So much happening...

I just got back from a wonderful time camping this weekend. It was so nice to just get away, relax and not be on any kind of schedule.

However... now that I am home... I keep thinking about the last few years and other previous camping trips. One in particular was in July of 2006. I had the privilege of going with a few of my closest friends - one of them being Aaron. I will never forget that trip. It was the last time I got to see him as I want to remember him. He was joyful, spirited and fully living his life without hospitals, chemo... and seemed to be pain-free, if only for that one weekend.

I just came to the realization that I have not had the guts to visit his grave yet. It's almost like complete confirmation that he is gone. It has been nearly three years and I still find it difficult to accept that he is no longer here. I think of him often... I pray for him.... I hope that I will find the strength to visit his grave... it is something that I need to do... truly... I need to do it.

I leave for D.C. in a little over a week.... wow. I prayed about this internship, I hoped for it... and now it is almost here. I am getting very excited as it draws near. I feel like this will give me a tremendous opportunity to see if this is truly the direction God is sending me to work. I hope it is.... hopefully doors will open and job opportunities will arise and God will guide my decision. Praise God for such incredible opportunities.... God is good.

Wow

I just came to the realization that in 4 weeks and 3 days I will be in Washington D.C.

Wow.

It's funny because I have known that I was going for a while now... but it is just now becoming more real. I don't know if I can put my excitement into words.

This opportunity is something that I have only dreamed about. Who knew it would actually be happening? I am going to D.C. to work for the pro-life movement. Ahhh!

God is so good.

This isn't really related, but is totally worth sharing... I have been reading the book "Captivating." It has become one of my favorite books. I wish everyone had the opportunity to read it. It truly speaks mountains of truth regarding relationships between men and women. There are so, sooooo many sections of the book I would love to pass on. It took me a bit to get started on it just because I don't take enough time out to read - but once I finally did... wow. Once again, SO worth it.

Something that it speaks volumes about is the idea of loneliness. It is the root of many problems between men and women. It often drives a desire in us to seek out another person. Some people can't control that desire... they just keep searching and searching. This does not always allow God to step in to guide the individual. Sometimes it is best to just sit back and not see every person of the opposite sex as another "potential candidate" to date. I suppose this is putting it a bit harshly - but really... it is true. Many of us are guilty of this. I know I have been.

Honestly, the most important thing is to pray. If you find yourself on a constant search... don't worry - it is not intrinsically bad. It's just that you need to give God some room too. Don't try to push your plans on God... pray to be guided by His Will for your life. Pray that you will choose to follow His way... nothing but goodness can come of it. God is a loving Father that wants for you to be happy. There may be struggles along the way, but it is a learning process and we cannot expect the journey to be easy.

The meaning of "Yes"

Did my 'yes' mean anything?

When you can't say 'no,' what does 'yes' mean? What value does it hold?

So many times in my life I have found myself in situations where I couldn't resist and just had to say yes. It was possible to say no, but I chose not to. However, in the same breath, there were times that - because of potential hurt to another person - I could not say no. Does this mean I had no choice?

This idea goes far beyond what one would think.

Every time I hear the question, "If you can't say no, what does your yes mean?" I think of Theology of the Body - when Christopher West poses the question in reference to the inability of the general populace to say no to sex.

However... as I have just said - this question goes far beyond Theology of the Body. This question could be applied to many occurrences in everyday life.

This question has made me consider many of the "decisions" I have made in the past. How can they be decisions if there were no options? A decision is defined as an inference of a selection of choices...

This is about all I have for tonight... er... this morning... ha.