A Quick Reflection on a Busy Weekend...

Having had my college graduation party this weekend, at the forefront of my mind is how truly blessed I am to have the excellent group of family and friends that I do. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect celebration, except maybe to request that I get a little more time to spend with each of the guests. A few college friends even found the means to drive from the distant corners of Illinois and show up in dusty ol' Bethalto, IL. (Thanks to those of you who did! It meant a lot!!)

Today, after spending the afternoon at my grandma's house opening the gifts from my graduation party, my family attended the wake of my uncle's dad. Family continued to be on my mind as I witnessed a family say their final goodbyes to their father and grandfather. It was really beautiful seeing a man, with a small but close-knit family, be received into eternal rest after a long and fulfilling life. While death is inevitably sorrowful, I couldn't help but reflect on how beautiful death can be to a Christian...

My immediate family (including my brother! who came home from Conception Abbey for my graduation party!) then retired to our home, where we ended up listening to Chris Stefanick's talk entitled Beyond Boredom from FOCUS Nashville Conference 2011. We had some good discussion about it afterward that again made me very thankful to have such a beautiful Catholic family. Faith, though always present from the beginning, has slowly begun to make its home at the very center of our family; I'm glad to see it.

Thank you, God, for such a beautiful weekend.