Beautiful Colorado!

What a full week of AWESOME! To kick off the summer, my younger brother, Zach, graduated high school on the 18th of May. I know I'm only 21 years old, but seeing Zach graduate really made it sink in that I'm going to graduate college in now under 12 months. Whoa! What? Can't be more proud of him. It has been awesome seeing how much he has grown over the past 3 years. It's funny, Zach and I used to find any excuse to strangle each other growing up; now, he is one of my best friends. Interesting how that happens. Love you, brother. Congratulations!

Now, I've been itching to get back to Colorado because I've been wanting to go hiking for a long time. My brother and I made it happen on the 21st. We took off in the early afternoon. Couldn't have asked for better weather. A little windy at times, but just a gorgeous Colorado day. We went to Golden Gate Canyon just outside of Golden, CO. The pictures do not do justice to the breath-taking views we witnessed. We started on the trail but decided that if we just went along the beaten path we might as well have just gone for a walk. So we took it off trail and explored a little bit. It made me think about all of the explorers of the Louisiana Territory. Uncharted land. Wild animals. Treacherous country. No fear. That is something that I would love to do. Get off the beaten trail. With no one to depend on but myself and the good Lord. I've definitely got some stuff to learn before I try anything too crazy, but...man, I just want to test my limits. Ok, a little bit of a tangent on that one, but I guess you learned a little something deeper about me. Anyway, in a nutshell, I just loved getting out to the mountains again. There's nothing like it. I cannot wait until Camp Wojtyla. I get a full summer of immersion in the great outdoors of Colorado, integrated with helping middle school and high school students in the development of the Catholic faith. More to come on that subject as I begin training in two weeks!

How Did I Get Here?

Junior year. It's over. The past three years are like a blur. There are a couple of defining events from each year that help me to keep some of it sorted, but for the rest it all seems to just run together. Looking back on the year, I realize that I have grown a lot...and fast too! (Never Gonna Feel Like That Again by Kenny Chesney came on just now...) Anyway, I look back to where I was as a naive freshman to where I am now as a, well less naive soon-to-be-senior.

I have learned a lot of lessons over the past couple of years. I have moved from a Finance/Accounting major to considering physical therapy - don't ask me how that happened! I came into college thinking I was going to join one fraternity, and ended up becoming the President of a completely different one. I have had and lost friends, a couple of girlfriends who put up with me for a while. Mainly in the past semester, I have become much more confident in my leadership and in whom I want to become. Most recently - and most importantly - my faith life has become more of a cornerstone than ever; when all is lost, He is the one guarantee that I can count on 100% of the time.

This year, I ave watched a lot of the freshmen, sophomores, and even some juniors and seniors go through similar things that I have been through in the past two years. Searching for meaning; searching for something more. I'm not going to say that I've got it all figured out. There is one thing that I have been striving for as of late: that is ridding my heart of judgment of others and replacing it with love and compassion. Not to say that I have been condemning everyone with whom I come in contact my whole life, but there is a difference between simply not judging and loving. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you." There are a lot of things in this life on which we place high importance; this idea has made its way towards the top of my list of priorities. As a society, we have developed tunnel vision. We get so wrapped up in our own problems that we deceive ourselves into thinking that we're the only ones with problems. There is a simple fix - pick up a newspaper. There are people all over the world - and even in our local communities - who have bigger problems than a toilet overflowing or having too much homework. Fortunately, there are standout people who show us how we ought to be living our lives.

First, I learned some about the life of Mother Teresa this semester. I probably don't need to say a lot about what she did, but she literally loved EVERYONE. "Well that was Mother Teresa, of course she loved everyone. She's a saint." There was a special section from the KC Star that I have held on to for inspiration. A quote from one of the men interviewed for the special says, "You should be doing something instead of just taking up air and space." Sounds pretty harsh, but it's the truth. One woman volunteers several days each month to be on call to provide support at a hospital for victims of sexual assault. She says to them, "I'm here to make you feel comfortable and to help you in any way I can." She completely puts aside her tired state and makes herself available for others. This woman might not have the official status of sainthood, but that's certainly a good start. I use her example to show that there are people out there who do care, people who recognize that they're not the only ones with problems. And that other people probably have even bigger problems. Take this message as you will - inspiring, a call to action, a warm fuzzy story that won't make any difference in the end. I have personally seen it make a huge difference, in that way that I have changed how I treat others, and how I have seen other people act out of love to the people around them.

A New Chapter

Last night, we had Senior Send-off for my fraternity brothers who will be graduating in six days. I don't know exactly how to describe how I'm feeling about it. This year - and the past three for that matter - has flown by and it seems like it's coming to such an abrupt end. On my thoughts for the post from this week back at the beginning of May is simply a thank you to all of the seniors who made everything possible as far as the rejuvenation of this fraternity. You guys made it happen and I am so grateful for everything you have done. You will not soon be forgotten. Love you brothers!

To PT or Not to PT?

It's been on my mind over the past couple of months to consider Physical Therapy school after I graduate next spring. I've been considering a lot of different factors that play into it. There are people that I know in the field, I'm becoming increasingly interested in my classes concerning the human body and how it works. My history with my back injury is another contributing factor that is making me consider this option even more. Relatability. I really love helping others, and if could combine that with my own personal background story when I work with them...I think that would be a cool aspect to add

to a work environment. I'm not sure if it is what I want to do though. I've been learning a lot about the human body, but I've never been very confident when it comes to anything having to do with the sciences. I think that is my biggest worry as of right now. Lack of confidence. I'm looking to do a couple of days of shadowing over the summer, and I want to find an internship for the fall semester at least so that I can get a better idea of what I would be doing. I keep running into thinking that I have to make a decision about it faster than I actually have to; I know that I have another year to figure it out because I won't even be eligible to apply until July of 2012. I won't be able to start PT school until 2013.

There's a scary and exciting aspect to not having a clue what I'm going to do after school (not that I'm the only one). That is where my faith life has become so important. I believe that God will be there for me through it all. If physical therapy is the direction I am meant for, He will grant me enough wisdom to see that road when I need to. If that is not the road for me, He will lead me to another path that is better fit for me. It is very exciting because I do have a lot of options that I can explore so if one doesn't work out, then it simply wasn't meant for me and I have the opportunity to choose something else.

When you learn what you have no control over and surrender them to God, the things you were trying to control find a way of falling into place in a way that you never thought possible.