A Revelation of Sorts

I came to a realization last night, one that I’ve been waiting for for a while now. I’m not sure how to explain it really, but it’s a realization and recognition of the changing nature of… well, everything I guess.

We all define ourselves based on what kind of things we are involved in, where we are in our lives, etc. But nothing is static and things are always moving from one state to another. Sometimes we might not want or ask for the change that has come upon us, but we have to accept that change and make it work for us rather than against us. To take a phrase I’ve heard from some of my environmentally minded friends, we have to adapt or die. It sounds harsh, but I think it’s true. If a change comes along that we weren’t looking for, that we didn’t want, we cannot let it be the end of us and we cannot let that change and that feeling of resentment of change define us. That can be difficult I know. But when we finally let go of something and embrace the change, recognizing that the past is the past and that the future is wide open, not defined at all, it is a liberating feeling. I’ve had that feeling of liberation a few times in the past year, and each time it’s been absolutely refreshing.

I am a firm believer in the will of God and that whatever happens is part of His plan for us. I know some people think that this is a really simplistic way of looking at the world and that only people who have never really experienced any kind of tragedy think that way. I’m proof that this isn’t true. I’ve experienced my own bit of tragedy, hardship, whatever you want to call it. I’m not going to get into that though. As I was saying, I honestly believe that whatever happens, good or bad, teaches us something valuable and that every person is put into our lives to teach us something if we will just let them. And you know that saying that “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?” I think there’s truth in that as well.

But the way I’m talking here makes it sound like all change comes in the form of some kind of surprise that hits you in the face and that you just have to deal with. That isn’t the case at all and I’m sure you all know that. Sometimes you make the change happen yourself. As I’m writing this, one of the things I’m thinking about is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, the prospect of law school. This is a change that I will consciously decide to take on, but how much change I have not yet decided.

These thoughts have brought me to something else I’ve found interesting the past several weeks, and that is a couple of Sunday homilies I’ve heard. With the season of Advent upon us we are constantly reminded of change and preparing for something new, and this is something that the priest at UofL has pointed out a couple times. He told us in two separate homilies that sometimes we need to let something go, let something end, in order for something new to take its place. This is so true! Allowing something to end may be uncomfortable for all of us, but it might lead to something much better.

Oh, the only way you’ll really know is to really let it go.
-Ingrid Michaelson, “Maybe”

 

Apparently Simple, But Still Impressive

So I have this large world map hanging above my bed at home. It’s been there for a few years and, as with all things that you get used to seeing, I stopped thinking too much about it. Tonight though, for some reason, I stopped to look at it closely again. Do you ever have one of those moments where you know you’ve realized something before, and in all reality it’s kind of a “well duh” thought, but it amazes you all the same? I got that when I looked at the map. The earth is huge. Now wait, before you close this window and vow never again to return to check my blog, hear me out. This might not end up sounding quite as silly as it does to you (and even me) right now.

Right, so here I am, 20 years old and, though I don’t confine myself to my home town and the city where I now go to school, I still have seen only a fraction of a fraction of the world. I wouldn’t say I’ve travelled extensively. I’ve been out of the country only once and still haven’t made it to all 50 states, but doggone it what I have seen is pretty amazing! I have a hunger to see more, experience more, to step on to a plane and go somewhere completely new. Luckily I will have that chance for two weeks this summer. I am going to Taiwan and China with a group of people from the University of Louisville Honors Program! I’ve always wanted to go to China, but never thought I’d get the chance honestly. And yet, here it is.

But besides that, I still want to go back to Europe. Nicole and I have talked fairly seriously about backpacking after we graduate and before law school. It would be absolutely amazing if we could actually pull that off. (yikes, and that’s only a year and a half away… better start saving.)

“Hold on.” You might be saying now. “Europe is all fine and well, but you’ve seen parts of it already. Where else do you want to go? You can’t stop in Europe, especially after starting a ridiculous blog post about how big the world is and your realization of this after looking at a map.”

You’re right. So where else do I want to go? Everywhere… No, seriously, everywhere. It might not be a feasible goal, but hey, I never thought I’d even make it to China right? What I’ve learned thus far is that you can never let an opportunity pass you by. If you really want to go somewhere, grab hold of whatever you can and make it happen. You’ll never go somewhere just by wishing you could go or by getting upset that you haven’t left yet.

