Why It's Okay to Move Slowly

via  

 

My inner cat is emerging today...rare but welcome. I'm curled up in an armchair in a patch of deep golden sunlight as the sun fades slowly and gently, trailing its beams down the window.

I set my cup of coffee down slowly because I can. Because I have the time to be slow...because finally, as a junior, I've realized that you don't have to rush. 

That you can move slowly. 

I smile, because I'm surrounded by freshmen and I remember being a freshman, being tense and worried, praying and hoping for good grades, rushing from place to place, from activity to meeting to study session to dinner, to all-nighter, and so on. 

And it makes me smile because now I understand why all the juniors and seniors I that met my first year in college were so relaxed. Because by junior year, you start to realize that rushing and hurrying, that stress and worry really don't add anything to your life. 

That all nighters and insurmountable amounts of homework are not battle wounds to be boasted of proudly. That sleep really is more important than anything else. That the world doesn't end if you don't make an A or have a 4.0 GPA. That sometimes the most productive days are the days when you do nothing related to schoolwork. That at least one hour of each day should be devoted to alone time, to taking care of yourself.

  Of letting your soul breathe. 

That sometimes, we need to show kindness to ourselves before we show it to anyone else. 

Sometimes it means taking ourselves to that favorite coffee shop and studying with a cup of heavenly caffeine, or deciding to take the trash out tomorrow because it's okay if you don't do it today or accepting that today is a t-shirt and ponytail hair day. Or it could be as simple as sitting in the sun, drinking up the sunlight and gentle strains of music. 

Either way, I'm glad not to be running and hurrying. It's my natural instinct, and I still have have to fight it. But it gets easier. So if you're a freshman who feels the weight of the world on your shoulders and a life that never stands still and a to-do list that never ends....

Breathe. 

It will all work out. I promise. 

It may not seem like it right now. But I promise you will learn to slow down, to place importance in stillness, in steadiness, in walking slowly. 

Because honestly, dear girls, you won't get where you're going any faster by trying to rush. Just let it all come when it does. Stop trying to run this invisible race that you've been told you have to win, that you've been told you have to keep up with everyone else in it. 

You don't. So don't worry about that. 

You do you. Get sleep. Take walks. Read something for fun. Soak in the sunlight. 

It's okay not to rush through life. You miss all the best moments in between if you do. 

The Journey

I loved Grace's thoughts yesterday on pain and grace in our stories! I thought you might enjoy reading some of my story in this interview and how I've learned to surrender to the process and allow the Lord to get to work. He turns messes into messages, trials into triumphs, struggles into strengths. Click the picture below to take you to my interview as well as the stories of other single women living the journey!

We Can Relish the Pain

Pain. It's something we all deal with...the part of life, the everyday trips + cold winds + moments of silence that we don't like to acknowledge. Or speak of.

One thing that has truly been cemented for me during my college years is that everyone I meet - no matter how happy, how bubbly, how extroverted - has a story that no one else knows.

We all carry a little pain with us at all times.

There's no "golden" part of life -  one myth that I did believe and have since realized to be in error.

We talk about pain, about the big struggles of life, but I think sometimes we neglect to mention the little things, the tiny whispers of hurt, the small but numerous burdens that each of us carries. Perhaps your pain is something large - you've lost a parent or recently ended a relationship. Or perhaps it is small, such as struggling with waking early and making it to class on time or have difficulty making small talk or even opening up.

Each time I grow cynical and weary of humanity, inevitably, I am reminded in some small manner that a person is an incredibly complex being with as many hidden treasures and winding paths as a hallowed, small and yet infinite room of books. Here and there are volumes that speak of cheer and happiness and hard work and enthusiasm...but a few books are shabby. Worn out. Weary. Missing a cover.

Does that make them any less important? Or any less a part of the overall wonder of the room?

We try so hard to work through "the bad" in life. We speak of seasons, of being in funks, of off moods, of trials and tribulations. Everyone wants to pass through the clouds and chilling, tulmatious rainstorms. But pain is something that shapes us, like steel being formed in flame, or pressure that forms the clay. Would we grow without the pain?

Somehow, I don't think so.

I think often of where I am in life, both literally and figuratively. Where I am as a young adult in college, with less "real world" responsibilities surrounded by a community of similar people. And also where I am as a human being, still forming, still shaping, still growing. Pain grants perspective and deep thought and solitude...we want to work through the pain, so we pay attention to aspects of ourselves that perhaps we don't give thought to during the "good days."

What does it mean to recognize and acknowledge pain as something inevitable that often strengthens and changes us? Someone once said nothing worth doing is ever easy...Christ told us this also. The way we are called is a hard one to walk. But there is a deep internal promise that resonates within us...some good is coming of this. Some good will be made of this.

In no way is pain itself good, nor should one practice pain, but there is an enormous amount of grace and peace in accepting that there will always be a hard season in life. That no one person or job or situation will make us perfectly happy.

So we stand in the quiet of a crowd, and we breathe deep, and relish the pain - as much as we don't want it - because we know it's changing us.

It's strengthening us.

