Life is like a Rose...

Life is beautiful but has troubles and roadblocks.  Life is like a rose: beautiful but has thorns.  This was the theme for the Novena Homily for the month of February.  Father Tom, a priest at St. Rita of Cascia High School, used this theme to explain the week’s gospel which talked about how Jesus wants us to be child-like but not childish.  In the gospel reading, Jesus inspires us to all be like a child, free from worry and troubles but not selfish and childish, complaining and thinking only about ourselves.  Father Tom used the rose as a way to explain what Jesus is inspiring us to do.  Life is beautiful and is like a rose but it does have its thorns.  No life can be perfect and smooth like the petals of a rose.  There are going to be troubles and difficulties that we are going to have to get through and they might hurt a lot but it is part of life. While Valentine’s Day has come and gone, there is a center piece in the middle of our dining room table that was given to us from a good friend in Chicago with 5 red roses in it.  Some were in full bloom when we got the gift and others were not.  Some have started to wilt and others are still growing.  This bunch of simple flowers is still beautiful yet some flowers have died before others.  Father Tom was right. A rose is like life and situations we can all relate to.  One day everything is beautiful and you are feeling happy and accomplished and the next day you feel like a thorn: hard, hurtful, and not so nice.  

My volunteer experience has been similar to this explanation of a rose.  Some days I feel like I am doing so much to help the client’s of the Family Case Management program and other days, like last Friday, I want to yell at the client’s for not showing up for their appointment and making me wait.  It is times like these that make me stop myself, take a deep breath, and realize life has its thorns.  This feeling was intensified the week before when we found out that a fellow AV and our good friend Jenny was in critical condition in South Africa because of blood clots in her lungs.  It took a terrifying and heart-wrenching couple of days for me to realize that life is not all pretty, beautiful, and about what is happening in Chicago or the U.S.  It is about the large AV community, the community of Catholic Charities, the South Africa community, Jenny’s family, and everyone else who was affected by this news.  It took a large group of people to come together and pray for Jenny.  Pray like we have never prayed before.  And our prayers were answered.  My prayers for Jenny to be a fighter and be infused with the light of the Holy Spirit came true.  Jenny was touched by God, by her family, by her roommates, by the AVs in the U.S., and everyone else who prayed for her.  Jenny and everyone else experienced a miracle from God that is the biggest most beautiful rose I could ever imagine.  Jenny is continuing to be the rose we knew she always was and regain strength each and every day.  God continues to touch Jenny and answer our prayers as she recovers and shows everyone how amazing she really is.  

Father Tom’s homily was inspiring and thoughtful.  His Novena homily’s always make me reflect about everything that is happening in my life and how much I have grown in my faith through this year of service and living in community.  I am now able to say that I have fully dedicated my life to serving others and I strive everyday to be faithful and dedicated to serving God, my community, and my clients.  

I am called to be faithful and loving to everyone I meet.  I am called to be strong yet weak at times.  I am called to walk humbly with my God and the people who are in my life.  My life and every life is like a rose.  No one life is perfect because then God wouldn’t have to have Jesus die for our sins.  We are child like because we should have a care free attitude yet be dedicated to the people in our life that matter the most.  We need to be grateful for what we have learned because the gift of learning is the ultimate gift.  As an AV, I have learned the great power of prayer, respect, and dignity.  I have embraced the life and people God has given.  Just because someone has 9 kids does not mean she is not a good mother.  She may need extra help and assistance but as long as she is open to help, I am willing to help her.  Success doesn’t always mean wealth and fame.  It can be getting an education, getting a job, following through with a task or asking for help when its most needed.  Whatever it is, we can help and be there for someone in need, whatever that looks like.  

I may not know what I want to do with my or what I want to be but I do know one thing: I want to help people, I want to make a difference in someone’s life.  Is your life more like a rose or like a thorn?  What is God calling you to do? I encourage you all to reflect on this while always remembering that life is like a rose, beautiful but has some thorns.

Chicago Fact: With the massive amounts of snow and lack of snow removal around the city, the phrase “dibbs” has become a reality.  Residents in all neighborhoods have shoveled out their car/spot in front of their house/apartment after a snow storm but then when they leave, they put furniture (ex. Chairs, toys, tables, etc) in the spot until as “dibbs.” This has caused QUITE the issue for people like me who drive to neighborhoods and have to part near client’s house for a short period of time.  I have had to drive around the block 3-4 times to find a spot that is not taken by “dibbs” of the client’s furniture. 

Greta, the crossing guard who brightens my morning

In one of my first posts, I talked about my drive to work and the crossing guard that stands on the corner of 107th and Sanganon.  Every morning I drive by, stop at the stop sign that is across the street from her post, wave and smile to her.  I did this for the first five months without knowing her name or saying hi until one day this changed.  It was a day in January when I decided I was going to stop and introduce myself.  It had been a rather cold week so I decided I would bring her some coffee as well.  So one morning I asked MC to make extra coffee and I filled up my AV travel mug with coffee for the crossing guard and my Yankees travel cup for my coffee.  As I drove to work that morning I thought to myself, does she even like coffee? What if shes not there? Fortunatly I was wrong with both of these questions.  As I pulled up to the stop sign at Sanganon and 107th, I waved to the crossing guard and then made a left turn onto the street instead of going straight on like a normally do.  I parked on the side, grabbed the AV cup full of coffee and got out of my car with a smile. 

"Hi, I drive by you every day and we wave so I figured I would come introduce myself."
The conversation then went on to introducing myself to my new friend and asking about herself.  Her name is Greta and she does like coffee.  So I handed her the mug and told her to keep it as a gift from me to her.  I knew I had a couple minutes to spare so I stood and talked to her for a minute.  Greta asked where I was from and I explained to her what I was doing here and that I had just graduated college in May.  Greta said that she went to college as well and now works three different jobs including two crossing guard jobs before and after school and another job during the day (I can't remember what that one is).  We had some small talk for a while until I had to leave for work.  It was a great little conversation and I'm glad I stopped to introduce myself and get to know a little more about her.  Funny thing is we continue to wave to each other each morning but I haven't stopped to talk to her again.  Maybe I will do that soon. 

Greta really is the one who starts my morning off right because she is one of the first people I come in contact with besides my roommates and by the time I get to her the car is heated up so I'm not feeling miserable from the cold.  It is great to smile and wave to each other each morning and its sad when shes not there or I drive by late and miss her for the day.  Even though I don't know much about Greta, I do know that she is an amazing person who I look forward to seeing each and every day.  God puts people in your life for different reasons and apparently Greta is one of those people.  Her wave and smile make me smile every morning and I hope that she enjoys our little meetings as much as I do.  Take time to appreciate those people in your life that you see each day but might not notice or think too much of.  Maybe its the janitor at work or a shy kid in your class.  I challenge you all to find these people who are in your life everyday and say hi to them.  Introduce yourself and ask them to tell you about them.  You might be surprised how good it makes both of you feel to know that each day you are brightened by each others presence.

Chicago fact:  The snow storm that caused the city to shut down for two days and streets not to get plowed for two days gave the city about 2 feet of snow on average (about 3-4 feet in our driveway becasue of the wind go figure).  This snow storm made it the citys third largest snow storm on record.  The last time it snowed close to this much was in 1999. It was great to have two days off from work but I do have to say, wake up Chicago and come to New England to experience real snow storms!!