Bountiful Blessings

This was published on January 30, 2007

I am truly amazed at life these days. I finally feel like I am out of the funk I was in last semester. I finally feel like I am seeing things more clearly than ever. I have a peace in my life I have not felt in a long time.
Ever since I got back from Christmas break I have honestly felt like I am on cloud nine. Life is just good. I honestly don't feel like I have a thing to complain about. My new set of classes is awesome. I love my students and I really feel like I am connecting with them more than last semester. Life with my friendships seems normal. The drama seems to have died down. The social rejects aren't coming around and I am getting along with pretty much everyone right now.
I also just cam back from two amazing weekends. This past weekend was Knights retreat and the weekend before I was in D.C. on the March for Life. Both those weekends were amazing.
D.C. was probably the best trip of the four years I have been. I got to ride on the Senior bus this year. It was so nice to spend time with the Seniors. I just seem to have a special connection with them and any time I get to spend with them I enjoy. We have been through a lot together. I taught them all, every single one of them as Freshmen and then most of them again when they were Juniors. In a lot of ways they have seen me evolve as a teacher and know me more than any other group of students to go through Bishop Carroll. We had a great time on the trip. We laughed and had some great conversations. We trapsed around D.C. I took a group to the Spy Museum and then some other museums at the Smithsonian. The masses we went to were awesome. It was so great to have our Bishop there, not to mention over 700 teenagers from the Wichita Diocese! It truly was an amazing trip.
The Knights retreat really re-energized me spiritually. I love spending time with those guys. They really inspire me. Some of those guys are simply light years a head of where I was in High School. The talks were amazing. We focused on the Beatitudes and the 7 last words. It was pretty sweet. The prayer time was great. The conversations were productive and boy did we all laugh harder than we have in a long time.
So to sum it up life is just good. God is amazing and he really has made it apparent in the last few weeks. Kind of ironic since I'm moving in August. But somehow it still all makes sense. Leaving this place is going to be one of the hardest things in my life thus far. I never thought I would say this, but it could potentially be harder than when I left Steubenville. God's will is never easy. I have never felt more confident that I am making the right decision though. Praise God for all the bountiful blessing in my life- my job, my friends, and my brothers in the Knights! Thank you Lord for Wichita, Kansas!