~ July 13, 2008 ~
Marie
We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. -Anne Frank
Have you ever dreamed that you were desperately searching for something? When I have dreams like this, the longing to find the lost object lingers long after I wake up. The sense of loss remains even though I tell myself that I’m not actually missing anything. It was just a dream - wasn’t it? Real life can be a lot like that. I think that all of us have this inexplicable desire to keep searching for something better, something more. I’m not saying that I spend every waking moment thinking about this, because most of the time my mind is preoccupied with whatever I happen to be doing at the moment. No this desire seems to exist primarily in my soul, just below my conscious thoughts, but always ready to surface, whether I summon it or not. What is this desire that haunts me? What am I looking for?
Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval Theologian and Philosopher, had much to say on this subject. First, he explained that by our nature we desire happiness. In other words, the longing for happiness is built into us by our Creator. It’s part of being human. We don’t choose to seek happiness; we seek it out of necessity. Thomas also had a theory regarding what would satisfy our craving for happiness. He called it the Supreme Good and described it “as the one good that contains all others”. According to Thomas, you and I were created to possess this Supreme Good and nothing else will ever make us happy. The current culture disagrees with Thomas. It tells me that if I have lots of goods - a slim figure, clear skin, straight teeth, nice wardrobe, good friends, rewarding job, interesting hobbies, leisure time, health, and so on - then I will be truly happy. But you and I both know that we’ll never have all these things and that in a finite world they actually compete with one another for our time and attention. Personally, I think that Thomas’ theory makes a lot more sense and besides we have the rich, famous, beautiful, but very unhappy people that grace the cover of magazines (and Yahoo’s home page) as evidence against the current idea.
As a believer (Thomas was too; he’s known by us Catholic Christians as St. Thomas) it’s easy for me to make the leap of Faith from the abstract concept of a Supreme Good to a personal Supreme Being. The Supreme Good can only be found in the One who is the source of all goodness. We attain the Supreme Good (and thus happiness!) when we choose God and God alone. Now to me that sounds really hard to do. It might be remotely possible while I’m on a retreat or doing mission work. But what about when I return home and real life happens again? How will I focus on God through all the distractions and amidst the influence of a culture that’s constantly telling me that happiness can be found everywhere but in Him?
A while back I was listening to a sermon on this topic and the priest said, “Bring God to the grocery store with you”. All of a sudden the light bulb went on! So that’s what I need to do. I need to bring God with me to the movies, to sleep-overs, to babysitting jobs, to school, to work, to everywhere I go. When I allow Him to come with me, everything changes. I want to be the best I can be, because He is with me. I don’t want to gossip about that girl who gets on my nerves, because I know He is beside me, and when I’m afraid, I know He is with me, and I survive on His strength not my own. So here’s the bottom line. I need to keep reminding myself that He is with me. Not just while I’m engaged in “holy things” but throughout the day. With His grace to help me, I’ll do my best.
I still have an open question about the dream that I described earlier. The feelings of need and desire resulting from the dream were due to loss. Did we once have God and happiness and somehow manage to lose both? Food for thought (and maybe a future post)…
~ July 12, 2008 ~
Marie
Sadly, I must admit that I did not go to see Bella while it was in theatres, and even after my family purchased the DVD, I didn‘t watch it for awhile. Finally my sister Tess looked at me and said, “You are going to love this movie! And besides, the guy in this movie is super cute.”
Well, what can I say? I decided to give it a try. It was a cloudy afternoon, and we were planning to watch an hour of the movie and finish it later. Ten minutes into the movie I knew I would have to watch the whole thing. AMAZING! If you haven’t seen Bella yet, I strongly encourage you to watch it.It’s very artistic and cool but at the same time it’s very relatable. This movie celebrates life, and I think it will reach your heart the way it reached mine. Oh and Teresa was so right, Eduardo Verástegui (main character Jose) is “super cute”. But even more impressive than his good looks is his fire for God. Check out Bella and see for yourself why I'm such big a fan.
-Marie
~ July 11, 2008 ~
Marie
After spending a year at school without much (or rather any) time for pleasure reading, it’s summer and I’m reading for fun again! This is one of the many things that I love about summer. It is the perfect time to learn and explore without mid-terms and finals haunting you.
The first book I picked up was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Each time I opened this novel I was transported to 19th century Russia - a place very different from 21st century America. But even more striking than the difference in time and location was the fact that every character’s life was so much more dramatic, eventful, and captivating than mine! Now don’t misunderstand me, I definitely would not want to change places with any of Tolstoy mostly melancholy and often tragic characters. But reading the book did make me long for adventure and excitement.
This adventurous spirit seems to dictate most of my day dreams, and I often fall into the, “my life is so boring!” state. One day I was particularly distraught over my seemingly dull life and I decided to talk to God about it. I opened up my bible to John and read John 10:10, “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly.” Wow! I finally realized a simple and beautiful truth - It doesn’t matter if I am watching my little siblings, sitting on my front porch, or traveling the world, if I’m doing it with Jesus, it’s an adventure!
