Top 5 Favorite Moments

It may not be December 31, but for those of us who work with school aged children, it most certainly is the end of the year. Graduation caps are flying through the air, and desks are being cleared of the nubby ends of crayons and unsharpened pencils. As the final school bells ring, I sit back and remember all of the great things that happened this year. Come June, I always have a long list of memories from funny anecdotes from the kids and lessons I've learned. This year is no different. Here are a few of my favorite memories from this year:

1. Camp Orkila - One of the biggest traditions of Christ the King School is the 7th grade trip to Camp Orkila. As the middle school youth minister, it had been a secret wish of mine to be invited on this trip, but knowing how popular it was among parents, I put those dreams aside. Imagine my surprise when I got the phone call saying that one of the adults was unable to attend and two potential substitutes also had to decline the invitation. I couldn't believe it...I was up! I excitedly prepared talks for the kids and was looking forward to praying and growing with them. Sure, it was inconvenient having to leave at 4AM and I was worn out by the time we got back, but going to Camp Orkila with the Class of 2019 was an experience I will not soon forget. From no ORT to raccoons sneaking up on me during evening talks, I was left with one thing: Even when things don't seem to be going your way, God brings order out of chaos. He takes us out of our disordered lives and transports us to a place where we can be reminded of his power to make things right.

2. Building Bridges III - Speaking of making things right and bringing order out of chaos, God made himself so present during my landmark event, Building Bridges. Things certainly didn't go how I wanted them to, but they did go how God wanted them to! You can read my detailed reflections here, but the truth remains that no matter what Building Bridges will always have a special place in my heart. When I look back, I remember so many fun things that happened over the course of those two days. One of my favorite pictures from the event is of Sr. Julie Benedicta, fsp and Sr. Paschalina Marie, SMMC. Their presence was a special reminder of authentic love, and seeing them together is a reminder of what the Church is supposed to look like - people who love because God loved them first and they wanted to respond to his presence in their lives. It's extraordinary.

3. These Incredible Freshmen - One of the biggest challenges I've faced in youth ministry is watching my kiddos transition from one chapter in their lives to another. The hardest is, of course, when they leave me for college ('cause you know, it is all about me!), but it's also tough when I watch them go from 8th grade to 9th grade. I think it's fair to say that a lot of changes happen come high school. Your academic commitments change; you may get a job; your friends circle may change. Your priorities may also change, and all of a sudden, hanging out at the church may not seem so cool anymore. But I was so thankful for this current bunch of freshmen who stuck around. I remember taking pictures with them at their last youth group event in middle school, and I was so thrilled to take more photos with them at their first high school event. Seeing them throughout the year made me realize that even when the days are long and seemingly fruitless, the hard work pays off!

4. Young adulting - The more the years pass by, the more I come to the harsh realization that despite what the pictures may show, I am not getting any younger. Gone are the days of staying out late and pulling all nighters. I can't make it up Badger Mountain as quickly as I used to, and cheeseburgers give me bellyaches. I put all of this on one thing: My body is beginning to protest me getting older. This fact would be far more difficult without a tribe to go through it with me. I feel like this year I've started to come into who I will be for the rest of my life. People who say the best time of your life is in high school or that you find the friends you will grow old with in college are mistaken. Sure I had some great times in high school and I still claim that my best friend is someone who I met in college, but this past year in my mid-30s has been surprisingly life giving. I used to think it was the wisdom of experience that has made me so happy, but I'm recognizing that it has also been about the people I've surrounded myself with. I've learned the importance of doing away with toxic relationships, surrounding myself with people who really care about me and lift me up, and remembering that even though distance is a thing, love doesn't go away no matter how far away our friends may be. I am so grateful for this amazing squad around me.

5. DMAC comes to town - When I was a kid, I was known as the nerdy girl who always had her head stuck in a book. I made straight A's and am no longer ashamed to admit that I was a bit of a teacher's pet. Being called a nerd now may be a little different, but the bottom line is that I still love to learn, and my day isn't complete without turning at least a few pages in a book (or two or three). I think it's that desire to learn that leads me to identify meeting Dr. Denis McNamara, one of The Liturgy Guys (if you're not listening to this podcast, you should be!) from the Liturgical Institute as one of my top memories of the year. Sure, it's still fresh in my mind because it happened just a month ago, but I was also fascinated by his talk filled with words and ideas that made my head spin. It encourages and inspires me to know that there are people who take their gifts and interests and use them to build up to Kingdom of God. Before my priest started talking about Dr. McNamara (who he calls DMAC), I had no idea that people could specialize in the theology surrounding church architecture. Sure, I believe that Mass is a foretaste of heaven and I get emotional every time I hear the Holy, Holy, Holy at Mass. But had I ever thought about how the door of a church, the altar, the ambo, and even the floor remind us of heaven? Not really...but now I do!

6. And a bonus 6th thing, because I'm always "extra" on this blog. PRAYER! Anything good that came from my ministry this year was a fruit of prayer and daily Mass. I can't see myself starting (and ending) my days without prayer, and I feel so blessed when I get the opportunity to invite others into my prayer life. There's so much going on in this Christ the King community that I know things only come out well if we talk to God about them first. Some of my most meaningful moments have come out of prayers.

Through prayer, God has given me hope that the people I walk with will find peace even when they are suffering.

Through prayer, God has shown me what he has in store for me, what he expects of me, and how he wants me to grow closer to Him.

Through prayer, God has given me energy on how to go about my ministry when I thought I couldn't take another step.

Through prayer, God has helped me to grow in relationship with people even when I had no intention of doing so.

Through prayer God has forgiven me and shown me his mercy when I have fallen short of loving him and his children as I should.

Through prayer God has loved me.

I cannot stress enough how much prayer has helped me get through the past twelve months. I think about where I was this time last year, and it was only through an intimate relationship with God that I've gotten to where I am now. There were times when I would sit in the chapel with stories of how my day went and he would say "I know...but I love hearing it from you!" There were other days when I was angry and he would let me sulk in silence. But the best days were when I just went and sat in the chapel and let him love me. I have reason to believe that those days have come to an end. After all, His love is inexhaustible and transcends the years that we mark off on the calendar.