Penance

I had the opportunity to go to confession today. As part of my penance, the priest asked me to write down ten things I was grateful for. He said, and I agree, that with gratitude, we can appreciate the blessings in our life and not be so tempted toward sin. While I am grateful for more than just ten things, I thought I would publicly share these things with everyone.

I am thankful for my family. My brother, my sister, my mom and dad, who support me, love me, and root for my success in all I do, as i do for them.

I am blessed to have this educational opportunity, paid for by my assistantship. An advanced education is such a gift.

I am thankful for Mass. I t is my spiritual recharge and helps me keep the important things in perspective.

I am thankful for technology. The phone i'm using for this list. Skype to stay in touch with people. Word processors for my huge papers this week. The internet that binds me to so many.

I am thankful for my health, Lord. Even as I battle this cold, I know I have been blessed with an able body and good health.

I am grateful for the weather. Tha random but pretty snow flurries today. The beautiful 70 degree leap day where I could play frisbee outside. The rain that refreshes, the winds that humble us.

I am thankful for my gift and love of writing, to crank out a paper, to compose a poem, to write a blog, or to edit the many resumes I looked at this week. Thank you God for this universal blessing.

I am thankful for all my friends, here in columbus, in california and around the country, especially those who I talk to so frequently and who keep me sane and let me voice random thoughts out loud, or tease them in affection.

I am thankful for the opportunities i've had to travel. I think of my upcoming china trip, where i've been a representative of osu to a chinese delegation here and will continue to this summer in Wuhan. I think also of trips like my last one to Rome, where I last had a very powerful and spiritual confession.

Lastly im thankful for Lent, where God is helping enrich and transform my life, one day at a time. May this be a week of love, humility, and prayer.

Amen.

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