This is another original poem about what I miss about being at Saint Mary's/Notre Dame. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with my previous post, which is why I'm doing two posts today.
Glee Club concerts
Football games
Push-ups
The best football group ever
My ECDC kids
Coffee, Cupcakes, and
Conversations
Carroll Christmas
South Dining Hall
The Undertones
The Grotto
Hugs during Peace
Singing the Our Father
Fr. John
Retreats and adoration
Basilica mass
LeMans Hall masses
Countless trolley rides across
the street
Walks down The Avenue
Walks around campus
Watching the seasons change
Wearing winterclothes
Snow
Study days in Hesburgh
Getting paid to play
Late nights with friends
Movie night with the roommate
Making countless memories
Coming together in times of
tragedy
Feeling like I was home
As part of yesterday's post, I said I had the choice on Sunday to either help with a youth ministry event or go eat with the young adult group and ended up choosing the youth ministry event which left me feeling more fulfilled than the other choice probably would have. This is my elaboratory post on that.
One thing they don't tell you about coming home after you've graduated college is that you might find yourself lacking the most in the place that you grew up. Home might not feel like home anymore. Your church might not feel like your church anymore. And that you might feel like you are your own community. And that is not a good feeling. I guess it makes sense because a lot can change in four years. People move in and out of the neighborhood, priests change, your friends that you went to youth group with are doing their own thing elsewhere, and you've just been forcibly sepearated from the people that may have become your life-long friends.
I knew I would be leaving a place that felt like home to me and where I had a wonderful, faith-based community. In order to prevent the feeling of being community-less, I signed up for a small faith-sharing group through my church. I went every week for two months before giving up. I gave up because I felt like a complete outsider at most of the meetings and wasn't feeling any more at home than I had right after I left Saint Mary's and Notre Dame. I just wasn't happy. After leaving the small faith group, I went to a couple of events with the young adult group but I still didn't feel like it was right for me. For one thing, everyone in the young adult group is at least 3-5 years older than me and have real-people jobs. I also felt that some of the women in the group were a little bit cliquey; they tended to have their own conversations without regard for any fresh pairs of ears. The men in the group are inclusive in their conversations. After talking to a friend of mine who also just graduated college and is relatively new to the church, I realized I was not alone in how I felt about the young adult group. I really do hope someone from the young adult group reads this post so they can learn from my experience and be aware of it so no one else goes through feeling like they don't belong in a group where they are supposed to belong.
That is why I chose to help man the youth ministry event instead of going out to eat with the young adult group. Some of you may be wondering, "Why didn't you keep trying with the young adult group? It takes more than a couple of meetings to know if its for you or not." In my experience, I have always felt like I belonged to a faith-based group after the first meeting or two. Granted, I knew most of the people that were in my junior high and high school youth groups. While I was at Saint Mary's, I joined a group at Notre Dame called Four:7, which is essentially a praise, worship, and fellowship group. When I went to my first Four:7 night, I knew one person. One out of about 50. I left that night with a smile on my face, less stress, and an I-can't-wait-to-go-back-next-week-and every-week-after-that feeling. This was not the case with the young adult or the small faith groups. It was the case with the youth ministry kids.
I'm glad I made the choice that I did. I don't know if I'll go to any more young adult group events, but I may. For now, I have found my place with the junior high and hihg school youth ministry team.
So we are into week 3 of my blogging and I failed to post a blog last week. For shame. I'll make up for it by posting two blogs this week. Now for a quick run-down of last week's highlights.
1) I usually nanny on Thursday afternoons, but had last Thursday off because the little girl's dad wasn't feeling too good and, considering I had just gotten over a cold, he didn't want me to be around him and get sick all over again. This was a welcome change in my schedule because I was able to get some errands done earlier than I would have been able to and was able to have my weekly Skype date with my good friend Christine at a decent time for both her and me.
2) Christine is coming to visit me! After about 5 months of talking about having her come down to visit me, it is finally official. She will come visit in the weeks right before Christmas, so we will be able to do all the Christmas things together. I'm most excited for going to Disneyland, picking out and decorating the tree, and ice skating on the beach in San Diego.