In 2005 I was only vaguely interested in hearing what a group had to say about a trip that they were planning for kids in my area. I went to the interest meeting, then decided, “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?” And signed up for an interview. Before I knew it… BAM… I was in Athens, Greece, up the Italian peninsula and on to Paris. So, does going somewhere sound financially feasible? Maybe not. School or work hold ing you back? Maybe so, but there are ways of getting around that!

Another thing that always amazes me when I think of it (to change the subject just slightly) is the power of the internet in this huge world. We can literally be connected with anyone in any part of the world at any time. For example, I can be sitting here in my house and if I’m on the internet, I can have a conversation with my friend studying in Egypt! This sounds so simple now that I’m typing it, but WOW. I’m still amazed. If it doesn’t amaze you, just think about it a little longer and maybe it will. Or maybe it won’t and I’m just special in finding this fantastic.

These are the types of things I write past midnight.

So… our world is amazing. amiright?

 

This Has Nothing to do With Anything

I’ve noticed that as the semester draws to a close, finals get closer and finally underway, I completely lose the motivational stress that I’ve had all semester. Suddenly I procrastinate a lot more and freak out a lot less. Why is this? To be honest I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it’s because I’ve psyched myself out all semester, gotten everything done well and on time and now that I’m in the midst of scholastic hell, I know things will get done as long as I actually sit down and do it. Right, so how does procrastination fit in? I’m obviously not working if I’m procrastinating. Well I’ve gotten everything else done this semester, so this has to get finished too at some point.

I’m currently writing a 15 page research paper for my historical methods class on Ibn Khaldun of Tunis (1332 – 1406). (Last week I finished a 10 page paper on interbreeding between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans.) I worked on my outline for this paper all yesterday in the library for seriously about 3 solid hours, then finished it up after dinner. Today I finished typing up my bibliography and now have to actually sit down and write the actual term paper. (whinecrysob)

I’m sure many people could relate to the finals procrastination that I’m feeling and actually, I’m writing this post as part of that procrastination. I can only check twitter and facebook so many times before even that gets old. So before I even started working I, of course, had to make my bed and tidy my space. Then I put my name at the top of the page… and got up to get a snack. I came up with some semblance of a title… then checked email. I thought about how to begin the first sentence of the paper… then decided to write this blog post instead.

Well, this looks promising.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings enough as part of your own procrastination efforts.

 

The Diocese Comments: NDA and MTV

Two days ago the Diocese released a comment to the Cincinnati Enquirer concerning the MTV crews at NDA. This is what they had to say:

Prior to (Sept. 28), neither Bishop Foys nor diocesan officials had knowledge of this decision. If consultation had been sought, Bishop Foys and diocesan officials would not have granted permission for the filming,” the statement said.

“We regret the decision to use the school as a vehicle to assist and promote an MTV program. Diocesan officials are very aware of the type of programming aired on MTV, and do not encourage the students in its schools to watch it.

“Bishop Foys and diocesan officials have met with representatives of Notre Dame Academy and the Sisters of Notre Dame. Bishop Foys is satisfied that the school administrators understand the gravity of the situation and its ramifications. He continues to be supportive of the Sisters of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Academy. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

I will agree that the decision to have TV crews from MTV inside the school was not a good idea on the part of the administration. There is no telling how the show might skew the segment of the school for its own purposes. Of course, one could give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that they would not skew it at all. I do however understand the initial reasons behind allowing it as described in the first email sent out to the alumni. (You can read that email in the previous post.)

The sanctity of life is a well known teaching of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately it seems that the Church’s right to life position gets twisted into something naïve or something potentially destructive to a mother’s health. I won’t get into the debates on the issue now as it is much too complicated and doesn’t have much bearing on this post. Anyway, I believe that NDA hoped to show that even in a Catholic community a young, single mother can have a support system outside of just her family. This community recognizes that, though it is not a good situation and her actions are not supported by the church, it is the person that need support. In other words, we may not respect the action but we must respect the person.

I know that I can say with absolute confidence that Notre Dame Academy was in no way advocating premarital sex by allowing MTV to film in the school, but hoped to empower women through their decision by showing people that there is a supportive network single mothers can go to. There can be no denying the fact that this kind of thing does happen. Yes, even in our conservative community of northern Kentucky. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact, but must face it and tell these women, these girls really, that we can help them, we are willing to help them, and are going to help them.

Due to the backlash caused by the decision to allow the film crews, the administration sent the following email to alumni. I do believe that the sisters had the best intentions in mind when they agreed to the filming, but unfortunately did not assess all the repercussions of such a decision.

