Finding the Sweet Spot

In life, there is a constant struggle to love what you are doing.   We do this by trying to find things we like about work, things we love about school, and things that we enjoy while at home.  Each stage in life has  perks that we can benefit from.  Perhaps the biggest struggle out of all the things we do is finding enjoyment in work, careers and jobs.

     I've been thinking about this a lot lately since I'm an undecided major in school.  I know what I love: English, Journalism, Literature, and History.   I know what I'm good at: Music and writing.  So the "sweet spot" for career choices would be at the intersection of what I'm good at and what I love.  While it sounds simple, believe me, it's not.  On American Idol, you see many people come up and say that they love singing.  But when they open their mouth to sing, it is anything but lovely.  Even though they love it, they haven't found their sweet spot since what they love isn't crossing anywhere with what they are good at.  Or you will look at people making six-figures at a job that they hate.  While they are rich and famous, they dread their work because what they are good at hasn't crossed with what they love.  

    Then, it's looking down the road and seeing what you can use in whatever situation you are in.  For instance,  I feel God is calling me to the vocation of marriage and motherhood.  I know that if I'm called to this vocation, then I'd like what I learn in college to be applicable.  Yet you don't come out of college with just a degree.  You come out with experience in networking, discipline, budgeting, decision making and situational awareness.  These are things that you can apply to any situation.

    Last night, my sister brought up the point that she thought paying thousands of dollars for a degree in say, History education, would be worthless since I could get married, stay home, and not have a job in the education world.  Yet if I educated my children at home, I would be using the education side of the degree, and could emphasize knowledge in the historical side of subjects.  Also, the discipline of saying no to other financial wants in order to say yes to college payments would be beneficial in being able to learn how to balance a budget - a skill that I can use for the rest of my life.  

     There are so many ways to use a degree besides the "normal" ways.  If one got a degree in marital counseling, you could go the obvious route and begin counseling couples in a business setting.  Or you could become a married person yourself, and use the knowledge that you have gained to benefit your own marriage.  Another option would be to build a family, and be able to offer your knowledge to your Church family and friends, with your knowledge of the situation and handling of it being a benefit to others in your life.  

     There is a way to find the sweet spot in your life in whatever stage you are in.  This can be seen in the dedicated college student, the single person in a career path, the mother at home, the father providing for his family, or the older person going back into the workforce after his or her vocation of raising children has finished.  The key to finding the sweet spot though is listening to where God wants you to be now - and rejoicing always in the knowledge that you are doing His will. 

God bless,

Chloe M.  


     

It All Hits

So, in all this time that I've been writing about college, getting ready for college, talking about college, and dreaming about college, it never really hit that it was real.  That it was going to happen.  That this was what I'm going to be doing for the next four years.  

Yesterday, it hit.  Yesterday was freshmen orientation, and I left the building as a completely enrolled college student.  It's now officially "real."  It's fifteen credit hours, student ID picture, club recruitment and library tour real.  It's time for making new friends, seeing new faces, and running into familiar people.  It's time to make good impressions, befriend professors, and try to remember names.

It's good times.  It's changing times - which is always hard for me.  Especially, as I'm sure you know by now, because I have to meet new people.  Yes, introverted homeschooler me, making friends.  I went into orientation and the main thought I had was "to make friends, you have to be a friend."  Nobody is just going to come up and talk to me.  So, I made a point to say hello, to introduce myself, and learn something new.  Guess what?  It worked.  I was able to have great conversations with more than ten other incoming freshmen.  To top it all off, it was easier than I thought it could be. 

It's not going to be easy, by any means.  It'll be hard to juggle two work schedules, fifteen credit hours, and study time.  It'll be tough, but it'll be worth it.  I'm honestly excited about this transition, and can't wait to get started.  

God bless,

Chloe M. 

Know Some Good Books?

Look!  It's me!  Actually posting something on the blog! It feels like every post I publish involves me starting out by apologizing for my lack of attentiveness.  Life has been crazy, and un-inspiring.  Same old, same old.

But, I do have a reason for writing today (other than to beat myself up for my laziness).  I have some books that I would love to get, and was wondering if my fellow blog readers have read them, what they thought of them, or if you have any other recommendations.

Book Number One:  The Catholic Girl's Survival Guide for the Single Years.

Written by Emily Stimpson, this is a book I have seen literally everywhere. I've had people on Catholic Answer Forums mention it and have also seen the author interviewed in the Catholic Register.  It looks really good...


