Challenge Day 8

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Today is my favorite quote. This book was written to to explore the value and purpose of human life. And when I read this short excerpt from the third chapter, which I do a lot, I am always left with an overwhelming sense of awe--awe in the fact that our almighty God has his fingerprint on every single act on this earth. A time to be born? That's easy. Holding my babies was one of the most holy moments of my life. Who else but God could produce such magnificent creatures? A time to die? One of my fondest memories as a child is also one of my saddest. The summer we lost my Mama Breaux, my mom and dad and I moved into my grandparents' house and spend every moment together, taking care of her as the cancer slowly took her from us. But what a beautiful testament to the love of family and the grace of God that we were able to spend that time together and watch as she showed us the dignity of a faith-filled death!

A time to weep? Who of us hasn't had one of those moments when we can do nothing but cry out to God for help or comfort? When I was struggling with post-partum depression, nothing could comfort me like my prayers. There's just something soothing and calming and uplifting about calling for Jesus when no one else can help. A time to laugh? Hopefully, you all have one special friend who is always there for you when you need to laugh. If you don't--run out right now and find one! For me, that friend is my sister, Katie. We can talk and laugh about anything. When we're messaging on Facebook, I literally LOL all the time. And when we're together, there's no lull in the conversation. It's always a fun, funny trip down memory lane or a sharing of hilarious life stories.

A time to mourn? I've mourned many times in my life. Of course, I've mourned many special people--Mama and Papa Breaux, Papa Vincent, my precious friend, Jo, Sr. Marietta, and many more. But unfortunately, as a flawed human, I have also mourned things in my life. Yes, I've thought my life was over when my hard drive died. And I've cried foul with God when Kelly lost his job. But even in those moments, God sent gentle reminders that he is charge of the big picture and I shouldn't get flustered with the details.

A time to dance? Yes, please! This has to be my favorite part. Of course, we should all remember the famous scene in Footloose where Kevin Bacon uses this quote to try and sway the town council to have a high school dance. Brilliant! This also makes me think of our days as youth ministers, participating in Mass at conventions with the liturgical dancers preparing the altar for the Eucharistic sacrifice. And my mind can't help but replay all those dance classes and dance recitals and dance camps over the years. I love a lot of things in my life, but I truly love dancing! My first dance recital routine was to Mickey by Toni Basil. I still remember my costume--blue and gold stripes, leg warmers, and pom-poms. One of the best days of my life! ;) Then there was my senior year when I was captain of our high school dance team. I could stand in my living room right now and still do our routine to the fight song. And who could forget the Longhorn? A short trip over the border to Louisiana was my ticket to all-night dancing. Line dancing, hip-hop, and the ever popular two-step. It didn't matter which one as long as I was dancing. I spent many, many hours dancing the night away. I still find myself getting my groove on. Just today, I was dancing to Prince in the car and to Run DMC while I was making dinner. It's tricky...tricky, tricky, tricky, tricky. Can't take the dancer out of the girl!

Back to Ecclesiastes...through all the bumps in the road of life, I feel blessed to know that God is there at every turn. He has laid out the plan for my life, and it's my job to follow in Christ's footsteps and not worry about the small stuff because He has it all under control. Amen!