Dear NDA Alumnae,

Recently the administration of Notre Dame Academy allowed MTV onto its campus to film a segment of a show.  Despite our best intentions, we realize that this decision was a mistake and we apologize.  We regret any harm caused by this decision and ask for your prayers and support as we move forward.

Sincerely,

Sr. Mary Shauna Bankemper, SND        Sr. Elaine Marie Winter, SND

It is my hope that soon the eyes of the community will be turned away from Notre Dame Academy and toward the young lady in our community who obviously needs support. And not just her, but the many girls who are in the same situation.

My prayers go out to Notre Dame Academy as they continue to educate women to make a difference.

 

Notre Dame Academy and MTV

Several of you have heard the rumor that MTV crews have been to my high school to shoot for their show, “Sixteen and Pregnant.” When I first heard the news I was, of course, incredulous. I couldn’t imagine that a girls’ Catholic high school, let alone the diocese, would allow a show like this to be filmed there. Today I received an email not only confirming the rumor, but giving the reason for allowing MTV into the school.  The reasoning is actually what I expected it to be; that as a Catholic institution they support the sanctity of life, want to respect the family support and hope to educate other people that  may be in a similar situation.

Here is the email in its entirety:

Dear Parents,

On Friday a film crew was on the NDA campus to video one of our students at the request of the student and her parents. The student is pregnant and has chosen to deliver the baby rather than to abort. The family is currently working with MTV on a documentary on teen pregnancy . The parents contacted Sr. Elaine weeks ago to ask if the group could shoot a school segment. Sister spoke to the producers about NDA’s position on life. She was assured that the school’s identification would not be obvious and was promised anonymity within the contract. The teachers and students in the young woman’s classes were asked to sign consent forms before the shoot.

The fall out of the visit has been dramatic. We are hearing from parents, alums, and friends of Notre Dame. We wanted you to know the reason for permitting the shoot.

Notre Dame Academy believes in the sacredness of life and condemns abortion. The parents of the concerned young woman support their daughter’s decision to respect life and want to assist her in sharing her story with other adolescent girls who are facing the same decision. The student and her family are also working with Catholic Social Services to determine the appropriate options, one being open adoption. NDA believes that by respecting this family’s support of life we will educate and help influence other young women who are facing similar circumstances. While we knew that this might result in some controversy, our belief is that if this public story causes one additional young woman to protect a life instead of resorting to an abortion, we were willing to address the questions that might arise. The film follows this young woman through herpregnancy, the school segment being one of many. In an effort to support the student and her parents, permission was given for the filming of the segment here at the school.

We wanted to inform you of our position as soon as possible and Sr. Elaine will be talking to the students on Monday morning. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of Notre Dame Academy.

Sincerely in Notre Dame,

Sr. Mary Shauna and Sr. Elaine Marie

 

Graduate School Decisions

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I’ve been thinking a lot about graduate school: what to study, where to study, etc. As I see it, I have three options. First, I can get a higher degree in history. Second, I could continue to study anthropology and get a higher degree in that. My final option is this: law school. All  three options would require a lot of work, but work I would be willing to do and driven to be successful in. I have already done some reading about careers for all three of the above options and have made a few preliminary decisions to guide further searches. What follows are some of my thoughts on the matter.

From what I’ve read, probably not a higher degree in anthropology. Don’t get me wrong, I think the subject matter is great and I really enjoy my classes. I’ve just been considering the career opportunities for someone with a higher degree in anthropology and most of what I have read encourages students to get a PhD and go into the field, conduct research, and publish the results. Traveling would be fantastic, those of you that know me well know that I have a passion for seeing different places. However, I don’t think that working in the field is the lifestyle I’m looking for.

Just getting accepted to Yale is the dream. Paying for it is another question entirely, but they have a fantastic history department.

see more Funny Graphs

Not only do they have a fantastic history department, but one of my professors, and adjunct law professor at UofL, told me that they also have an excellent law program. In the past several months I have done a lot of thinking and researching and I believe I have reached the decision to apply for law school. A concentration in either civil law or intellectual property law look really interesting. (Not to mention the average salary is outstanding… But that’s really not what’s most important.) Nicole and I met with the aforementioned professor after class last week specifically to ask about a class for next semester, but we ended up talking more about law school. He encouraged us to apply for the Truman scholarship and all the top law schools in the country, telling us that we had the skills, the drive and the GPA points to be competitive and successful.

