the sun will rise

it has been quite a while since my last post...so here we go - hope you don't mind the bullets, or the stream of consciousness, or for what will make up the next few minutes of your experience reading this...here we go!!

spring break: this is what was amazing about spring break
* being in boston for spring break - being able to bolt it down with kristen - i slept as she worked on her MSW work. amazing.
* going to mass at st. cecilia's (th/fr/sa night) - my confirmation saint!! beautiful music!!
* my best friends and i taking up an entire pew at each mass
* being able to wash rochelle's feet and having this old man wash mine...and watching our friends wash one another's feet..priceless.
* winning the lottery for in the heights on my random "crystal time in the city" day
* watching in the heights by myself, and loving every bit of it, and secretly picturing myself performing with the actors (well, not a secret anymore)
* learning Jesuit jokes from andrew
* getting a tour of BC from my favorite admissions director
* telling andrew to stop acting like we are applying to BC
* taking over the BC football field
* landing a touchdown on the BC field!!
* charles getting me sulfite-free wine, all to myself! woohoo!
* telling jake he wasn't allowed to talk, after the shenanigans he pulled during the name game
* waking up and my outbursts of laughter with kristen
* the fact that my friends are involved with ministry, service, have hearts of gold...platinum even. :)
* me being in the philippines, charles being in micronesia, and jake being in chile for 2 years...solidarity at its finest
* spontaneous praise and worship sesh with jake on the guitar, and delicious easter meal
* 3am rallying
* andrew and lena = they're getting married!!
* being with my god-daughter on easter
* the range of conversations that week
* sleeping in
* visitng ryan and jess on their lunch breaks...or, being the reason for their lunch breaks
...it was an awesome spring break!

what have i been doing since spring break? there was a whole bunch of boston withdrawals, seeing la cage aux folles with kristen (love broadway shows!!), pianos with the best friends, catholic underground, pizza and prayer with the students at our community, community mass, a come and see with the cabrini sisters, seeing eugenia at her poetry reading at sarah lawrence college, being honest with myself on relationships that i have established here, theology on tap, bringing the seniors to a mass at st. patrick's cathedral, bringing the seniors to retreat up in garrison, spending time with the volunteers up in garrison, spending time with JD, spending time with ryan, hanging out in the L station with ryan for lack of a place to hang out (i do not recommend this), and a whole bunch of sitting - contemplation, meditation, and reflection on the fact that i'm leaving new york in less than two months. whoa. yup. whoa.

i guess in a way i am slowly working towards my heart catching up with my mind. i'm such a gut impulsive, reactive person, and my mind has been racing like crazy just with everything going on all around me...sooo i have to make sure that my heart is still remaining intact, and that it is able to feel all that goes on around me. besides, i can't just let awesome moments pass me by! i gotta enjoy this stuff. making the most of every day, that has definitely become the motto of my life, especially as i realize wow, my time here in new york is limited. and then at the same time, i get so excited thinking about what is to come! it has already seeped its way into my dreams, and it is so wonderful! woohoo! can't let the anxiety get to me, though that sometimes has its way in my life too.

i have learned to be patient, and i have learned that i am already starting to process my mission life since i first landed here in new york in august/september. wow, how things have changed, and how my heart and mind have been opened onto a completely different level. still, i am not able to sleep by myself in a room that i have not yet accustomed myself to sleeping in, unless i have someone with me (strange, i know)...but that will come, soon. haha, that will definitely HAVE to come soon. oh transition - how my life is just one big, beautiful transition of sorts!

being a missioner, there is lots that i am so thankful for - my awesome community, the fact that i am loved for who i am, loving the nurturing care of the sisters, thankful for the diversity in my every day life at the high school (not cultural diversity, but the fact that every day is SO different!)...it's already the end of april. i don't even get it.

sister angie told me today that i should enjoy each day as much as i can...good moments go by too fast...i really appreciated that she said that. she's going on a mission to australia, and i am very excited for her, but so sad to see her go too! she reminded me though, that even though people move away from one another, that does not mean that the love stops, and that the communication needs to stop - this is when you get to see how close two people really are. she said that in context to mary, michelle and i, cause i was telling her how freaked out we all were at the reality of us all going our separate ways, come late june/july...

and so goes life. and life is good. and life goes on. and we are sent places, and we grow, and we are continually nourished each day, to begin with a smile on our face. thank God for that!

a.m.e.n.

dancing and singing.

.a video contest sponsored by the maryknoll fathers and brothers. on our mission/ministry. michelle told me about this contest, so i entered. less than 3 minutes. we'll see what happens! regardless, it was a super fun project actually. didn't take too long. i guess that's what happens when the spirit just moves. swiftly. and oh so beautifully. :) enjoy!