well now that dad is back home, things are starting to settle down...he's establishing a meal schedule  around his meds schedule, he's managed to gather the courage to re-enter the outside world i.e. the mall, tim hortons, costco (to name a few) and the greatest of all, he attended mass with us for the first time in 2 months...i could tell that he was overjoyed to be back in our parish, to celebrate mass with us...and so many others were so happy to welcome him back including Fr. Ugo...he formally welcomed dad at the end of mass after the announcements...it meant so much to my mom :)

it made me see that our own love lives with Christ can't be taken for granted...our receiving of Him as the Holy Eucharist is His sign of love to be with us...no matter how angry, spiteful, broken and sinful we are...of course He is everywhere but to really feel His love not just externally but being confident in Him by listening and praying and yearning for his infinite and divine providence...it's really overwhelming just thinking about it...it is so simple to love Christ based on what He does in our lives...but even more to love Christ for what He has yet to reveal to us...to be renewed over again by His grace...

it ties in with Metro having DCs, too...discovering the possibilities with God in our lives through our identity with Him, relationships with our friends and family, honing our gifts and talents and ultimately, using all these things to bring Him glory...it's fitting that DCs have been held just at the beginning of this Lenten Season...it's prime time to fast and pray and also to delight in being God's creation...

i urge you to really seek to love what God is revealing to you especially this Lenten Season...be sincere in your daily obedience to His plan...

praise be to Jesus

i recently cleared out my room cuz my lola decided to have the 2nd floor of our home renovated with laminate hardwood floor...i found sooo many 'tokens' in my room...

-picture from YFC christmas party @ Candles with Joel Rosales...RIP miss u

-WYD volunteer ID card...haha i think that was the darkest i've ever been

***-grade eight yearbook also including pics of chico and krissy...CLASSIC!!

-audition piece for Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir (sooo long ago)

-straw bag and talks from GLF

-my 'Any Given Thursday' DVD

-a letter Cat wrote to me when i sleptover at her house like 12 yrs ago...WHOA

there's so much more...!!

after putting everything back into place, i pulled out my mom's wedding dress to try on...heheee well, it is gonna be my wedding dress after all...my shoulders are a lot broader than my mom's so that'll be the main alteration done as well as cleaning it after 32 yrs...hope it'll turn out white again...

on another note, DCs are coming up!! toronto has so much talent! i know God's really gonna shine through the YFC!!

DAD UPDATE

my papa is coming home!!

thank you Lord, thank you everyone for their prayers, support and constant reminders that God is taking care of my dad...

after 2 months, dad is coming home to stay...he had been in rehab for the past couple of weeks, gaining his strength from the heavy transplant done back in Dec...i am totally amazed at how stubborn my dad has been to get better...what's even crazier is that he has recovered so well and so fast...i remember trekking downtown to the ICU at TG Hosp and only being able to talk to him and wash him and how hard it was to only watch him heal, having feelings of helplessness as he laid in bed...and now he's almost 30 lbs lighter and looking like Noel!! God has so much more in store for my dad who is already talking about going on mission...i can't wait to share in his renewed life...thank you again Lord for my 'new' dad...

SCHOOL & WORK UPDATE

hmmm these two things take up about 75% of my week...yikes...it's going well and the only thing i wish is to finish my training module at FL to get my raise...cuz it would be great to put aside even MORE wedding funds...*sigh*

COMMUNITY LIFE UPDATE

let's see...being an MV has been up and down...looking forward to our Campus mtg to set things straight...hoping to touch base with Waterloo/Mac/York/UFT St. George heads to really make the most of the 2nd sem...DCs coming up should be fun...it's awesome to see the sector continuing to grow and learn w/o jonas and i...it just comes to show that the Lord has his wonderful hand in our lives at all times...as for SFC....can't really say I've done much...maybe it's the lingering thought that only for a few more months i qualify as SFC...hmmm

WEDDING UPDATE

i haven't been able to do much since dad's transplant...a lot of the extra time i had has been put into driving my mom/Noel everywhere and just being there for them...i think ray and i should start finalizing things such as the dreaded guest list...oh Lord, give me strength!!!

on the up and up, we got our wedding bands...so pretty!!

i think that's it...i'm happy the winter weather is here cuz i get to wear my pretty pink boots and bundle up like it's snowday everyday...keep warm, people...see you soon

STAND: METRO REGION RLC

what a weekend...i didn't expect so much to come out of it...that's how amazing our God is...

i watched as a dream came true...to see my little brothers and sisters recommit themselves to the service to Jesus...yes it always happens at camps, confs, etc....but this wkd it was different...esp after i realized it was my last RLC as a YFC leader...

when i first became a leader, i knew there was something more to serving this community than just having activities on the weekend...i knew there was a lot to give up but at the same time that there was so much too fight for...and i laid that out straight this wkd in my letter...there is no other love that i would have given so much of my life to...the love that God lets me experience through my brothers and sisters...

the work continues on whether you choose to let God renew your spirit and rebuild your heart or not...but please don't miss out on the opportunity to be moulded...serving our God and each other is being close to witness miracles, something amazing, everyday...

keep on fighting...