3) I am growing up as a ballerina. I've been taking ballet classes at home for about two months and ever since I started, my ballet teacher has been telling me that I am strong enough to start pointe and pushing me to get pre-pointe shoes. This past Friday, I finally caved and bought my first pair of pre-pointe shoes. I will put up a blog about the different types of ballet shoes for those of you who are not familiar with ballet.
4) After mass on Sunday, I had a choice to make. I could have dinner at a local pub with some people from the young adult group at my church or I could help out with/chaperone the youth ministry event. I chose the youth ministry event. I was extremely happy with my choice. I had fun, I ate for free, and I finally got that feeling of belonging that I had been searching for in my church. I honestly don't think I would have gotten the same feeling had I gone to eat with the young adult group. Perhaps I will elaborate on that in another blog post.
5) The Irish beat the Sooners and are now 8-0. I don't think that needs any further explanation. Side note: while I was watching the game and possibly swearing at the TV, I was also sewing elastics and ribbons onto my pre-pointe shoes. Ironic much?
Hello again! As promised, here is my blog update of yesterday's blog. I am extremely happy to say that I passed my CCE written and practical exams with flying colors. I recieved a 91% on the written portion and a 9 out of 10 on the practical portion. On Wednesday the 31st (Halloween) I will be getting my ID badge and can officially start my hours on the first Monday of November. Getting here was not easy, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run.
The process started about two months ago with my application. As part of the application, we had to write six short essays about ourselves, what we can bring to the program, obstacles we have overcome, etc. aside from all the general information that comes with an application. Next came interviews in September where we were asked some pretty difficult questions. After passing the interviews I had to get shots and tests done, CPR training, and uniform clothes. Then came two 10-hour training days before the test. Today, after we recieved our test results, we on a tour of our floors and went over some more rules and regulations. It was intense. As our guest speaker said, we are the cream of the crop, the best of the best.
Also worth celebrating is the fact that my beloved Fighting Irish are now 7-0 defeating BYU with a score of 17-14.
That is all for now. I'm off to watch a movie so I can unwind a little bit.
Tomorrow is a very big day for me. Tomorrow I take a test and find out if I will finally be a Clinical Care Extender (CCE) at my local hospital. For safety reasons, I will not be disclosing the name of the hospital. I have spent the past two Saturdays at the hospital training to be a CCE. I have spent 10 hours in lecture learning the theory of being a CCE and another 8 hours learning and practicing the skills I will be doing as a CCE. If I pass my test tomorrow, I will be a full-fledged CCE. As a CCE, I will be going onto the hospital floors for at least 4 hours per week to provide comfort care to patients. Comfort care consists of everyday tasks that we take for granted such as eating, bathing, taking a walk, etc. Each rotation lasts 3 months and we are to have at least 48 hours completed by the end of the rotation. My first rotation will be on the medical pulmonary floor. Here, I will get to see anything lung-related from asthma to a collapsed lung. All of this is dependent on tomorrow's exam. Any and all prayers would be very much appreciated. I will probably blog about the results tomorrow so you can all know.
Quick update on my cold: Zicam has done it job super well. I'm still a tiny bit stuffy and still coughing, but I feel great. Today is day 4 of my cold and I am feeling how I would typically feel on day 8 or 9. Cold/flu season is upon us. If you feel a cold coming on and you're first thought is "Oh hell no. This is cannot happen right now" go out get some Zicam. It works. It tastes gross, but it works. You can find it at your local pharmacy and should be upwards of around $10 for a box.
Yesterday, I posted on my Facebook that I have come down with a cold and my goal is to get through it by only taking Zicam and doubling up the Reliv. Well, so far so good. While I definitely feel run-down and stuffy, I don't feel nearly as sick as I have on day 2 with all my previous colds. Some of my readers may be wondering what this Reliv thing is. That is what today's post is for.