It's bringing us through something that hurts sharp and deep, but by heavens, we are not God and sometimes we need that reminder of humility. To remember that we cannot pen the pages of our life with the picture-book perfection we all want.

It's good, I think. To stop and wonder where we are now. To wonder why this particular person, place, or thing in our life is bringing confusion and pain.

And to decide in the quiet, to learn from it.

Giveaway Winner!

I know-- it's shamefully late.

But remember this giveaway?

Well. We have a winner.

And I'm unable to contact them!

Our winner is blogger "ichen," the fourth comment on the giveaway blog post.

If that's you, email me or comment as soon as possible! If we don't hear from you, we may have to draw another winner!

Letter from Laura



Dear Catholic Young Women,


Merry Christmas season and a happy 2013!! I pray that our great God is pouring out His grace, peace, joy, and hope into your lives and hearts during this holy church season. You all are such a blessing in my life and I truly enjoy being part of the CYW family. :)

My team from a youth service project

As I look back on the year of 2012 in order to write my *ahem* Christmas letter a bit late, the overwhelming thread woven through the year is one of grace and redemption. Our God is always at work in our lives even when we don't see it. I've had some intense joys and intense heartaches this year, but He has redeemed so many of them and I trust Him as He continues to do so.

I think it's fun to get a glimpse into your lives when you comment on posts or email us, so here's a peek into my own life this past year...

Lifejackets can be cool, right?

I am still living in this cute little apartment with my friend A., but we've added an adorable new member to our home: we adopted a little guy named Brogan from the local humane society last January. One look at his puppy face was enough to sucker us in. In March, I fell in love with a man during an impactful mission trip to a migrant town in southern Florida and we began dating. My second precious nephew--and my first godson!--was born in April. I huffed and puffed and thought I was dying ran the Warrior Dash in June-a crazy mud run and obstacle course. It was hilarious and victorious at the same time! In August, I went on our second annual camping trip with my girlfriends. Our campsite is right on the lakefront, so we enjoyed a weekend of swimming, fishing, campfire cooking, and lots and lots of girl talk! September found me in Washington, D.C., meeting our very own Tess at Union Station! November held two very significant events in my life: P felt led to end our relationship (incredibly painful for me) and I was asked to be the Nurse Manager for a new crisis pregnancy center.

Amish country B&B trip

So as we ended the year in December, I found myself holding on to our Lord for dear life, let me tell you! :)

HE is the reason for our hope
(my local adoration chapel)

And let me also tell you-- God. Has. Been. Faithful. Girls, I cannot begin to express how faithful our God is, and how lovingly He has led me through the valleys and mountains of the years, particularly 2012. I pray my life-story can be a testament to His love and redemption, for He truly brings good from all things (Roman 8:28). November and December were powerful months in my heart and mind as I sought to keep Him first despite the challenges of heartache and a new job/ministry. But He has not let me down. Both the breakup and the crisis pregnancy position have been catalysts for His glory and grace to be made manifest. Hopefully I'll be able to share some more details with you in the future but for now, believe me that He is worth trusting and that hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).

I've been on a little hiatus from blogging through the holiday season, but I look forward to getting back to it, and especially to reading your Christmas letters on the link-up! Feel free to email me or visit me anytime at my blog!

In joyful hope,

Laura

To Be Dandelions

Reprinted from my blog, Sunny Side Up.

I read an interesting article here. The season is waning for flowers -- unfortunately, because I like flowers -- but that does not mean the beauty in nature just stops. I've re-printed some of the piece below:

Despite their bad reputation, dandelions are pretty little flowers with their yellow strands all tucked neatly into the center. And truly they are the most beautiful of all flowers when presented clutched in a child’s dirty little hand. No one gets yelled at for picking them. Perhaps they grow only to be used and enjoyed by children.

Dandelions are ignored or attacked, never nurtured or cared for, and yet they always bloom profusely....Christians should be more like dandelions. Our sunny yellow faces should be a reminder that simple faith has deep roots that are impossible to dislodge. Our vast number would show the world that even though we are not fancy or pampered we are evident everywhere, even in the best neighborhoods.

We should be as easily accessible as a dandelion. Jesus is. We need to get out of our gardens and jump across the boundaries that keep us where people expect to find us. We need to show our sunny yellow faces in all the spots that need a little brightening up – the crack in the sidewalk or the lawn of a country club.

When I was little, I remember I loved watching the dandelions pop up. The most fun was blowing the seeds off the dandelions when they turned white. I also remember my parents telling me not to blow into the yard...because then more dandelions would inevitably pop up in the grass.

As Christians, we are attacked -- by the media and even by our friends sometimes. I don't always want to speak out about my faith because I am afraid of how I'll be received. Maybe a better solution, rather than speaking up all the time, would be to gently make our Christian faith known by our presence, and through our every day surroundings and interactions. My mama has told me that kind and quiet actions will convert more souls than loud preaching.

We should be like dandelions. They are sunny and bright, they make a child's day, they surprise all who never know where they'll appear or when, and they quietly spread to the most unexpected places. Dandelions are another flower in God's endless and beautiful bouquet. With all the chaos of our lives, sometimes these quiet gestures are the best we can do. But we should never think them insignificant.

Do you like dandelions?