...And All That Jazz

In a society where having a bachelor's degree and becoming successful in your occupation is pushed down your throat, it almost feels wrong to want something else than that lifestyle. The majority of American's have a job and are all focused on a few specific ideas: work in order to become higher up in their occupation and receiving a big paycheck. But what if you're like me and have dreams that don't necessarily line up with societal norms? As a woman in 2017, I have been told and taught, mainly by my college professors, to do something that empowers me and makes me feel more like a woman. I'm supposed to get a college degree and aim to achieve high. I should be dreaming of becoming a successful woman in society and want to be at the exact same levels as men in my job field. I should be excited to teach children, the future of our society, and fight for my rights as an educator, all while joining the Teacher's Union. I'm supposed to be excited to use my kn...

You know that feeling you get when you don't feel right? Like, you're just, off. Almost like you don't have an opinion about much and nothing really seems that great to you. You aren't mad, you aren't sad, and you aren't happy. You're just numb. You know that feeling, right? As the semester comes to an end, I reflect back on these last few months and I can say I've become an expert of this numb feeling. If you don't know already, I am a Resident Assistant for freshmen girls, and I live alone for the first time in my life (gasp). Being that all of my friends are off campus or living with other roommates, there isn't much time I get to spend with these people in my life. Working part time, attending class full time, and the giving of myself to 33 beautiful 18 and 19 year old girls is exhausting. Incredibly rewarding, but so exhausting. Before this year, I was involved with everything and anything. However, this year, I've reached my limit o...

Hey y'all! As many of you know, I have been working in Texas all summer at the camp called The Pines Catholic Camp. I recently came home and am adjusting back to Minnesota, even though my heart is in Big Sandy! This summer, God has been so gracious to me in so many ways. Being in Texas for 12 weeks was one of the hardest things I've ever trusted God with, but let me tell you, it was so incredibly worth it. I left the Minneapolis airport on May 23rd, scared shitless. I remember hugging my parents outside of airport security, not saying much, with fear that I would breakdown and bawl my eyes out. When I was offered the job in October 2015, I was pumped to do something this amazing. I was so ready to take on whatever God wanted me to do and was so excited. Now, on May 23rd, all of those emotions were covered with fear, doubt, and anxiety. Relentlessly, I said my goodbyes, and stepped into the unknown. What would camp be like? Would I make frie...

What exactly is Christianity? Okay, dumb question. Christianity is believing that Jesus came, he died for our sins, he rose from the dead, and will come back again, all because he loves us more than we can ever imagine, right? Sure, but isn't being a Christian more than that?  I mean, we can believe in Christ all we want, but truly living our lives as Christians doesn't mean anything unless we actually live out the values of what qualifies someone as a Christian.  If we look into the Bible, Jesus has twelve disciples. These twelve men followed him around and basically were his bros throughout his life. What did they actually do? Well, according to the dictionary, disciple literally means "a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure." So if we knew nothing about the twelve disciples and only had this one definition to look at, we could probably decipher that these men most likely looked up to Jesus and wanted to become more like him. By mimi...

There are certain things that fill my heart with such a great joy. For example, when I see a little kid playing outside jumping in the water, covered in sidewalk chalk, or just being a kid, my heart is so overjoyed. They're heart is so pure and they radiate such a joy that not the average person can show. Their life struggles involve not having enough snack time, having to go to bed early, or being required to read fifteen minutes each day as homework. Whoo! What a rough life! ;) Young children don't have to think too much about stress, keeping up with their faith life, or even keeping good relationships with people. It all kind of happens naturally. The only temptations that might come their way might be deciding if they should steal an extra milk carton at lunch or even hitting their younger sibling without their parents seeing. The only "making up" or asking for forgiveness they may have to do is talk to the person they hurt or sit in timeout for a length of time. ...

Some of the most amazing and life changing experiences in someone's life involves complete strangers and being docile to the Holy Spirit. Many times, we are afraid to say yes to God and complete his mission for us. We shy away from the idea of reaching out of our comfort zones and reject his plan for our lives. If we see beyond our personal fears and struggles and reach for God's hand, he will bless us in numerous ways, changing our lives little by little. Part of my testimony that brought me to fully encounter Jesus involves my constant "no" to God in the past. Long story short, I have been through many difficult times, especially throughout high school, that caused me to stay closed-minded to God and ignore his push for my heart. With time, wounds heal and I was able to fully encounter Christ in the Eucharist back during my senior year of high school. Since then, my heart has been overflowing with love for Jesus and my heart has become softer. I have been able to ...

Trying to figure out what you're supposed to do for the rest of your life is super nerve wracking and quite frankly, pretty stressful. I think we all struggle with figuring out what we're supposed to major in, or where we'll live someday, but I think the biggest struggle is deciding if you are going to live the single, married, or religious life. I mean, I can't speak for everyone, but this has been the biggest worry throughout my life.  I've gone through stages when I was younger where I was convinced I was going to be a nun because of my name (Sister Mary Kathryn...sounds great, right?). But in my heart, the idea of becoming a religious sister wasn't all that pleasing. Something I knew I wanted was to get married and become a wife and mother. I pushed the idea of religious life out of my brain, and tried to replace it with things like obsessing over boys, marriage, kids, romance, and anything besides religious life. This was a huge struggle for me...