Book Number Two: Arms of Love 
Another one that I have heard tons of good things about.  It's by Carmen Marcoux, and instead of being the typical non-fiction/advice book, it is a fiction novel about courtship, dating, romance and Catholicism.  It's more on the expensive side though, so if you would recommend it, please let me know.


Book Number Three: Worth the Wait
Written by a combination of over a dozen Lifeteen authors, the book tackles subjects like "How far is too far?" and "What if he really likes me?" Part of me really wants to read it, yet at the same time, I have tackled those subjects on here before.  It's new, but it seems more like a one time read.  I do love Lifeteen contributors  though.  

Book Number Four: Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World - A Guide for Catholics
Yet another book recommended by my friends on Catholic Answer Forums, this one looks really solid.  Someone has described it as the Catholic version of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris.  Yet on amazon, there are three less than flattering reviews about the book, saying it was offensive to Catholics.  There are also twenty some reviews who said it was one of the best books of this genre to read as a single Catholic.

Decisions, decisions.  Let me know if you have read any of these, or if you would recommend any of the same type that you have found helpful.  

God bless!

Chloe M.  

Shining Light From Within

Tomorrow, we have our diocesan deacon ordination.  We know three of the young men who are dedicating their whole lives to Christ in this step to becoming a priest. 

I always love going to ordinations, weddings, and final vows for religious.  You look at those participating in the sacrament and ceremony and you just sense this light of joy that radiates from them.  It's the feeling of content in knowing that they are following God's will for their lives.

When I go to youth conferences, I'm always drawn by those going to these conferences to get to know God better.  You see it on their faces in Eucharistic adoration.  You see it when they are witnessing to others in the halls and when they are fully engaged in the speakers.  It's a light and a peace that they give off that shows they are in tune with God's will.

I want that light.  I want it so badly.  And even though I'm incredibly happy for those getting ordained/final vows/married, I'm also jealous.  I sit there and wonder what God's plan for me is.  What pathway do I need to take to allow me to be open for God's light to shine through me so that I can experience what they have - that absolute joy? 

It's completely possible to discover.  A lot of prayer, Scriptures, Masses, Sacraments and alone time with God can bring it about.  It also takes being open to His will, which is something I struggle with.  I've talked about how God can't give us all the gifts He wants when we have our hands closed, clutching desperately onto our own plans for our "perfect life."  It's a struggle to let go of what you think will make you happy and readily accept plans that you don't even fully understand or know about.  Yet it pay off amazingly.  

I just pray that I can let go of my plans and let God take over with His amazing story for my life.  We are all put on this earth for a reason - none of us are mistakes.  God has a plan for everyone, and even though we don't understand,  it's going to be one incredible journey.

Congratulations to tomorrow's deacons!

God bless,

Chloe M. 

You are more beautiful than you think you are.  True Fact.  Some of you may have seen the beauty campaign that Dove put on, the commercials or youtube videos on True Beauty Sketches.  If you haven't seen them, then check this video out real quick:

In all reality, only four percent of women think they are actually beautiful.  As you may have noticed in the video, the things that the women described don't even cross the stranger's mind as he or she describes the same woman.  One woman complained about her weight, but the stranger's description didn't say anything about her face being round.  

Art students have commented on this video and describe this happening in a self-portrait class.  Each self-portrait was degrading to the artist because they drew themselves and they saw themselves - which was not in a good light.  But when the picture was drawn as they pretend to see themselves from the outside, the real semblance came out.  

We are too hard on ourselves.  We spend time thinking how pretty someone else is, how great that person dresses and how ugly we are.  This can be seen as young as grade school and continues all the way up the age brackets.  And those who we see as so amazingly beautiful may be struggling with their own self confidence, too.

Where is the root of the problem?  It is in the fact of comparison.  We can't look at ourselves and see the beauty of being created as a child of God.  All we can look and see is what we don't have, not what we've been blessed with.

One group who is trying to help women with seeing their own beauty, both inside and out, is Verily Magazine.

Their mission is to help you be an authentic young woman in the 21st century.  They shine in the midst of magazines like Cosmo and Glamour, who try to convince women that 

they are not skinny, pretty, or tall enough.  The first issue of
Verily comes out this June.  They also have an awesome website: www.verilymag.com.

Check them out - and know that you are more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

God bless,

Chloe M.  

-1-
We had an awesome Bible study
last Friday night where we were able to 

talk about the hardest aspect of defending
the Catholic faith was for each person.
It was a really great conversation - thanks
youth group!

-2-
I only have two Saturdays left this month where
I'll be working eight hour days.  In June my
schedule goes down to just two Saturdays
a month where I have to work - and it's only four hours!

