This evening my friends and I went out to dinner, and met a man named Stephen. He was walking by our table on the patio, and stopped to begin a conversation with us. In time, the conversation led to talking about faith, and God.
Faith, he said, is what will remain with you no matter what. You can take away our crucifix necklaces, and our faith will still be there. You can burn down our churches, and our faith will still be there.
The conversation turned into Stephen, Carla and I singing "Amazing Grace" in harmony on this busy patio filled with people. Everyone stopped and listened to words that I needed to hear right now, and words that were heard by everybody on that patio today.
As he was leaving, he left each of my friends with a thought, such as telling Carla that she is full of wisdom. He skipped over me, but as he began walking away, he turned around to say -
"You're gonna be a really good mother one day."
I cried immediately and for some reason knew this man was an angel. At least for me. I guess an "angel" doesn't really need to be an angel sent from heaven, disguised as a human being to send a message from God. An angel can be a real person, allowing God to speak through them. And for some reason, being told that I am going to be a really good mother one day was exactly what I needed to hear tonight. God knew that. It was a pretty silly thing that only He would know.
The whole experience was just extremely moving. I am just grateful that God sent a personal message that spoke straight to my heart today. I needed it.
Amazing Grace.
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
When we've been there 10,000 years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less ways to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.
25 October 2007
04 October 2007
For Future Generations...
My assignment in my Development of Theatre class was to write a brief essay telling what values I would want to pass on to future generations. I wish I could have written more, but I'm going to post what I am turning in, simply so that I can hold onto it. It's brief and pretty simple, but I liked thinking about it:
Joy is an indescribable gift that I want to pass on to future generations. To me, joy is not equivalent to happiness – it is more like hope. I believe that joy is knowing that no matter how dark life can get, there is always something to hope for and life is still absolutely beautiful. Joy is constantly striving to see this beauty in life and sharing it with the people around us. The gift of joy and being able to hold onto hope even through times of despair is something that I value highly and something I hope future generations will strive for.
Part of living a joyful life, in my opinion, is to find what one is passionate about. I hope to pass on the value of passion – of being excited about our talents, our relationships, our happiness, and especially the fact that we are simply alive. I want to pass on my passion for self-esteem, particularly in young women. Through my own experiences at an all-girl high school, I realized how beneficial this environment was in my journey to becoming a woman. I feel that few girls get to experience learning about their value as young women, about how beautiful they are, and about knowing who they are and being confident in that knowledge.
Furthermore, and most importantly, I want to pass on the value of family. My family is my biggest passion, and without them I would not be who I am today. I believe family is something to be treasured. Strong family relationships can give a person a wonderful childhood, which I think is priceless – all children should be able to live in innocence and joy. Family relationships are unmatched by any friendship, for family consists of the people who know you truly and deeply, and love you unconditionally. In my heart, the most important thing I want to pass on is the value of a strong family life and the joy, passion, and confidence that come from these relationships.
Joy is an indescribable gift that I want to pass on to future generations. To me, joy is not equivalent to happiness – it is more like hope. I believe that joy is knowing that no matter how dark life can get, there is always something to hope for and life is still absolutely beautiful. Joy is constantly striving to see this beauty in life and sharing it with the people around us. The gift of joy and being able to hold onto hope even through times of despair is something that I value highly and something I hope future generations will strive for.
Part of living a joyful life, in my opinion, is to find what one is passionate about. I hope to pass on the value of passion – of being excited about our talents, our relationships, our happiness, and especially the fact that we are simply alive. I want to pass on my passion for self-esteem, particularly in young women. Through my own experiences at an all-girl high school, I realized how beneficial this environment was in my journey to becoming a woman. I feel that few girls get to experience learning about their value as young women, about how beautiful they are, and about knowing who they are and being confident in that knowledge.
Furthermore, and most importantly, I want to pass on the value of family. My family is my biggest passion, and without them I would not be who I am today. I believe family is something to be treasured. Strong family relationships can give a person a wonderful childhood, which I think is priceless – all children should be able to live in innocence and joy. Family relationships are unmatched by any friendship, for family consists of the people who know you truly and deeply, and love you unconditionally. In my heart, the most important thing I want to pass on is the value of a strong family life and the joy, passion, and confidence that come from these relationships.
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