It's Moments Like These That Make My Heart Happy.

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Just wanted to share an awesome thing that happened today at school.

 

To provide some background information, I go to a public high school where being Catholic is hard all the time. Let's just say I'm not the type of person to be too prominent with my beliefs all the time. I'm a very subtle person when it comes to sharing my faith. Like it's not something I hide because a lot of people know and respect that I'm Catholic, but it's also not something that I talk about all the time or start any conversations about. Personally, I feel like respect happens when I take the back seat in faith with others who don't believe in the same things I do or just don't understand. Therefore, I think that faith is a very personal journey which I also feel like I don't have the right to be prominent or forceful about if someone is struggling with it or doesn't have it. The way I feel called to live my faith is mainly by example and not by words. If people come to me and want to ask questions, or are unsure, or just want to know more, by all means I will talk about it and clarify what I believe in, and I appreciate them feeling comfortable to talk to me about it. I also am friends with a lot of people who have fallen away from their faith or was never brought up with it, but I don't make it a point to use it against them or anything. I'm not a judgmental person, I accept people for who they are regardless if they have faith or not, because I know people without faith that are awesome and wonderful people. I also tend to listen to, observe, and see all sides of issues and opinions. Some people have said that I'm very relatable and easy to talk to about hard things, controversial issues, personal things, etc. because of it.

 

I hope I'm making sense with what I'm trying to say about how I live my faith out. Like I said I mostly live it by example and not words, so I have a hard time explaining it in words.

 

But anyway, here's the story.

 

For the end of the year, the PALs do a presentation of learning in class, which is basically a unique representation of what a PAL has learned over the year with their kids they mentored and in the class as a whole. Everyone in the PALs class is very close with one another. The PAL program isn't an ordinary class, it's a very fun, interesting, crazy family of diverse people. You walk into one of the PAL classes at my school and you wonder how a group of diverse people somehow ended up in a class together and actually get a long and are completely comfortable with each other. That being said, one of my good friends (I'm going to call him S) represented that in his presentation of learning to the class today.

 

What he did was he wore various articles and pieces of clothing, and as he took them off one by one he told the class how that thing represented a certain person in the class. S is one of those really good friends of mine who has fallen away from the faith, and he has talked to me about it. He's always struggled with it, and that he's never felt like he's belonged to it or anything. I've never judged him, we have a mutual respect for each other, we can talk openly about anything, and he's honestly one of my best friends that's like a brother.

 

About a few months ago, one of his close family members passed away from a sudden and massive heart attack. He was really having a hard time with it, and I let him know that as a PAL and as his sister that I'll be there for him and his family if they needed anything, and that I was praying for them. It was a really difficult time in his life, and he was really confused about life in general.

 

Well during his presentation of learning what he chose to say about me was so awesome and absolutely made my day. I'm going to quote it.

 

This cross around my neck is the cross I had gotten from my uncle's funeral, and I chose it to represent Lina. *Takes off cross and comes to stand next to me*

I chose this cross for you because you have shown me that there are various aspects to faith. When I look at this cross I not only see your faith in God, but I see your faith in others, your faith in your PALs, and your faith in me. You've shown me that faith is always around, even at times when it's hard to see it. Thank you for helping me realize and renew my faith in myself when for a long time I couldn't see it.

 

It wasn't fancy, it wasn't long. It was simple and to the point. But honestly, it's moments like this that affirm in me that I may be doing something right.

 

Thanks Be To God.

[franciscanheart]

Very cool. :)

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

I love moments like that.

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Yeah it was awesome, especially since I wasn't expecting it at all.