Oh boy. I'm falling behind on my blogs. I've already told this story to someone so this will be the "nutshell version" of it.
Everything that happened from Last Friday at IHOP until yesterday (Tuesday) was all linked together like links in a chain. Every event that took place connected to the one prior and set things up for the upcoming.
I already talked about IHOP from last Friday. On Saturday I attended a wedding where I saw a lot of old faces. At first I didn't know what to make of it, but I started seeing the connection when I went to confession. I learned something important there.
Going to confession then led me to attend the 5pm mass. I was like, "Hey, this is what we talked about yesterday!" Also during the homily, the priest kept posing a question that just kinda made me giggle.
After mass, some of the folks from choir decided to eat out for dinner. Guess where we ended up? IHOP again! Nevertheless, it was a pretty good experience. I got the chance to talk to some of them again because I haven't seen them in a while. All I ate was soup.
When dinner was over, I headed over to Trish's house to pick her up for the birthday dinner party of Em and Dee at Hard Rock here in downtown SD. Again it was good to see some old folks from LOG. After dinner there we made our way to Rock Bottom to enjoy a few drinks and dance the night away. That's all I did!
I spent the night at Trish's and when we woke up the next morning (Sunday), had breakfast and had philosopical discussions up until 2pm. Went home to shower and change, then met up with some of the folks at Hooters for some of their tasty chicken wings.
We split up so I could pick up Joy and headed to Mesa College to watch Arlene and TeeJay perform in the Grapes Of Wrath.
After the play, a group of 25 of us again went out to eat. This time at TGIF. That was hilarious... "WOW!" Hahaha! Inside joke.
Monday comes along and I had a pretty busy day. Errands in the morning, airport, then lunch with Sherwin. Then more errands. I had my moms new car so I didn't mind driving it all over town. Even went to Trish's to let her drive it. Then I went to choir practice.
Lemme end it right there and start with the whole spiritual experience of it all.
Friday I attended CJ and we talked about the gospel reading for Sunday mass. I thought it was cool because its been a while since I've really dug down deep to discern what the message in the gospel is. It reminded me of the times when I was still involved with SOL and we did that all the time.
At the wedding I bumped into my ex-gf and though it has always been ackward seeing her, this time was different. Not that we talked and everything was cool or anything, it was just a more peaceful feeling when we made eye-contact and smiled at each other.
Going to confession helped me to realize that instead of focusing all my time and energy on solving other people's problems, it was time for me to start solving my own.
Going out and partying that night was again just a feel good experience. It was as though God was telling me to relax, drop some of the walls and just be in the moment. I did that. I let loose, had fun, and trusted that everything was gonna be okay. I'm happy to say that everything DID turn out okay. I learned that I can have fun with good people.
The philosopical conversations Trish and I had also helped me to realize how easy it was for me to decide that I'm not gonna accept anything other than what I already believe in. I noticed myself blocking out a lot of what she was talking about. Granted she was talking about Daoism/Taoism. I ended up getting confused. It became obvious while we were eating at Hooters because though the wings were good, I was just in a world all my own.
Then at the play... wow! This was powerful. The Grapes of Wrath. The preacher in the story said a lot of things that put into words what I was thinking and feeling. Because of all this knowlege I've gained over the last few years, I felt as though my faith became an intellectual thing. I realized how much I disconnected my heart from all of who I am.
I think the events on Monday was the climax of the chain of events that happened over the weekend. I was thinking of going home that evening. Trish was inviting me to attend choir practice but I kept insisting that I wouldn't feel right going. But when we parted ways, I found myself going to church anyway. I was thinking of just driving by to see who was at practice. Then oddly enough when I got to church, I found myself parking the car. Then walked right into church without giving it a thought. Then somehow I found myself taking my usual spot in the choir section. Then I just started singing. Coincidence? I think not.
I still had my reservations during practice. I remember thinking, "Bah, same 'ol choir. Still no God in the equation." But because I was feeling closer to God, I just let it go.
What stood out to me that evening was having a conversation with Tony. Tony is also discerning priesthood. A lot of folks have told me about him already, and though we've met a few times, we've never really had a conversation until that night. It was a short conversation but we agreed that we would hang out and talk. Then he said, "Yeah, there are some people who will never understand what its like." I just smiled and nodded my head and said, "Yup!"
Though it was a very brief conversation, I felt a connection with him that I haven't felt from anyone else. It was at that point when I knew... I was in good company. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel alone. I found someone who understands what its like to be in my shoes. I know from my blog entries that I whine and complain a lot about people who just dont get it. I communicate through my thoughts that I'm doing a lot of searching. The thing was, I didn't know what I was searching for. God helped me find it though.
That's why on Tuesday I knew my life had taken a sharp turn and things were never gonna be the same. On Tuesday, the first thing I did as soon as I opened my eyes was talk to God. I admit, as spiritual as I think I am, my prayer life has not been strong. But as I said, things are different now.
What else, God?
"When you come to the edge of all the light you have, you must take a step into the darkness of the darkness of the unknown and beleive that one of two things will happen to you; either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or, you will be taught how to fly."
~ Patrick Overton
Here's one that pertains to me...
"The nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly like pearls slipping off a string."
