Life Lately

September 26, 2015 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

It’s been well over a month since my last post. Whoa. I’ve missed this outlet, this creative time to hash out my thoughts and connect with you. Time to hop back on the bandwagon!

Last month I drove out to Kansas to begin my last year of college. It’s quite bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter. I’ll miss many things about college (HA! Not you, homework!), and I’m sure tears will be shed. But overall I’m ready for the next chapter of life to begin come May. We’ve been soaking up apartment life (see above picture) and loving having more space to call our own. The weather is so gorgeous. It’s such a nice time of year to enjoy! We went on a lovely picnic to a pond today 🙂

Classes have not been super challenging. Drawing is time consuming, but I’m thankful for mandatory creative time that doesn’t involve academia. My synoptic gospels class is quite mind-blowing (almost have my theology minor done!). And business classes are pretty normal.

I’ve been thinking about our culture a lot, and what my place is in it. This picture is of our campus group praying outside a Planned Parenthood a couple weeks ago. It almost gives me chills. Doesn’t it seem like a symbol of our society? Look how little we are compared to the evil going on. So many people have been feeling burnt out about this. I have too, but there is always hope. More to come on this.

Senior year has been easier than junior year. Last year felt like this impending doom of “real life” was always on the horizon. Now it’s closer than ever. But we’ve grown in maturity, and I know I’m going to be okay. Life is as beautiful as we make it!

It’s been a while since I’ve shared in this space, but I plan to share more as the year progresses. Won’t you follow along? Subscribe here for my monthly exclusive updates, and follow on social media (see sidebar) for even more.

To Life,

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Daring to face the giant

July 16, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

How dare she sit there eating salad and sipping wine while nonchalantly talking about crushing babies?

I don’t know how someone could be so callous.

She’s going to rot in hell for everything she’s done. Good. She deserves it.

These, and worse, are what I’ve heard many people say about Dr. Nucatola – Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services – recently pictured in a viral video. The video shows her talking over dinner about Planned Parenthood’s practice of passing body parts of aborted babies on to mediator-type organizations which then transfer them to medical research labs.

The video revealed a horrifying practice especially to those who had never heard about this before.

But it’s interesting to see how people respond.

Many people are incredulous at how an organization can do such a thing. They take their anger and disgust out on this woman. The anger and disgust is understandable, but personally attacking this woman does not help. Because guess what…

We ask how dare she do this. How dare she abort babies and crush skulls and manipulate how abortions are done to produce prime body parts?

Yes, how dare she.

But how dare we neglect to stop this. How dare we stop talking about it. How dare we go on with our daily lives as if nothing is different. How dare we avoid big topics in order to continue our comfortable lives?

Jenny’s post on this topic resonated with me because like her, this news did not surprise me. I have heard about this before. It did not emotionally jar me or make me cry. It did not break my heart.

And that disgusts me.

I am so used to hearing about attacks on human dignity and life. I am so used to people not being valued. I am so used to hearing about people being killed that it doesn’t phase me anymore. Don’t even ask me to watch a horror movie or go in a haunted house. But babies being ripped apart? Yeah, that’s happening. People being beheaded? Oh yeah, that ISIS thing has been going on for a while.

But THESE ARE HUMAN LIVES WE’RE TALKING ABOUT!

As someone who talks about the dignity of every single unrepeatable life, how do these stories not have a huge impact on me? How am I not sobbing at the thought of innocent lives being literally ripped apart?

You know, I don’t have a great answer. But I GET what Jenny said:

When I was younger I used to wonder about the German people and why nobody tried to get out ahead of Hitler, how an entire nation could have fallen under his evil spell.

Now I know. Now I see, firsthand, that none of us are immune to the horrors of our day. And that as the temperature rises, the frog slowly cooks, oblivious to his own imminent peril as the mercury creeps ever upward. And that at a certain point the human mind, when confronted with such appalling and obvious wickedness, shuts down or short circuits in cowardice or fear or apathy or, or, or …

I get it. I am so used to evil that it’s the norm.

I am the reason we still have abortion.

We all are.

Because we’re used to it and don’t fight it anymore. We accept that we’ve lost before the battle is over.

God, save us from our own blind selves. And renew in us the conviction to bring your light to a horribly fallen world. If we don’t speak up, nobody will.

Time to buckle up, friends. We’re in this war for the long haul. There is a giant Goliath of evil looming around us. But I have good news, and a bit of a spoiler: love, life, and truth ALWAYS win.

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

Why do I remain Catholic?

June 5, 2015 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time America was a place where mostly Christian values were the norm. But today some would argue that we’re doomed. Just look at our society, and any marginally active Catholic could probably tell you how hopeless the horizon appears.

Some people throw their hands up in frustration. Some avoid the issue altogether. We could complain about a whole lot, that’s for sure. But I’m not here talking about the pitfalls of Catholicism. I’m here to talk about why I remain Catholic.

Being Catholic is part of who I am. It always has been. And unless the apocalypse actually happens and my mind is altered or removed, I plan on it staying that way.

I didn’t always know a whole lot about my faith. Nor have I always cared as much about it as I do now. I think not knowing a lot about your faith helps you to stay in that state of indifference. But once you realize the beauty of Catholicism, the encounter it is with God Himself, there’s no turning back.

