It truly has been an eventful last couple of days. The last weeks have been marked with the departure of Michelle. Michelle who has been living with us for the last half year or so has been an integral part of our lives and also our experience in Chile. She ended her program here and now she is off to the United States to go back to graduate school. We had a despedida (going away party) for her last weekend, which was very nice. We went to Buenos Muchachos, which is a nice grill restaurant her in Santiago. The night was filled with good food; good friends and it seemed to be a nice completion to her time here in Chile. After the party on Friday we had a nice low-key dinner at our house just between us and we also helped her with last minute preparations for her return home. Her flight was at 7:30 on Monday so of course that made for a basically sleepless night and a rough day at work the next day.
On Tuesday I had confirmation, which was very nice. Brian and I of course were slightly late. (we live over and hour away from the school were the confirmation takes place) For confirmation we had a traditional Jewish dinner. When we were seated a plate of lettuce, unleavened, an egg and some kind of applesauce tasting concoction greeted me. The plate was sparse and I was unaware that there was a normal dinner that was also being served. So, I ate all that was on my plate and also the plate of the empty seat next to me. This created the illusion that there was a person was actually sitting there. When dinner arrived they also served the plate next to me. I, not being wanting to be wasteful, reluctantly ate another portion of lamb and rice. Needless to say the dinner was delightful.
We had a short week last week, only until Wednesday because of the National holiday that fell on Thursday. Due to the holiday we did not have work on Friday, but we did have a teacher in-service day or a training day for faculty. The holiday is in celebration of the Battle of Iquique, a battle that the Chileans lost, but they won a hero, Arturo Prat. Yet, it is still interesting that they are celebrating a battle that they lost. Friday we talked about some of the problems at the school and had group discussions about where we needed to improve. I ended up having to stay late after the meetings to finish up a presentation that we are using next week for Brother Andres week.
Semana Hermano Andres or Brother Andres week is a weeklong celebration at school. It is a week full of competition and games to honor and celebrate the life of Brother Andres, who is an important figure in the Holy Cross in Chile. I will be in charge of certain classes, and the PowerPoint that we made is a game show type challenge in which the students must answer questions about the lives and figures in the Church along with other questions about geography and culture.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Things to Consider
It is now May, very strange to think that we are already in May. I am doing well enjoyed the long weekend. Just laid low and rested. It is starting to get cold here, especially at night. Below are some of my thoughts that i would like to share. I hope that you are all well.
"Unwarranted gifts, Unwarranted trial.
That cause us to cry and also to smile."
I find most of what happens in life to be absolutely unwarranted. The events that have affected me the most profoundly in my life were absolutely beyond my control or "undeserved". I use this word in quotes for I do not believe that we actually deserve anything. The sooner that one realizes that your life is a gift the quicker you actually start living. You have have the cliché's of "Don't take your life for granted" or "Live your life to the fullest" Yet, in the wording itself lies the problem. I know that it is not my life. It is an unwarranted gift that was given to me. With this gift comes great responsibilities and expectations. We are called as Christians to live for our fellow man and this cannot be done if we view our life as simply a possession instead of a gift.
So many times we crumble or lose our way when we are overwhelmed by unwarranted trial. These are the trials that shake our faith and our being to the core.
The unwarranted trials; such as a loss of a loved one due to a medical abnormality, cancer, or simply being being in the passenger seat of car in an accident.
Unwarranted trials such as being a victim of nonsensical violence or abuse.
Unwarranted trials of being born into poverty and starvation.
These are the hardest trial to bear for we cannot put blame on any particular person and so we place it on God. There is no direct logical explanation for the terrible events that occur. We shout out in vain "Why me?!" "How could you do this to me?!" I personally don't believe in a vengeful God, one that sits on his throne and spites at his whim. I believe we life in a world filled with sin and the terrible tragedies, for they are tragedies, are simply a by-product of the world we live in. This is the hardest idea to wrestle with. Why do bad things happen to good people?
