Productivity!

Soooo I'm getting pretty bored with my job. It's just a beat down sometimes.

My one year in this department is up on June 1st, and I am counting.down.the.days. I'm beginning to apply for jobs next week- please pray for me to know and do God's will- there are some potential big life changes coming, hopefully soon.

My team is generally in the office from 7:30-4 ish... and while my boss usually rolls in around 9:30 and wouldn't notice... I really need to be at work at 7:30. Even after a year, this is almost torture for me. I'm not, and I'm pretty sure I will never be, a morning person.

After yet another boring and uneventful Monday, I wanted to come home and do nothing but veg. Walking out of the office, I thought "I shouldn't do anything tonight.. I'm too tired." But I'd previously made plans and I'm not a plan breaker, so I went along. Ciara and I went to Mass, and prayed at Adoration for a while after (her first Adoration experience, completely unexpected because I didn't know they had it after this Mass). We were planning on going running after Mass, and I wasn't looking forward to it. Plus it was raining. So I asked God to please let it keep raining so that we wouldn't have to go running... and almost immediately after the sun came out, along with the eternal sign of the covenant God made with Noah, a huuuuuuuge, beautiful, bright rainbow.  So running we went. Two miles later and back home, I feel awesome. I'm so glad I went and did those things I told myself I didn't want to do. I know He's good about the big stuff, but Jesus is faithful in the little things too, isn't He? Love that guy!

You might be thinking, "wow, Brittany, I had no idea you were a runner." Slow your roll, I can assure you, I am not. But if you remember from that pesky little 30 Before 30 list, I made a goal to run a 10k... so in preparation, Katelynn (teammate from when I lived in Florida) and I are running a 5k color run after a wedding we're going to this summer. I'm sure I'll do a few more leading up to the 10k which I hope to be done with by December. THANKFULLY I had my wits about me to make a goal to run a 10k and not a marathon like someone else I know.. ahem.

Jesus, my Good Shepherd, have mercy on me.

The Wisdom and Grace of a Mother

They say that children are the path of salvation for their parents; that through the sacrifices of parenthood, mothers and fathers become saints. 

My mom isn't like most moms, I think. It's not her fault, mostly... she never had anyone in her own life be a real mother to her, and she didn't have my dad around to help her become a parent either. But it sure is hard to be a daughter to someone who doesn't know how to be a mother... even 25 years later. 

Everyone knows that parents sacrifice for their children. In that respect, she's done her fair share and more for me. Lord knows that is true. She's worked hard to provide me with the life she wanted me to have, and I grew up with opportunities that a lot of kids couldn't even dream of. 

Every time I do something she disapproves of or (more often than not) don't do something that she wants me to do (could be anything as simple as not folding a load of laundry, to something more weighty like going away to college), I hear about all the sacrifices she made for me. She often calls me ungrateful, and rightly so, I am... aren't all children? None of us truly knows how much our parents do for us, how much they love us, and how much they give up for us. But isn't that the point? We can't know until we're parents ourselves, I think. 

Before I came along, she was a bartender, drove a porsche, and even well into her thirties, tried to live the glory days of the 70's. She didn't have any reason to grow up until I came along. I was completely unexpected (her doctor told her she'd never have children due to her severe case of endometriosis) and in an instant her life changed. 

Then I grow up to become a Catholic missionary, and all of a sudden all of the sacrifices she'd made weren't enough... on top of everything I wanted her to be holy. That's a lot to ask.

When I think of myself as a mother, I hope I can take some of her good qualities: her work ethic, her drive, her perseverance. And I hope I can leave others behind: her insistence on getting her way, her stubbornness. I also pray that I will have a partner in parenthood who supports me and loves me, so that I can be free to love our children and sacrifice for them, without the need for them to understand the weight of those sacrifices. It is surely too difficult and too important a task to do alone. 

St. Margaret of Cortona, patroness of single mothers, pray for us. 

2000 Years and Counting....

The Church is so amazing.

Tonight I went to the Vigil Mass with two of my former roommates. One has been Catholic her whole life, the other will become Catholic at Easter next year.

We heard a brief reflection on the Road to Emmaus, one of my favorite parts of the New Testament, which clearly tells the order of the Mass in which we still participate today.

Then the visiting priest shared a little about his mission with us. There are so many people in the world, and just as many paths to Jesus. No two people experience Him in the same way, and no two people will become holy in the same way. The Church, in Her Wisdom, knows this to be true.

The Holy Spirit inspires men and women, clergy and laypeople, all over the world to be the hands and feet of Christ. When I was a missionary on the battlefield of the college campus, I felt called to be there to love God's people and help them to love Him back.

There are so many battlefields, it's almost overwhelming.

The priest tonight ministers to those who are in the circus, and traveling entertainers. Who on earth, except for the Holy Spirit, could have inspired a group of Sisters to decide to minister to circus acts?!! When Father first started talking about it, I legitimately thought he was joking. But it makes sense- where else would someone receive the sacraments if they are always on the road? How could a couple complete marriage prep or take the baptism classes?

 The group of sisters started in Northern Africa meeting needs of nomadic aboriginals and gypsies. How insane and awesome! They eventually spread throughout the world and focus their time and energy on those who are constantly on the go- for whatever reason.

The fact that there are so many people and different groups that need the love of God is overwhelming and amazing. The fact that the Church is already a thousand steps ahead of me is reassuring and joyful. It made me proud to be a Catholic.... your mega church might have some awesome missions to the poorest country in the world... but have you been able to recruit people to join the circus just to spread the love of Jesus? Didn't think so.

