Stress reduction

With the cardiology exam rapidly approaching (Saturday morning), I've been swamped and a little stressed lately (hence the lack of new posts). Thus, I'm going to steal another idea from Sara (I, uh, may need to start paying her royalties or something...) and spend a little time mentioning some of the people and things I'm really grateful for.

Two and a half days with nothing to worry about but studying -- and incidentally being able to avoid the scary crowds of protesters swamping the city on the eve of the G-20.

Incredibly cute newborns in the neonatology unit and NICU with excellent prognoses.

A PalPittations rehearsal without any disruptive influences...singing is fun:-)

Those little "sneaky God thangs" (tip of the hat to Fr. John Paul) that make me realize 1) God's watching, 2) He cares, and 3) He has a sense of humor.

Friends who continue to encourage me to give things a try despite my lack of confidence.

A trip to the ropes course next Saturday. As much as anything else, it's knowing that this much-anticipated day is approaching that's giving me the motivation to keep studying and get through cardio.

Family and friends that recognize my need to take care of people and let me do that without complaining.

Study sessions with Steve and BA. Part productivity, part comedy act, pure genius.

Notre Dame alums. Constant reminders of why it's good not to take sports seriously.

Phone conversations with my parents keeping me up to date on their lives and what's happening with my siblings. Don't know what I'd do without those.

Knowing that I've got my plane tickets home for Thanksgiving:-D


Yep, I definitely have lots to be thankful for. Back to studying now, but with a little less tension than before:-)

Peace and God bless!

It's all in the way you look at it...

Traveling back to Pittsburgh from home is, as I believe I've mentioned before, always a struggle. It's always tough to leave Providence again, and to deal with the nagging feeling that I'm journeying in the wrong direction. The hardest part, without fail, is saying goodbye...saying goodbye to my parents, my brothers, my sisters, knowing that I'm not going to see them for months. These were the thoughts running through my head as I brooded on my return to the Steel City.

One of the most depressing thoughts that occurred to me was that every "hello" is merely the prelude to an inevitable "goodbye." No matter the circumstances, every human relationship ends up in parting. As you can imagine, this did little to improve my state of mind.

But as I thought about it a little more, I realized that my original impulse couldn't be more wrong, that in fact I had everything backwards. It is not that goodbyes are the unavoidable product of hellos, but that the partings are preludes to reunion. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest comforts of the Catholic faith: the realization that even death is merely a temporary separation. So tonight, I won't think of the goodbyes that are behind me, but of the hellos that are yet to come.

"Consequently, friendship is, as it were, concomitant with perfect happiness." --St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Ia IIae Q4 a8 ad 3

Peace and God bless!