A very long catch-up post.

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving on the day...I've been so busy for the past several days! So, I hope you all had very happy Thanksgivings, saw family and friends, and ate lots of good food - I know I did!

And a week late (but it's never the wrong time to give thanks!), here is what I'm thankful for. I'm so thankful for the love of God for all of us; my wonderful Catholic faith and all of the beautiful mysteries it contains, especially the Holy Eucharist; the communion of the saints; my family who loves me; my wonderful friends - near and far, those I see often and those I've never met; for wonderful books, beautiful music, and amazing dancing; for the talents God has blessed me with; for freedom; for hope for a better future; for this wonderful life and the hope of heaven.

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This is going to be a post in several parts, since it's been so long since I've posted anything at all! That's mostly due to the fact that I was sick for about 3 weeks (one week of which I had the swine flu) - I'm still getting over it, in fact, and we've also just been rather busy with I'm not exactly sure what. lol

Well, I've finally come to the conclusion that I should stop telling people about all my plans for the future! They all sound amazing, and then about 2 weeks later I've changed my mind. It happens with embarrassing frequency. :P So let's just say that I'm not so sure anymore that I want to get into dancing professionally. It's such a toss-up, as I really do love dancing, but looking at it from a spiritual point of view, I'm not sure it would be the best choice for me. I'm not saying that choosing a dance career would be a bad choice for anyone - certainly not! It would be terrible if their were no dancers in the world. I'm just not sure that it would be the right choice for my life. There is a part in me that wants a dance career so badly, and there's another part that is telling me that I might regret it in the end. There would probably be a very good chance that I would end up losing my dedication to God and my faith, and that's not a chance I would want to take. Making the right choice can be awfully difficult at times. Can you all please pray that, when the time comes, I'll be able to make it? Thank you so much!

Because, after all, I don't need to make a decision quite yet. I still have another year of school after this one, and then we shall see! And like my dad always tells me, if you're sure to always keep God first in your life, there's no way you can go wrong. That's what I mean to always try to do, by the grace of God!

If I don't dance, however, I know what I should do. I'll go to college (I'm thinking Christendom), get a degree in Theology, probably get married, and write beautiful things. I'm also still thinking of the religious life. You never know! But I really believe that, when you're choosing a state in life, it's very important to remember those words of Our Lord: "What profiteth a man if he should gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?"
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I wanted to share these three absolutely beautiful songs with all of you. I've always thought that heaven will sound a bit like all of them.



Anima mea, mane!
Quanta qualia conventus gaudia erunt.

My soul, wait!
How great and how wonderful the joys of the meeting shall be.

Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua clementia,
sis praesul ad custodiam.

Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata:
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
Ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater omnipotens,
per Iesum Christum Dominum,
qui tecum in perpetuum
regnat cum Sancto Spiritu.

Amen.

To thee before the close of day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That, with thy wonted favor, thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

From all ill dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Withhold from us our ghostly foe,
That spot of sin we may not know.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

Amen.

And this may be the best one of all.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

May angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you, and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, the poor man, may you have eternal rest.

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I'm re-reading the Fr. Finn books, and I think you should all read them too! :) The basic premise of the stories - boys at a Jesuit boarding school in turn-of-the-century Kansas - might not sound like the most appealing, but trust me, they are wonderful books. Every time I read them, I come away strengthened in my faith by the examples of the characters. These books are touching, humorous, and filled to the brim with a love of God and mankind. Inspirational reading at its best!

I'm also reading "The Quiet Light", by Louis de Wohl. I'm really enjoying it, and when I'm done with the review I'm writing of it for "The Latin Mass" magazine's book review column on the last page, I'll post it here!
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I can't believe we're already into Advent! I can't wait to start decorating the house. I have some things planned to post on here close to Christmas, so stay tuned! :)