-3-
I was at the gym watching TV and
ran across this special about the Hope Diamond.
Guys - it was awesome.  Plus, I realized how
much I love history.  Hmmm....college
major anyone?

-4-
Mother's Day is this weekend - are you
ready?  Remember to thank your mom
for doing all she does.  Lifeteen
has some awesome articles.
I especially liked the letter to Mary thanking
her for being our mother.

-5-
For snapchat users:  Research
has come out that shows that your photos
aren't actually deleted after ten seconds...
please use common sense and Christian
wisdom when sending pictures: Article

-6-
Do you know what is addicting?
Words With Friends.
Enough said.

-7-
Countdown to Freshman
Orientation: thirteen days!
Everyone in the blogging
world seems to be talking about
graduation....I'm just starting!

God bless,

Chloe M.  

What a Jar of Marbles Can Teach You. 

     There is an old e-mail, that I'm sure is circulating, that tells of an older gentleman who loved his Saturdays.  It was the one day of the week where he didn't have to get up and go somewhere and he didn't plan anything.  He loved Saturdays so much that he calculated how many Saturdays he would have left.  He knew there were 52 Saturdays in a year, and that his life expectancy would be around 75 years.  He multiplied the two numbers and got 3900. Then he realized that he was already getting old, and he guessed he had about a thousand Saturdays left.

     He went out to the toy store and bought one thousand marbles and a huge glass jar.  Each Saturday, he woke up in the morning and threw away one marble.  It didn't seem to make a difference at first, but slowly and surely, the jar started getting emptier and emptier.  Each Saturday brought with it new challenges and joys, each of which were more appreciated since the man now realized that with each passing week, the marbles quickly diminished.  He kept the jar close and always knew it would serve as a reminder to not let a day pass by without realizing it was a gift.

     How does this apply? As I'm typing this, I realize how busy I am.  Everyday, I get up and go to work, come home for lunch, go back to work, come home, go to bed, and wake up to start everything over again.  I looked at the calendar and realized that April is done and May is not only here, but it's also already 1/5 of the way done.  Where does the time go?  Blink twice and I'll be in college classes, and look again and I'll be in my twenties.

     The point I'm trying to make is that we need to live every day as if it is a gift - not just Saturdays, either.  Every day we have the ability to impact someone's life - and be Christ's hands and feet for them.  What a marble-ous opportunity.  
God bless,

Chloe M.  

   

-1-

Yes, I know how early it is right now.  The funnier
thing is that I actually have today off from work.
I woke up, looked at my phone which said 5:40 am
and somewhere in my weird mind that meant "time to get up."
I do not know why.  So I made cinnamon rolls. Which
are always the answer, right?

-2-

Guys, it cannot get any better than this: Resale Royalty
It's a new show on the style network that premieres on May 12th
at 9/8C.  It's about a family run consignment store.  It will probably turn
sour quick with language and junk - but the idea is fantastic!

-3-

The reason I took off work today is because
of a homeschool graduate blessing at Mass this afternoon.
The joint reception for graduates and first communicates
was supposed to be at the Church's playground and outdoor shelter.
But we got hit with that freak snow/rain/hail/sleet storm, so we'll
be inside playing board games....which sounds like my kind of party.

-4-

We also have Bible Study tonight with the youth group.
I love Bible Study.  It is usually the only time I get to see the youth
group because of my work schedule.  It also is the cause for the cinnamon
rolls I'm baking now.  Win-win, I tell ya!

-5-

I. Love. This. T-Shirt.  It is the most awesome
homeschooler shirt I've ever seen.  Inside the "13" is the
descriptions for yearbook - ie "class clown," "most
likely to succeed."  The awesome thing about being in a
homeschooled class of ones, I'm all those things tied into one - with
no competition! Bam!

-6-

It's a sad day in America when girls as young as 15

can get the morning after pill.  Regardless of what the media
has been saying (lying) about it, the morning
after pill is an abortifacient.  But this administration
doesn't want girls to be "punished with a baby" (Obama).

Without having to have parental permission
for the drug now, it's untold how many innocent lives will be
snuffed out without anyone noticing.
Mother Mary, protect us and shield us with your mantel.

-7-

It has not been a good week in the fix-it
department around our house. Thursday the refrigerator
filter broke and flooded our hardwood kitchen floor, and then
preceded to soak the basement ceiling.  The boys broke
their light/fan in their room when they decided to sword fight
the fan (they won!) and then Liam saw to it that Mom's sidetable
saw some damage.  I'm afraid now that I'm going to break something....like
my arm, with my luck.  This will be a very cautiuous weekend,
let me tell you!

Have a great weekend and God Bless!

Chloe M.