This semester I’m getting into the Honors Overseers’ Mentoring program on campus and hope that meeting with someone in the law field over an extended amount of time will really help me to make a final decision. Unfortunately I haven’t met my mentor yet, but I should be getting his or her contact information this evening actually.

I think the biggest challenge for me this year in terms of working out my future will be deciding what it is I want to get out of my education and where I want to go in life. It’s a lot to think about and not easy to make decisions on, but I know it will come with time.

P.S… this post was written over the course of … well… a couple months, so I hope it reads well. Maybe I’ll be able to blog a bit more regularly again? hah! Only if school allows. Until then…

 

Adventures of the Summer Variety

I am finally getting used to this whole summer thing again. Just taking it easy, reading what I want when I want, going to the park, and taking random trips out of the house because I can.

I bring this up because this afternoon was probably one of the most interesting I’ve had in a while.

Bill and I were the only two people home today and the morning began as many mornings have before this. I woke up first, got myself some breakfast and ate it in the living room while getting in my morning internet perusing. Then I went downstairs and played a bit of the Halo 3 campaign. Bill joined me for a while, but I knew that if I didn’t do something quickly that this day would end up like most of the others. The sky was threatening rain, so we could have stayed home and indoors, using that as an excuse to be completely lazy. But I just wasn’t feeling that today.

I suggested to my brother that we go toss frisbee (yes, to those of you who are concerned about such things, it was a Frisbee, Wam-o brand.) at Devou Park.

The reply I received was dangerously non-committal and slightly uninterested. “Eh.”

Fortunately I convinced him that it would be fun and since it wasn’t too hot outside it would be a fairly pleasant experience. So, we went. We got to the park and tossed for a bit. I must say that Bill’s getting a lot better at throwing the disc, especially his forehand. (Not to toot my own horn or anything, as I was the one to teach him how to do it.) Anyway, after tossing for a bit we decided to walk to the playground area nearby and use the swings. Behind the swings there is an open field of grass lined by trees and woods. I knew that there had to be a trail somewhere, and after a short search I was not disappointed. The trail looked pretty well kept up and headed down hill for a bit. Neither of us had any idea where the trail was leading, but we kept going knowing that regardless of where it ended up that we could always turn around and go back the way we had come. There were several points at which the trail forked into two directions and we had to pick where to go, despite the fact that I wanted to go in both directions at once. I suppose that only means I’ll have to go back and do it again. I would encourage anyone to take the time to find this or other trails at Devou. Most likely, you will not be disappointed.

After coming to the end of the trail (it ended in a place we were familiar with) we walked to the overlook. As usual, it was a great view of Cincinnati and Covington.

You see the trees and bushes in this picture? I had heard recently that there were stairs around here that went all the way down the hill. Of course, being in an adventurous mood, Bill and I decided to find them. We did, and once again we were not disappointed. The path was slightly overgrown, but for the best if you asked me. It looked awesome, like something out of a movie or book.

one part of the trail

At one point the trail came very close to a road that Bill and I were unfamiliar with, and after a car had passed by, we crept out of the woods to look more closely and see if we could figure out where we were. We couldn’t, so we went back to the trail and walked down the remaining stairs which also happened to lead to a street that we were unfamiliar with. Bill thought he might know what street it was, so we decided to walk back up the hill, get the car, and drive around until we found the road. Luckily that task didn’t prove difficult, but getting home after finding the road did.

We ended up driving roads that we were completely unfamiliar with, with only a vague idea of where we might be. Somehow, we were driving along the Ohio River for some time until we got to Ludlow. Let me just say that I don’t like driving through Ludlow for the simple reason that I have no idea where I’m going when I get there. This time wasn’t any different. I thought we were going in one direction when we were actually going the complete opposite way. All part of the adventure right?

Finally, somehow, we got ourselves to Route 8 and to Amsterdam Road at the edges of Villa Hills. Now, I’d heard that there was a llama farm somewhere in Villa Hills, but I’d never been entirely sure where. Well, today we found it. It’s on Amsterdam Road, right near Route 8. Really it was a good thing that no one was driving behind me when we first caught sight of the farm because I slowed down almost to a stop. I glanced to my left to see a rather large, furry, brown creature lying in the grass on the hill… a dead llama. Am I a horrible person for laughing at this? It was entirely unexpected. Fortunately, as we drove along, we saw more live llamas on the hill. (Again, I slowed down to look at them.) At this point I would like to direct you to the llama website that Karen found, probably about a month ago. Likely, some of you have seen this. LLAMA WEBSITE.