Reliv has been produced since 1988 and was started by Dr. Theadore Kalogris and Bob and Sandy Montgomery. In 1995, Dr. Ted started the Kalogris foundation. "When the Foundation began in 1995, the primary focus was providing products to individuals in need throughout the United States. As Distributor donations increased and news of the mission spread, the Foundation’s vision became more global. Year after year, the Foundation’s efforts have steadily grown. What began as simply supplying product to a handful of missionaries working in the Philippines has evolved into the full support of more than 270 nutrition programs in 10 countries. Today, the RKF feeds 42,000 people every day."
Reliv products are, in short, advanced nutrition. Reliv's success is because of bioavailability and synergism. This means that Reliv is formulated in a way that each dose provides the body with instant access to the nutrients it contains (bioavailability) and combines nutrients with other nutirents that increase their effectiveness (synergism). Reliv success stories range from weight loss and increased focus to live-saving stories. Without further ado, here is my Reliv success story.
My body has always carried its stress in my gut, so I would periodically have stomach upsets due to nervousness, stress, etc. Starting the summer after I graduated high school and into my freshman year of college these stomach upsets became more frequent and more bothersome. As the frequency of my symptoms increased and researched on why I was feeling this way, I came to the conclusion that I had IBS. About a year after my IBS self-diagnosis, I started exhibiting symptoms of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease). Over time, I became extremely sensitive to most foods and essentially had the diet of either an elderly person or someone who was recovering from a GI infection. About a year ago I found myself having to take Immodium or some other OTC medicine at least once per week just to keep from getting sick. Despite all my best efforts, my IBs got to the point where I was afraid to go out to eat for fear of needing a bathroom and not making it. In March of this year, I finally found the relief I was craving in the form of Reliv. A friend from school (shout-out to Rose Franzen)introduced me to it and I was so desperate for a solution that I went ahead and ordered some. Within 2 days of starting Reliv, I started feeling relief from my IBS and within 3 weeks from my GERD. I have been taking Reliv for 7 months now and have felt healthier than I have in a long time, minus this mild cold. I frequently said that if there was ever a magic pill/medicine out there that would cure me of my ills, I would buy it. With Reliv, I have found my magic medicine. It is also really easy to take. All I need is 8oz of liquid per every 1-2 scoops of Reliv powder, depending on the individual product.
Sorry this post was so long. If my story resonated with anyone and you want more information about Reliv, feel free to contact me. And here is video clip for your enjoyment:
In my last semester of college, I took a poetry writing class. Ever since then, I have found writing poems to be a wonderful way of releasing ideas and emotions. A year ago today, my grandfather Raul passed away. While it was a very sad time for all of us, there was a sense of relief because he was no longer suffering. Inspired by my new-found love of poetry, I decided to write some poems about what the week he passed meant to me and how it affected me. Many thanks to those who helped me through it. You know who you are.
October 10, 2011
Unexpected news at the end of a great day.
Confusion.
Why is Dad going?
Slight panic.
What is going to happen?
When is it going to happen?
I want to go
October 11, 2011
All the feelings come at once.
Sad that he is slipping away.
Anxiety not knowing what
or when it would happen.
Guilty about not being with the cousins.
Hopeful that I might see him again.
Scared that I won't.
Everything is hard today.
Hard to eat.
Hard to sleep.
Hard to talk.
Hard to pray.
I can't do anything but cry.
October 12. 2011
A wave of calm takes over.
Or maybe I've exhausted
all the feels.
I still feel it all,
just not as intense.
This day is not lived,
but survived.
The call comes at night.
I keep packing
and try to sleep.
I can't.
October 13, 2011
1. Wake up.
Try to eat.
Go to class.
Try to sleep.
Last things to pack.
Quick lunch.
Get picked up.
Drive to Chicago.
2. Time with family
Just what the doctor ordered.
Though I barely know
most of them,
I know I belong.
I eat two meals.
I sleep a full night.
I still cry.
Baby steps.
Welcome to my first blog post. I have decided to finally start blogging. I'm sure there are many people in my life who want to know about what I am doing. I aim to update this blog at least once per week, if not more often. I will also feature some original poems every now and then. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