From personal testimonies I’ve read, it seems that a lot of people who leave what they think Catholicism is have never experienced true Catholicism. Perhaps they were poorly brought up in the faith. Perhaps they knew a bad Catholic (not like any of us are actually perfect examples) who scarred them. You name it.

But once a person experiences the person of Jesus Christ, your faith becomes more of a love affair than a theory (fist bump to G.K. for that quote).

And that is why I remain Catholic.

It would be “easier” in a way to give in to society, I suppose. I mean, it’s a ton of fun to get drunk on Fridays, wake up hungover, do drugs, sleep around, whatever it is that non-religious people use to fill the God-sized hole in their hearts, right?

Nope! Of course, I can’t speak from experience. But I’m fairly certain that the fun I’ve had in college is way more fulfilling than getting drunk and hooking up.

And it’s not because I am a dainty wee woman who likes being ordered around by old white dudes.

I am Catholic because life doesn’t make sense without God. To say we’re the result of anything else beside a genius of a Creator seems ignorant. And since everything I’ve learned shows me that the fullness of truth about God is found in the Catholic Church, that’s why I’m here.

I am Catholic because there are absolute truths, and I believe this is where they are found in their fullness.

I am Catholic because even though people are imperfect, the Church has and will stand the test of time on the rock it was built on.

I am Catholic because the trials of life don’t make sense without the cross.

I am Catholic because no other expression of faith offers you the opportunity to encounter God in the presence of the Eucharist.

I am Catholic because God loves me, and He loves you too. And he wants to be a part of all of our lives. Would you like to explore my home?

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email.

7 Quick Takes – Vol. 59

June 5, 2015 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

There’s been a lot of heavy stuff going around lately, so guess what? I’m not going to talk about any of it right now! Here are 7 Quick Takes that you can breeze through without consulting moral codes or The Catechism.

1. My first internship of the summer is over half way done, which is hard to believe! It’s good experience, and has given me the opportunity to work with amazing people. Even though it’s not ideal to be away from home, it’s nice (but also weird) to have a lot of time to live without the stress of homework.

2. On that same note, what are you supposed to do with yourself when you don’t have homework? I’m reading and writing quite a bit, exercising, working full time, but I need ideas of what to do besides that. What do you suggest?

3. How’s this for a little end of week awesome story? Kudos to this guy for owning his stutter!

4. Are you reading any awesome books right now? I’m working on Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission (from Dynamic Catholic), and it’s pretty good. There are many others I have, but if you have suggestions, I’m all ears!

5. Want another feel good story after all the craziness going around this week? Here’s a beautiful video on the adoption story of a beautiful family.

6. I enjoyed this graphic (stolen from The Culture Project) this week.

A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love - Mama T <3

7. Did you hear about this couple welcoming their 100th grandchild? It’s so beautiful to see a loving family that welcomes life!

And so ends my 7 quick takes without talking about serious stuff. If you have any funny articles (like this), please send them my way! Now go do something to enjoy life this weekend!

Head on over to Kelly’s place for more 7QT 🙂

Choosing Awesome

June 4, 2015 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

With all this talk about becoming a saint lately, I figured I better actually get started on that. It’s hard to know where to start when you decide to really chuck bad habits out the window and develop better ones.

But the important thing is to just get started.

These last couple weeks I’ve started by taking a few incremental steps to clear my head and get priorities straight. Here’s a taste of what that’s looked like:

1. Silence in the car going to/from work.

This isn’t to take joy out of life by not turning on music, but to give myself time to not be entertained, to actually think or just be. Yes, sometimes I turn into my own radio. But mostly I am quiet and just enjoy the scenery. I am capable of giving up 20 minutes of being distracted each day.

2. No laptop after 9pm.

Right now there are no excuses for not getting enough sleep. I realized that reading articles (or other “constructive” ventures) was a big part of my staying up late, so BAM. Get rid of the cause. I am capable of doing things beside being on the internet late at night.

3. Exercise consistently.

Okay, do you know how awesome it is to be sore? It makes me feel like a boss to know I worked hard. And it’s good for my health, go figure. I don’t work out to get a bikini body because I wouldn’t ever wear one, but I do work out to be healthy and strong. I am capable of devoting 30+ minutes of most days to exercising.

4. Get up earlier.

I was chatting with a few friends, and we all were talking about wanting to get up earlier. So guess what? We decided to get up earlier. Go figure! We text motivational quotes on weekday mornings. And I have a daily meditation book my goal is to whip out every morning. Even though I’ve fallen back asleep while reading it a couple times, I am capable of getting up (and staying up) at a reasonably early hour.

That’s not everything, but enough for now.

What’s made each of these possible is to get over whatever silly excuses and just do it. It’s true, that’s not terribly motivational. Who in the world wants to put in the effort? Who wants to force themselves to do good things instead of what’s easy?

Yeah, not many people.

It’s true for me too. Binge watching a tv show is way easier than flipping on a workout DVD and getting down to business. Lounging on the couch reading Buzzfeed articles and eating cookies is way easier than using internet time intentionally.

But if we’re being honest with ourselves, don’t those things leave us terribly unsatisfied?

I am satisfied at the end of the day when I can look back and know I tried, that I gave my all. And that only happens when I make an intentional effort – when I choose awesome. That is something each of us is capable of doing.

So, let’s do it. What are you going to do to take that first step and change things you want to change? Those little things add up, my friend! Tell me, and let’s help each other out!

Today, let’s choose awesome.

To Life,