But in turn we must also look at the flip side of the coin. I have to look at my life and see all of the unwarranted gifts i have received. I have to ask myself why, I a basic sinner, have been given all of these gifts that i have been blessed with.
Unwarranted gift of having a loving and supportive family. To have dear friends, that stick with you through the hardest of times.
Unwarranted gift of being born into a world without the constant pang of hunger or the worry of starvation.
Unwarranted gift of having a healthy and capable body.
Unwarranted gift of intelligence and opportunities of a bright future.
We must remember in the end that a lot of what we have in life is unwarranted. I am not discrediting hard work and perseverance. Anyone who know me and my family knows that i am a firm believer in capitalizing on opportunities. I love to hear the success stories of people that have overcome these unwarranted trials. But instead of dwelling on what trials we are faced with we must realize that we are all blessed.
The unwarranted trials are our crosses to bear. We mourn the losses of the loved ones, and we try and continue life with the burden in tow. In the end we come to realize that much of what happens in life is unwarranted. I give thanks for the blessings I have and I pray for those who are dealing with unwarranted trials. May God give you the strength to persevere. We are left with hope. For we were given the ultimate unwarranted gift, salvation.
"Unwarranted gifts, Unwarranted trial.
That cause us to cry and also to smile."
I find most of what happens in life to be absolutely unwarranted. The events that have affected me the most profoundly in my life were absolutely beyond my control or "undeserved". I use this word in quotes for I do not believe that we actually deserve anything. The sooner that one realizes that your life is a gift the quicker you actually start living. You have have the cliché's of "Don't take your life for granted" or "Live your life to the fullest" Yet, in the wording itself lies the problem. I know that it is not my life. It is an unwarranted gift that was given to me. With this gift comes great responsibilities and expectations. We are called as Christians to live for our fellow man and this cannot be done if we view our life as simply a possession instead of a gift.
So many times we crumble or lose our way when we are overwhelmed by unwarranted trial. These are the trials that shake our faith and our being to the core.
The unwarranted trials; such as a loss of a loved one due to a medical abnormality, cancer, or simply being being in the passenger seat of car in an accident.
Unwarranted trials such as being a victim of nonsensical violence or abuse.
Unwarranted trials of being born into poverty and starvation.
These are the hardest trial to bear for we cannot put blame on any particular person and so we place it on God. There is no direct logical explanation for the terrible events that occur. We shout out in vain "Why me?!" "How could you do this to me?!" I personally don't believe in a vengeful God, one that sits on his throne and spites at his whim. I believe we life in a world filled with sin and the terrible tragedies, for they are tragedies, are simply a by-product of the world we live in. This is the hardest idea to wrestle with. Why do bad things happen to good people?
But in turn we must also look at the flip side of the coin. I have to look at my life and see all of the unwarranted gifts i have received. I have to ask myself why, I a basic sinner, have been given all of these gifts that i have been blessed with.
Unwarranted gift of having a loving and supportive family. To have dear friends, that stick with you through the hardest of times.
Unwarranted gift of being born into a world without the constant pang of hunger or the worry of starvation.
Unwarranted gift of having a healthy and capable body.
Unwarranted gift of intelligence and opportunities of a bright future.
We must remember in the end that a lot of what we have in life is unwarranted. I am not discrediting hard work and perseverance. Anyone who know me and my family knows that i am a firm believer in capitalizing on opportunities. I love to hear the success stories of people that have overcome these unwarranted trials. But instead of dwelling on what trials we are faced with we must realize that we are all blessed.
The unwarranted trials are our crosses to bear. We mourn the losses of the loved ones, and we try and continue life with the burden in tow. In the end we come to realize that much of what happens in life is unwarranted. I give thanks for the blessings I have and I pray for those who are dealing with unwarranted trials. May God give you the strength to persevere. We are left with hope. For we were given the ultimate unwarranted gift, salvation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
