ForeverLOVEd

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 Dear Small Group, Do you know that you are the image of God? Do you know that God dwells in each of you? Maybe you do not always see it. Maybe you sometimes feel like you are not enough or too much or awkward or shy. Maybe you feel like you are nothing special or you get lost in the crowd. But I see it. I have seen it since the day I met you. I see it in your goofy smiles and your unique hang ups. I see it in your willingness to love and your hesitant ability to go out on a limb and share your deepest thoughts. When I see you, I see God. Each of us has been given the most precious gift of Christ being alive within us. Of that, I am certain. Every single person was made in the likeness of God. But the challenge for us as Christians, as Catholics is to live a life that declares with every breath, Christ dwells in me. We can do this, and probably are do

“It's just that I don't want to be somebody's crush. If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it too.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower After I had ordered the most complicated array of coffees and pastries, the barista proceeded to attempt the flirt with me. Shy as can be, I was thrown off by his attempts and laughed it off, because quite frankly I did not know what else to do. I guess I am sort of a dork when it comes to these matters and my "play it cool" responses never quite come across as cool. My mom says men flirt with me, or at least attempt to, all the time. I tend not to notice or brush it off as just an extra nice guy. And while she seems to think I come across as rude when I do not flatter their attempts, I would rather not notice than realize they are "flirting" and head into panic mode.

"An anthropologist proposed a game to African tribe kids. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad? UBUNTU in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are" How many times are we running the race for ourselves? How often do we want what's best for ourselves, regardless of what that means for others? How often is it more important to us that we are comfortable and happy, than that we are creating unity and love? What kind of lessons can we take from the beautiful children in this story? The other day I was talking with my four and five year olds about the community we have built in our classroom. I was saddened when

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee..” St. Augustine There's a certain comfort in visiting grandma! Every once in awhile when we can slow down from the hectic pace of life, we load up the car and drive an hour south. I enjoy these moments of peace amidst the chaos and love the simple quiet time we often share in the relaxing retirement community. This Saturday, we blocked a chunk of time to make our way off the merry-go-round and down to visit with grandma! A simple drive, my eyes fought to stay awake as we listened to the music and swerved through the cars. Shortly after pulling into the perfectly put together neighborhood, we made our way back out again. We visited my grandpa who is now living in a home nearby. We hugged him softly, and cherished his presence. We hung pictures on his walls as my tummy growled. After a yummy lunch and some errands run, we headed back to the haven of grandma's living room.