A beautiful life

I shared a lot of stories with my students last week...about a lot of things...marriage, parenting, life. As I reflect on my own journey and see where God has brought me today, I'm able to appreciate the different ways He has called all of us to use our gifts and live our lives.

And as I spent this past weekend with my family in Las Vegas, I looked around me and noticed a whole lot of goodness in each and every one of them. Again realizing that there really isn't "just one way" to be...that we were all called in our own special ways to follow God's will.

One of my nephews graduated from Serra Vista High School this past week, which is why we were all up there. He's planning on going to a JC for now and his brother is going to be a junior at UNLV. They're both AMAZING young men...very respectful, intelligent, talented, so good with the little kids. I had to complement my cousin and her husband for doing such a wonderful job in raising them. Their lola (my ninang) also plays a huge role in their lives, supporting their education and praying with them every night.

What was so nice was that my cousin-in-law Robert noticed I was teaching Meleana her ABCs, and he smiled. He asked me if I was going to homeschool the kids and I told him that we were planning on it, if Gary and I are able to make the switch down the road. He told us that he saw the graduation for homeschoolers in LV on the news and there were 600 kids in attendance. I was surprised because I didn't expect the numbers to be so high...but it was great to hear that there was a solid community of people who decided to go the "unconventional" route and that the city was taking the time to acknowledge them publicly on TV.

We also went to church out there on Saturday evening at this BEAUTIFUL parish called "St. Joseph, Husband of Mary" (wonderful name, isn't it?). Everything about it was unique - even the artwork and architecture - Byzantine style icons and relief paintings of the saints. The priest was really good, too. He did a great job of reminding us all of who Jesus is to us in the Eucharist...that we unite ourselves more and more to Christ in His Mystical Body whenever we receive Communion. And he also said that we should never be afraid to go out and bring His message to others...to serve them in love.

Gary even said that he felt something "different" there...that it was a truly holy place...that the congregation was sincere in their faith...that it was just special. I think it hit him the most through a young disabled teenage boy who was seated near him, singing with his whole heart and soul, truly participating in every part of the Mass.

Yes, I met Jesus in each moment of this weekend...

• in all the little cousins running around with each other
• in each smile Therese gave to her lolos and lolas and the 15 smiles she gave her Ati (yes, Leilani counted them all!)
  
• in the hospitality of Auntie Mary June, Ate Nene, Robert, and the kids
• in my ob who lets me call him on his cell phone on Sunday morning to ask him questions
• in Gary's patience as we sat in traffic long enough to miss the Laker game on TV

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the Holy Spirit to send me into the desert to pray. Well, technically we were in the desert, and I WAS able to pray! Praise God!

Two days of school left! I'm excited for the summer. =) But now it's time to go to bed...

+AMDG+