Fortunately we were able to find our way home with confidence after all this excitement, but I have to say that the several hours we spent on this adventure were quite interesting. It’s quite worth it to take a completely normal afternoon activity, like tossing frisbee, and turning it into a summer adventure.

 

Religious Debates/Discussions: Concerns About Comments

I found an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer today via my dad, who submitted a comment and wanted to know what I thought about what he said. The headline is “Judge’s Death Thought to be Suicide.” Some of the most recent comments deal with religion, therefore sparking a religious debate. Several comments are from people criticizing the Catholic Church. My dad has told me how many people are ignorant (and I mean that term in the most respectful way possible) of the Catholic Church and its teachings. I can sit and listen to what my dad tells me and believe what he says, but when I read things like this it all comes home to me.

First let me say that yes, I was raised Catholic, but that does not mean I completely disregard what other people have to say and what they believe. I know, am friends with and respect many people with different religious view than my own.

I would like to ask how such a heated debate can start when the original story was about something completely secular. I would assume that as soon as someone even mentions religion that suddenly everyone feels as if they need to offer their two-cents, regardless of how off-base or misinformed it is. Here is an example of what sparked this thought and this blog post:

Someone under the username “thewhitehorse” wrote,

Corruption, deceit, lies all characterized the Catholic Church in Luther’s time. Luther correctly pointed out the sins of the church at that time and was branded a lunatic by Catholics who refused to admit their non-Christian lifestyles.

You are correct. Luther, Wycliffe, Tyndale, and many others were correct on their view of the how corrupt the Roman Catholic Church was (and still is). It’s amazing that people still think that the Catholics wrote the Bible. The RC church has done nothing but tried to supress the Bible and keep their people ignorant of its true teachings. That institution is a completely corrupt and Satanic organization. Most people are completely ignorant on REAL church history.

It amazes and distresses me to hear (or read) someone say things like this. I know that the Catholic Church had its low points in past and contemporary times, but to know that someone believes I am a member of a “completely corrupt and Satanic organization” cuts deep. Perhaps I shouldn’t worry about these people. They don’t know me and they obviously don’t know about my Church. Still, it worries me.

One thing that I have seen and love about the University of Louisville’s Interfaith Center is the ability of the people there to respect the differences in religious teachings and welcome discussion. It is one of the coolest things, I think, when we are able to have services with Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians (just to name a few) all in the same room. Yes, when we celebrate mass with each other we separate for the eucharist, but for things like Good Friday and Holy Thursday services we are all able to remain together. It’s a very interesting, unified experience that I never got going to Catholic school up until college.

 

A Glance Back

This past week, a lot of my time was spent putting together a video slide show for my brother’s graduating 8th grade class. I went through nearly 800 pictures with my mom trying to decide which ones we would put into the show. We narrowed it down to about 270, organize them in the order we wanted, set it to music, then make it a dvd. Honestly, when I agreed to help with this project I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was quite the time commitment, but with the copious amounts of free time the summer has given me, that was not an issue. At first, I complained about all the pictures I would have to go through of people I don’t even know, but then I started thinking about my own 8th grade graduation. I had no idea what was ahead of me for high school and was certainly not even thinking about college at that point. I didn’t have any older siblings to look up to and see where they had gone and what they had done. I wonder how many of these kids, if any, have a clue as to where they will be in five or six years. I wonder if I could even say where I’ll be then. I could name off a few big decisions that will have to be made before that time, one of them being grad school. (More on that later.)

As I think most people my age would say, I’ve come a long way from where I was six years ago and I can proudly say that I brought myself here. Certainly I had help and support along the way, but my decisions have for the most part been my own and in a moment of self praise I’ll say that I’ve done pretty damn well. If I could do things over, there would be minor things that I might change, how I said or did something, but the major decisions I think would remain the same. Over the course of my next two years of undergraduate study I hope and expect that I will continue to be happy with what I choose to do with myself.

 

Morning – Andrew Bravener

I subscribe to Andrew Bravener on YouTube and Twitter. A video blogger and pretty cool guy from what I can tell, he made this video a while ago titled simply ‘Morning.’ I showed it to Nicole and probably Olivia when I first saw it and I remember Nicole being less than impressed, but I still really like it. The music is great and the video itself is nice. It might not be the most interesting and exciting video I’ve ever seen, but I think it has a strong idea behind it. Whatever your thoughts about it, it certainly inspires me to just sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy a few minutes of my morning.