thank you st. ignatius!

oh i am so excited! so i have entered into my 6th week of the preparation for the 19th Annotation...and sure enough...this is my last week! which means...i start the 19th Annotation on Tuesday! I am so excited! Woohoo! I met with my Spiritual Director yesterday and I find that after leaving each of our sessions/meetings, I come out with so much wisdom, but with the feeling of, wow! that was so good! We meet at her place in Chelsea and it is such a blessing every time. Her dogs pretty much know me by now, though they still bark at times.

We discuss the scriptures and reflections, and she explains to me some of the things I had trouble with, such as, reading the story of abraham sacrificing his son, isaac...i had some trouble with that one, and so i just skipped it altogether and of course after i sought her explanation and how to understand it better, i just fell in love with it. like, really so. so it's just so good! what a blessing!

mary and i went to theology on tap on monday and as we were walking back, she just said the simplest words, "life is great." and i joined in on that and shared in that celebration, because it is something to celebrate! knowing that i am called to be here, and knowing that every day i have all i need to live, love, and be challenged everyday, it is such a blessing. i think a lot of the beauty that i have been find in my life so far in me being here in new york, is that i am aware of God's presence. that is something that i am growing to understand more and more everyday. it's not so much just a, yeah, God is here and all around kinda feeling (though that is very much the case). By the same token, it is also allowing and being open to God in filling the space around me everywhere i go. it is a blessing and such a gift to know that i never have to do anything on my own! such freedom, liberation, and also, such responsbility.

we had our junior retreat yesterday and discussed discernment between choosing yes or no to premarital sex. with discernment being choosing between two goods (to become a sister or choosing to marry - yes, that is a very important thing to discern, as those are two very good things), it seems that the decision of choosing yes or no to premarital sex may not necessarily be so much discernment, but possibly just a God-given, don't do it. haha! of course, sure, depends who you ask, and depends on past experiences as well, but looking at the bigger picture, and looking at the charts that we compiled with the students, the decision seemed to read pretty loud and clear...your body is a temple, don't do it! :)

the metaphors were interesting - the sticky stuff, the tape, the apple bites...haha way too many, but it was all good stuff. not to mention i watched a walk to remember two times within a week such a great movie!

the sun is shining, but it's cold outside! how does THAT happen. AND it's not even winter yet, AND it's cold. oh my. eeps!

AND a quote that i heard two times within two days is...
"Be who you are and you will set the world on fire!" - St. Catherine of Siena
( a message directly from God? My Spiritual Director said, most definitely. I thought so too. :) Just those words..YOU WILL set the world on fire. How awesome is that?! We are all called to do that, no matter what situation we are in...if we are sitting in our office, be positive - make change there. if we are teaching in a classrom, be who you are and speak words of wisdom to the children! Oh there is so much change we can individually do! Woohoo!)