration. Jesus desires t...

              Many individuals talk to themselves with a negative attitude. We tell ourselves we cannot do something so we do not disappoint ourselves when/if we fail. We live our lives afraid of failure. We have this unhealthy mindset that we are destined to fail. But we are not! IT IS OKAY TO FAIL! What? What is she saying?! What does she mean "It's okay to fail?" What I mean is this: Failure is a part of success. It is proof that you are trying. Like Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed; I have found 10,000 ways that do not work." Winston Churchill said, "Success is stumbling from failure to failure without any less enthusiasm." Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up. Do not feel pressured to get up right away. Do not stay down for too long or you will come to use the excuse of "Can't you just love me for who I am? I am trying! Can't you see that? Why do you want me to get up right now? I need to learn!...

        Many young people today (and even college ages+) believe that intimacy can only occur when one shares physical contact. However, like this picture says, intimacy occurs when you can see into another's soul. Some questions you can ask yourself: Whose soul can I see into? Why do I want to be able to do so? What can I do to stay pure and chaste, yet enjoy myself? How can I honor God through my relationships? How can I honor this other person in this relationship? Jason Evert: How To Save Your Marriage Before You Marry