~Lucy M. Montgomery
(Anne of Avonlea)
Everything that happened from Last Friday at IHOP until yesterday (Tuesday) was all linked together like links in a chain. Every event that took place connected to the one prior and set things up for the upcoming.
I already talked about IHOP from last Friday. On Saturday I attended a wedding where I saw a lot of old faces. At first I didn't know what to make of it, but I started seeing the connection when I went to confession. I learned something important there.
Going to confession then led me to attend the 5pm mass. I was like, "Hey, this is what we talked about yesterday!" Also during the homily, the priest kept posing a question that just kinda made me giggle.
After mass, some of the folks from choir decided to eat out for dinner. Guess where we ended up? IHOP again! Nevertheless, it was a pretty good experience. I got the chance to talk to some of them again because I haven't seen them in a while. All I ate was soup.
When dinner was over, I headed over to Trish's house to pick her up for the birthday dinner party of Em and Dee at Hard Rock here in downtown SD. Again it was good to see some old folks from LOG. After dinner there we made our way to Rock Bottom to enjoy a few drinks and dance the night away. That's all I did!
I spent the night at Trish's and when we woke up the next morning (Sunday), had breakfast and had philosopical discussions up until 2pm. Went home to shower and change, then met up with some of the folks at Hooters for some of their tasty chicken wings.
We split up so I could pick up Joy and headed to Mesa College to watch Arlene and TeeJay perform in the Grapes Of Wrath.
After the play, a group of 25 of us again went out to eat. This time at TGIF. That was hilarious... "WOW!" Hahaha! Inside joke.
Monday comes along and I had a pretty busy day. Errands in the morning, airport, then lunch with Sherwin. Then more errands. I had my moms new car so I didn't mind driving it all over town. Even went to Trish's to let her drive it. Then I went to choir practice.
Lemme end it right there and start with the whole spiritual experience of it all.
Friday I attended CJ and we talked about the gospel reading for Sunday mass. I thought it was cool because its been a while since I've really dug down deep to discern what the message in the gospel is. It reminded me of the times when I was still involved with SOL and we did that all the time.
At the wedding I bumped into my ex-gf and though it has always been ackward seeing her, this time was different. Not that we talked and everything was cool or anything, it was just a more peaceful feeling when we made eye-contact and smiled at each other.
Going to confession helped me to realize that instead of focusing all my time and energy on solving other people's problems, it was time for me to start solving my own.
Going out and partying that night was again just a feel good experience. It was as though God was telling me to relax, drop some of the walls and just be in the moment. I did that. I let loose, had fun, and trusted that everything was gonna be okay. I'm happy to say that everything DID turn out okay. I learned that I can have fun with good people.
The philosopical conversations Trish and I had also helped me to realize how easy it was for me to decide that I'm not gonna accept anything other than what I already believe in. I noticed myself blocking out a lot of what she was talking about. Granted she was talking about Daoism/Taoism. I ended up getting confused. It became obvious while we were eating at Hooters because though the wings were good, I was just in a world all my own.
Then at the play... wow! This was powerful. The Grapes of Wrath. The preacher in the story said a lot of things that put into words what I was thinking and feeling. Because of all this knowlege I've gained over the last few years, I felt as though my faith became an intellectual thing. I realized how much I disconnected my heart from all of who I am.
I think the events on Monday was the climax of the chain of events that happened over the weekend. I was thinking of going home that evening. Trish was inviting me to attend choir practice but I kept insisting that I wouldn't feel right going. But when we parted ways, I found myself going to church anyway. I was thinking of just driving by to see who was at practice. Then oddly enough when I got to church, I found myself parking the car. Then walked right into church without giving it a thought. Then somehow I found myself taking my usual spot in the choir section. Then I just started singing. Coincidence? I think not.
I still had my reservations during practice. I remember thinking, "Bah, same 'ol choir. Still no God in the equation." But because I was feeling closer to God, I just let it go.
What stood out to me that evening was having a conversation with Tony. Tony is also discerning priesthood. A lot of folks have told me about him already, and though we've met a few times, we've never really had a conversation until that night. It was a short conversation but we agreed that we would hang out and talk. Then he said, "Yeah, there are some people who will never understand what its like." I just smiled and nodded my head and said, "Yup!"
Though it was a very brief conversation, I felt a connection with him that I haven't felt from anyone else. It was at that point when I knew... I was in good company. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel alone. I found someone who understands what its like to be in my shoes. I know from my blog entries that I whine and complain a lot about people who just dont get it. I communicate through my thoughts that I'm doing a lot of searching. The thing was, I didn't know what I was searching for. God helped me find it though.
That's why on Tuesday I knew my life had taken a sharp turn and things were never gonna be the same. On Tuesday, the first thing I did as soon as I opened my eyes was talk to God. I admit, as spiritual as I think I am, my prayer life has not been strong. But as I said, things are different now.
What else, God?
"When you come to the edge of all the light you have, you must take a step into the darkness of the darkness of the unknown and beleive that one of two things will happen to you; either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or, you will be taught how to fly."
~ Patrick Overton
Here's one that pertains to me...
"The nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly like pearls slipping off a string."
~Lucy M. Montgomery
(Anne of Avonlea)
