I am 31 years old and have been married (almost!) five years. Throughout our marriage we have struggled with infertility and adoption loss in our journey to become parents. We brought home our baby girl, Abigail Chiara, in September 2010 and she has been the light of our lives ever since! I taught in Catholic elementary schools for seven years, with the majority in first grade and am passionate about learning and sharing that knowledge. I have an endless thirst for knowledge about the Lord and the world He created. I love to garden, cook, and read and have a cheerful and friendly disposition. I am an eternal optimist and love to celebrate life's little joys. I have been adopted by the Lord and so am a daughter of the King and co-heir with Christ. My heart's desire is to do His will, grow closer to Him through every circumstance that comes my way, and to magnify His Name to all around me.
MY FAITH STORY
My faith journey began in the typical way for most "cradle Catholics". My family is Catholic and baptized me as an infant. My Mom made it a priority to attend Mass each week, pray before dinner, and enroll me in religious education classes.
I always felt God's presence as a child and His calling me to Him, but despite my religious education and confirmation classes, and later my religion classes at my Catholic high school, I was not well-trained in my theology. My classes (with one exception!) were watered-down social justice doctrine about how much God loves me and how I should love others. Over and over and over again. It left me with a sense of "pet theology". God is like our dog. He's there to guard us and guide us and protect us and love us- but He better not dare tell me what to do!
It wasn't until a theology course my senior year called "Great Theological Controversies: that I realized how BIG God is! Our teacher brought us face to face with one huge crisis after another in the Church's history as she rose up to protect and defend the Lord's identify. He had us wrestling with doctrine such as the Trinity and Incarnation of Christ. I was amazed at the complexity of the Lord of Hosts and wanted to know more about Him! Through this study, I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church to preserve the Truth and offer the Sacraments to receive His Grace.
In college (Texas A&M, WHOOP!), I was blessed with the girls in my dorm. Several were Catholic and invited me to daily Mass, introduced me to the concept of NFP, and plugged me into our amazing Church. God also blessed me with dorm "neighbors" who were on-fire Christians attending a different church. Two girls in particular made a huge impression on me. Through their cherished friendship and examples, I came to realize what it meant to have a personal relationship with the Lord. They taught me the value of reading God's love letters to me in the Word. They witnessed the importance of purity and obedience. They became two of my best friends and remain so today.
Through my friendships with my precious Protestant sisters, I faced many questions about my Catholic faith. This encouraged me to seek answers- answers that always astounded me with their simple yet profound and complete answers. These answers left me with a hunger to know more and more about the Lord and the beautiful Church He left us. The more I learn, the more I discover there is to learn and to share with others!
As an adult, I've had my share of suffering. We had a crisis in our family that stretched me beyond what I thought I could bear. We've had to wrestle with our infertility and difficulty conceiving. We've lost four children through failed adoptions. My husband deployed frequently on our last tour and we spent too much time apart. My character was viciously assaulted in what I now see clearly was spiritual warfare. In all these things, I have learned to CLING to HIM. I am desperately dependent upon Him- for my very breath, for the Grace to continue, for contentment and joy. Everything depends on Him and without Him, I am nothing. I have hidden in the shadow of His wings and claimed His promises and victories. As the amazing book Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard taught me, all too often "Sorrow" and "Suffering" are our companions on the journey, but if we accept them, we will be transformed into Grace and Glory.
And so here I am. I know I am in the "Grip of Grace" and a very real work in progress. I trust Him to continue the work He has begun in me, and hope that I can look back on this point in my life as an "infant" stage in my faith journey! Thank you for joining me at this "rest stop" and reflecting on the journey!
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