Christ, Coffee, and Cornfields

  If challenging situations do anything for me, they give me writing material. Per my last post, my Grandpa passed away recently, and today we buried him. The past 10 hours or so have been exhausting, tear-soaked, and painful. The funeral and burial were beautiful and fitting. If you have ever experienced a military funeral, you'll know what I mean when I say it was very powerful and moving. I am honored to be descended from a man who served our country for decades. Anyway, this post isn't really about today so much as what today's celebration (yes, I will call it that) points to.   Life doesn't stop. We always say how quickly life moves, whether it's in reference to an anniversary, a graduation, or a birthday. Our time on Earth is full of milestones and moments, things to celebrate and times to reflect on. The Catholic Faith is all about celebrating; if we can party, we will party. As difficult and painful as funerals are, I always find peace in them because a ...

  It’s really hard to quantify the feelings running through my body at this moment in time. Every death hits you differently, and this is no exception. Many of you know that my maternal grandpa unexpectedly passed away yesterday. He had terminal cancer originating from his lungs (PLEASE don’t smoke, people), but what killed him was a blood clot. I won’t go into detail into which hospital or the exact care he received, but let’s just say as his granddaughter and a nurse, I’m currently not a happy camper. There are so many things that I had planned to do and say, but I never got the chance to do any of them. Those are the regrets I have. So many regrets.   Many relationships go through ups and downs, and ours was no different. Unfortunately, we were in the in the middle of a slump where we’d get somewhere and then slide back down to the bottom of the dip. I know that I’ll go through the stages of grief in my own time, but as this moment I’m a total wreck. Praise Jesus for my w...

We saw "Incredibles 2" last week at the drive-in, and let me just say that it was totally worth waiting over a decade for. It was definitely geared more toward those of us who were kids when the first movie came out, but it was still enjoyable for my younger siblings. As much of a void-filling movie as it is, there were many themes and messages throughout the film that were thought-provoking and refreshing coming from the entertainment industry.   From a critic standpoint, there was at least one major plot hole that is still wide open, and the animation is slightly different. However, that was to be expected since animation styles have changed drastically in recent years and I didn't really notice it as the movie progressed. One thing I thought was absolutely hysterical as a nurse and someone with IBS was the superhero by the name of Reflux. You can about imagine his superpower! Overall, I thought that it was a very worthy sequel to a next to perfect original movie.  ...

  This is a post I wish I didn't have a need to write. Unfortunately, due to the fallen nature of being human, death is something we will all have to deal with in our lifetimes. This may be the death of a friend, family member, spouse, acquaintance, or even a well known celebrity or political figure. In some capacity, death will find its way into all of our lives and affect us in ways we never knew possible.   Yesterday, our community was reminded of the fragility of life when a teenage boy who was loved by everyone who knew him was killed in a car accident. It was a shock. As I write this, it's still a shock. It's pain. It's confusion. A sudden, tragic death is not something that we are meant to handle. The Lord does not want this for us at all! Death is not something that is of God. Neither is pain. Humans are created to love and to be happy, serving God in every way possible. How is death part of the picture??   As humans, we are broken. It's not somethin...