He’s the one that fills my days with richness and meaning. Without him I’m just busy. Have you ever heard the old saying, “It’s not what you do but who you do it with that really matters?” Well that definitely applies here. I could live in a castle and have lots of drama in my life, but without Jesus, it would be a mundane and empty existence. He is richness, depth, fullness, and abundance, because He is all that truly IS. I just need to unite myself to Him and I can share in that fullness. The next time that boredom tries to steal away my happiness, I am going to remind myself of John 10:10. And after all, it’s great to be the daughter of a King. It’s quite the adventure!
-Marie
~ July 10, 2008 ~
Marie
I must dedicate my first entry to coffee. For me coffee shop visits often include meeting up with a friend. So a typical Marie Miller experience goes as follows: First I take it all in - fresh coffee brewing behind the counter, chill music playing on the stereo, friends relaxing together, and people reading their newspapers. Next, I order a drip coffee (hopefully something bold like a French roast) and then my friend and I engage in a nice long conversation. What amazes me about this seemingly normal experience is that each time I walk in and soak up all the sights, sounds, and smells of a coffee shop, I get that “God is good” feeling. (Especially if the coffee is really good)
I started drinking coffee when I was pretty young (eleven I think), and I must admit that in the beginning I enjoyed the Mochas and all the other extremely sweet drinks more than straight coffee. But by the ripe old age of thirteen, quality coffee with a bit of cream was my cafe drink of choice. I especially love rich, full-flavored coffees and discovered while traveling in Europe that people in Italy and Spain know and enjoy good coffee. But my favorite cup of java is the one that my Dad makes for me in the morning. Quite often I wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee (courtesy of Dad) and make my way to the kitchen to enjoy an eye-opening, taste-satisfying, perfect start to the day. I will leave you with some coffee quotes. Enjoy!
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. - T. S. Elliot
Thank you for your coffee, seignor. I shall miss that when we leave Casablanca. - Ingrid Bergman
“You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here.” ~ Buddy
The movie 'Elf'
Ah! How sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter than muscatel wine! I must have my coffee..." - Johann Sebastian Bach
-Marie
~ March 27, 2008 ~
The Team
It’s been too long! I’d like share with you a big blessing that God gave to me a few weeks ago.
I had the opportunity to perform at St. Mathew’s Catholic Church in Franklin, Tennessee. It was a benefit concert called Hope for Haiti. We were raising money for kids over there! This concert was something I was looking forward to for awhile, and I knew how hard all the great folks in Franklin were working to get ready for this concert.
The main group of promoters was the 7th grade class at St. Mathew’s school, and they did an amazing job selling t-shirts, tickets, and whatever else needed to be done. On the day of the concert, the 7th graders (along with a few AMAZING adults) gave me one of the warmest welcomes I ever could of imagined. God’s love was so visible in all of the smiling faces that greeted us, and I was overwhelmed with their kindness. The concert was so much fun but it was really a blast to hang out with the 7th graders and the amazing adults that had worked so hard! The other day I received a package of thank you cards from many people that attended the concert, but I feel like I should send them a hundred cards myself!
I think the biggest part of God’s blessing to me was this: one concert brought a school of children in Haiti, a parish community in Franklin, Tennessee, and a band from Virginia, all together to help one another, just like a family! What a blessing! The result of the concert was over 5’000 dollars for the kids in Haiti. God is good. All the time.
Yours,
Marie
~ May 18, 2007 ~
The Team
It's funny to me when people say things like, "He or she is so
boring." And it is true that sometimes we feel that way. I mean we
connect with certain people, and others we don't so much. The reality
of the situation of mankind is thus: We are in complete and
perfect union through the Body of Christ, whether or not we both like
the color green or the 49ers! If we could see how similar and connected
we really are, we would run and hug every random person on the street.
We would say things like," I see my God in you...Yes there He is, and I
see you in me and me in you." In heaven no one is boring, not
because all of sudden they have this great stuff they never had, but
because WE can finally see clearly all the great stuff they have had
all along.
We are brothers and sisters in Christ! So close we can't get enough
of each other. In this short life we may not be able to see it,
although some people saw it while living on earth. Mother Teresa saw
Jesus in every beggar and every rich, stuck up person. She knew the
secret! The amazing secret!
Last week my Uncle passed away. I attended the funeral, and as I sat
in a beautiful church thinking about him and how he is in heaven now, I
felt a horrible disconnect, a separation called death. Death is
powerful, but here is a bigger truth; we are connected still. Jesus has
broken every bond, even the bond of death. I will miss my Uncle Mike,
and so will his amazing family, but only for a little awhile, only till
life ends and real life begins.
The fact is, the connection I felt with him is the one I will feel
with everyone when I am in heaven. Family is the foretaste of the
reality of the heavenly family. It's like one big love fest. Love
unites, love connects. So just love, just connect.
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