What's in a Name…?

A few days ago, my friends and I were out at lunch. We were running through our names, trying to figure out what they meant and if the meanings applied to our lives.

Michael
Who is like God? I like to think of this as my challenge to be more holy and live a better life. It sometimes works.

Joseph
He will add. This describes how people, and me especially, are always changing.

Walter
Ruler of the Army. I love this name. I picked it for my confirmation name and I find it very fitting. First, it shows my love for the military and leadership. Walter is also the patron saint of prisoners. He remanded, even when he didn't want to. And so I do things to help other, even when I don't want to.

Donnay
Gift. This one is just so interesting. I don't like to think of myself as a gift, but no joke, people describe me as one. So it fits.

Ite Missa Est

The difference between me and my friend is not just that I'm Catholic and he's Jewish, but that he meets people and knows them from his youth group and I meet people at church and know them from school. This difference is symbolized by the old ending to the Latin mass, Ite Missa Est. Loosely translated it means go or be sent. It used to be said as a dismissal for the congregation at the end of Mass. This mindset has remained to this day. When Mass ends at my church, everyone who can makes a run for their car and are gone as fast as possible. Very few people hang around. So this mentality keeps most Catholics from participating in things ouside of Mass. Or at least, that's my opinion. What do you think?

A Calm Mind

Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem. Remember to maintain a calm mind while doing difficult tasks - Virgil

Well I've had an....interesting....week. School ended on Tuesday. I aced my finals! Woot! I also broke up with my girlfriend. That is the "interesting" part. We decided it would be for the best to give it a try. I like to think I've done rather well with the whole thing. This has been my first major emotional issue since I've discovered Ignatian detachment, and I find its been very useful in all this. I approached the problem with detachment and tried to make a decision based on what would be best, if not what would make me the most happy. But in the end, the best decision has made me happy. Also, I like to think I'm practicing for my sainthood. ☺

Power

Hi again! It's finally summer vacation! I'm so excited! So far, it has been a very interesting summer and I've only been out of school for three days. Yesterday, there was a huge thunderstorm that rolled through our area. In its wake, 200,000 people lost power. Including my house! Yay! Losing power wasn't actually that bad though. I spent a lot of time playing cards and talking with my friends. It was a nice way to spend a day. Well I can't come up with anything deep to say right now...

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." Marcus Aelius Aurelius

A Final Prayer

Finals officially begin tomorrow. Here is a prayer for students by St. Thomas Aquinas. It will be much needed tomorrow.

---

Creator of all things,
true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of your light penetrate
the darkness of my understanding.

Take from me the double darkness
in which I have been born,
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.

Give me a keen understanding,
a retentive memory, and
the ability to grasp things
correctly and fundamentally.

Grant me the talent
of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself
with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning,
direct the progress,
and help in the completion.

I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Year in Review

As the school year draws to a close, I find myself reviewing the past nine months of my life. I find patterns. Some that I like, so that I don't. This year has been one of great triumphs for me. And of failures. Highlights of this year include: getting a job, getting a girlfriend, taking Latin III, doing an Independent Study, being a Stage Manager, etc. Not a bad year. I have really enjoyed my sophomore year. It's been a great learning experience. Personally, I think it's been one of the best years of my life. One thing I have gotten into this year is photography. I have a real passion for it, Here are some of my favorite photos from the 2009-2010 school year.

A Centering Experience

Every day (or every other day) I try to start may morning at school praying morning prayer from the Daily Office. I sit on the floor of the hallway, leaning up against a wall, and pull my Book of Hours out of my bag. I spend a few minutes in prayer, oblivious to the the world around me. It is a very centering experience, and I find my day goes better when I get a chance to pray it. Praying the Daily Office has a long history within the Catholic Church, stemming from Jewish traditions of daily prayer. Early in the morning, sitting up against the dirty school wall, it is a very peaceful, reflective experience. I suggest people try to do something similar to start their day, it might make the day a little easier to deal with.

Smile

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." -Mother Teresa

I find this quote a particularly relevant one this time of year. For some unknown reason, my school doesn't let out until June 22. So we have two more weeks of school left. Fun, right? In this type of atmosphere, smiling is more important then ever. People need a daily encouragement and a simple smile can be that encouragement. Another reason I find this quote so important now is because my girlfriend is having some doubts about our relationship right now. She's not sure whether she still wants to date me. Every day, when I see her in the hallway after first period, she makes me smile. Like clockwork. It's pretty wonderful. So, with this issue, I might lose that. So I guess the point is, remember to smile. You might make someone's day.

Gift |gift|
noun
1) a thing given willingly to someone without payment

D-Day

"You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you..."

Happy Birthday

Happy Belated Birthday Chris

And on the first day the lord said. . .

"And on the first day the lord said. . . . . .LX1, GO! and there was light."

Today I spent 12 hours at school. Now this would sound kinda crazy to most kids, but yeah, I got to school at 6:50 this morning and left at 7:30. Long day. The funny thing is, we, the tech crew, give up so much of our time for the school. We spend hours after school building and setting up lights, we have to make up work from classes we miss doing unpaid assemblies for school, and very often during show season spend over 15 hours at school. Yet there is very little reward involved. Occasionally some group will pay, but most school activities are done "free of charge." It can be annoying. But it is also a very rewarding experience. We enjoy what we do, and have some of the best conversations ever. Don't ask how, but somehow, in between securing a wall and cleaning up, we talked about personal conscience verses religious doctrine and how that effect our lives. Yeah… So in homage to all those under appreciated techies out there, here are a few quotes and a poem for you. Keep up the good work!

"Actors are props with dialogue"
"An actor without techies is a naked person standing in the dark trying to emote. A techie without actors is a person with marketable skills."
"Our techies practice safe sets and Techies do it on cue."

A Poem

We, the unwilling,
led by the unknowing,
have been doing the impossible
for the ungrateful.
We've done so much for so long,
we are now qualified to everything
with nothing.

Chanler Childs