"Getting older's not been on my plans"

       It is one thing to attend Mass, but another entirely when you watch a dear friend be bound forever to Christ's Church. Today, I witnessed a marriage, but unlike the one last weekend, this one was between two men: Ryan Rojo and Christ Himself, and it was breathtaking. I could spend an entire blog about how dear this person is to me, and what he means to me and my family, but I won't. This isn't just about Ryan, this is also about "uncomplicated joy."        Bishop Sis, the bishop of San Angelo, Texas, gave the homily at today's Mass, and although I was listening intently, his message ran through me and stopped with this one phrase: uncomplicated joy. If there were people around me looking in my direction when I heard that, I am sure they would have seen my eyes dilate and my jaw fall open. What the hell did this mean? What does it mean to have uncomplicated joy? Bishop Sis was speaking to Ryan about his newly marriage to the Church, and whe...

       So, I know that most people, including myself don't pay attention to the zodiac, or what their sign says or means. But, I am sure that all of those most people have read their horoscope at least once in their life. Me, not so much, but I have always been fascinated with what my sign says about my birth month.         I am a Cancer. Born--July 10, 1985. I am a water sign and controlled by the moon. What does that mean exactly? Who the hell knows. But, I find it fascinating. I have read that Cancerians are emotional creatures that give comfort to others through their words and actions. Blah blah blah...I am still convinced that I am not emotional or am apt to give comfort. But, I have been told otherwise.        But this isn't about those things. This is about something I read on my Tumblr the other day: Cancer--will try to work things out, when they are done, they are DONE. They won't go back. Now, this is me. I have fo...

       I am sure that most people on Facebook have read of the story that was of a young girl, 14 years of age, who lost her entire family early last month. In just a few short moments, her uncle killed her parents and her two brothers and sisters right in front of her, and the only reason why she survived is because she played dead. I can't even begin to imagine the pain this little girl is experiencing. The fact that her entire world was shattered and ripped to shreds is a completely realistic indication of how sick this world is.         But, the reason I heard of this story, or that most people did, was because J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter, sent this girl a letter penned in the hand of Dumbledore, the second to last headmaster of Hogwarts. Why? Why did she do such a thing? Because this girl found solace in the one of the most epic quotes from that character, "Happiness can be found in the darkest of places, if one just remembers to tu...

The world will give you that once in a while, a brief time out; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your life. -ukad

       I would venture to say that most of the people I come in contact with on a regular basis have no idea what a Black Mass is, or maybe even Mass. But, if you have talked to me, then you probably know the latter. If you haven't ever heard of a Black Mass, you aren't alone. In fact, up until one was being planned for the Harvard campus, in early May, I hadn't either.        So, what is a Black Mass? First, what is Mass? Mass is the daily coming together of Catholics to give worship to our Maker. It is where we honor the source and summit of our faith: the Eucharist (aka the body of Christ.) To have Mass there must be a consecration of the bread into the host, and it is a very sacred and old practice of reverence and worship. To Catholics, there is nothing more sacred than the Mass.         Black Mass is the exact opposite. It is the pure adulterated ritual of taking what we hold sacred and perverting it to the point o...

       I think I found him. He is brown (the right kind), and funny. But he isn't just the kind of funny that is an every day haha. No, not this one. He is witty which requires intelligence. And man can we banter. Back and forth and back and forth, and he never misses a beat. I will admit, I can be an asshole at times. So much so, that if I don't watch it, I can hurt someone's feelings, just by bantering. But never do I do it intentionally. Well, okay, it is usually intention, but I will never set out to hurt someone's feelings. I banter with people unless I know it will hurt. I expect the same from people. I guess this is what you get when you are practically around guys all the time in your formidable years.         Anyway...back to Mr. Awesome. I totes dig this guy. And it isn't just this high lofty desire for the dot in my life, it actually exists. He exists. What a relief. I remember telling the brown one (that's the ex ex for those of you w...

Ben Howard, my favorite musician, writes, “Depth over distance every time, my dear. And this tree of ours may grow tall in the woods. But it’s the roots that will bind us here to the ground.” I think I listened to this song at least 4 times today, and it kept running through my heart. Especially with the beautiful wedding that I just attended. After trying to understand love in a matter of physical distance and then in emotional distance, I can see that it isn’t easy. But the most important part is the foundation or roots that are set in the beginning of that relationship. I think I know now why the ex and I didn’t work. As I watched the vows exchange between man and woman, I understood these two and the dedication they have forged with each other. It hasn’t been an easy road, and it certainly hasn’t been a short one, but they have taken the time to build the foundation that will grow them forever together. He and I didn’t. We struggled to plant the sapling that was...