St. Thomas, pray for us.

A Quiet, Holy Thursday

So in anticipation of the stock market being closed tomorrow and of Holy Week, a few months ago I scheduled a vacation day today, just assuming I would have the day off tomorrow. In an effort to be more.... tolerant?.... my company has decided that anyone who wants to take the day off tomorrow can, but it will not be automatic for everyone.

Whatever.

So, as it would happen- I have a random day off in the middle of the week. My mom said I shouldn't have wasted a vacation day, which is why I'm not going to waste it! I have a few things I want to accomplish.

While the CFP prep work I had to do was a major beat down, it felt great working so hard to pursue one of my goals, and then seeing the fruit of that work so quickly (hashtag, instant gratification.) I'm going to spend the next three months focusing on a few other goals, and I'm excited to see my hard work pay off over time, and then immediately get to work on other plans. There are so many things I want to do before I get married, I'm not wasting any more time.

I think I'm so intent on getting these things done because I'm not fulfilled by my work or by a community here. I worry that I'm becoming someone who is too comfortable being alone, I don't want to become so dependent on myself that I do not depend on others, and especially on the Lord.

Last night I had a dream about a book I'm reading. That was interesting. In my dream I was scrolling through the pages trying to find a particular passage I read last night, having the most trouble finding it. I will write another post on that excerpt because it really hit home, but I want to have more time to formulate my thoughts.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life- what are you going to do with it?


Have a Holy, Peaceful Triduum.
Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

30 Before 30

I finished the first item on my 30 before 30 list!

I PASSED THE CFP!

Now, once I officially get the designation, I can use the letters behind my name!
Lifelong dream: accomplished. (Nevermind that I hoped the letters would be M.D.)

I'm pretty excited. I've already been scoping out some options for the next step for me. I'm learning that I just love learning. As long as time permits, I'm going to continue to let my company finance my educational interests. The world is my oyster!

The best is yet to come!


Our Lady, Queen of the Universe, pray for us!

St. Joseph of Cupertino, badass extraordinaire

St. Joseph of Cupertino, for those of you who don't know him, was awesome. He is most famously known for his frequent levitations. When he would pray the Mass, he would enter into such a profound ecstasy that his entire body would rise off of the ground and he could stay that way for hours at a time. Even when he wasn't praying the Mass, sometimes even the mention of Jesus would throw him into this ecstasy. Because of this, he used to chain himself down to the ground when saying Mass.

What a lot of people don't know much about is his life before the priesthood. When he was a teenager, he was a nuisance to his mom because apparently (cue: apparently kid from Ellen) he was super clumsy and just not very intelligent. He couldn't keep a job or contribute very much to the household. When he started praying and encountered Jesus, a lot of that changed. He became very gentle and humble.... but he still wasn't very bright. Whenever he would have exams while he was studying to become a priest, he would pray that God would help him. As a result, in his exams, he was only ever asked questions which he knew the answer to. For this reason, he's one of the patrons of students, and I'm putting all my eggs in his basket tonight!!

Here's a cool novena, which I just found out about today, hence why I prayed it in the span of about 20 minutes instead of the usual 9 days... Heaven is outside of time, so it still counts, right? If you would be so kind as to pray it for me, that would be awesome of you. 

FIRST DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you were an unwanted child and were thought worthless even by your own mother. Intercede for all unwanted children that they may come to know they were born out of God’s love for them. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

SECOND DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you were an angry, frustrated child. We pray for all who struggle to express themselves, and that you help us overcome sins of anger. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

THIRD DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you experienced no love in your family and were considered of little account by all who knew you. We pray for all who have experienced the same. May we learn to treat everyone as having the worth they have in God’s eyes. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

FOURTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you suffered because you found it difficult to learn. We pray for all those who struggle at school. May they take comfort from the fact that although learning wasn’t easy for you, this didn’t stop you from becoming a saint. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

FIFTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you did the best with the intelligence you did have and put the rest in God’s hands. That way you passed all your exams and became a priest. We pray for all those struggling with exams. May we also do our best in everything and trust in God to guide our lives. We pray especially for (mention your request. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

SIXTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, even the thought or mention of anything holy made you levitate in ecstasy. Grant us something of the understanding and reverence for God and his saints that you had. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

SEVENTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, only when your superior ordered you to, were you able to come back down to earth. May we too have a love for and obedience to the teachings of the Church. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

EIGHTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you were unjustly suspected, confined to your room and neglected by those charged with looking after you. You accepted all this with humility. We pray for all those unjustly imprisoned, and that we too may have the humility to accept injustice for the love of Christ. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

NINTH DAY:

Dear St Joseph, because you could levitate you are the patron of travellers, especially air travellers. We pray for all those travelling that they may safely reach their destinations. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

Here's another prayer, for good measure:

O Saint Joseph of Cupertino,

who by your prayer, obtained from God the blessing to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew:

Grant that we may, like you, succeed in the exams we take.

In return, we promise to make you known and to encourage others

to pray to  you for their scholastic needs as well.

Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of students, pray for us.

O Holy Spirit, enlighten us.

Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for us.

Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of Divine Wisdom, enlighten us.

Amen.

This one is for you, St. Joey C. 

Signing out- Brittany with no letters behind her name yet Anderson

Playing Hooky....

from work to study for the CFP.

Adulting is hard.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for me!