Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

#notsorrynotsorry

So Pantene came out with a new commercial this summer that at first made me fist pump in the air like a fool with a resounding, "YES!" Women apologizing for simply existing is something that I've been noticing as a trend for the last year or so. And it breaks my heart.

When I joined a women's small group with SPO, my small group leader (shout out to Leanna) gave us one rule within our meetings that we could not apologize. I caught myself time and time again, apologizing for one menial thing or the next: for arriving too early or too late, for wanting to speak up or not being sure just exactly what it was that I wanted to say. Again and again, the women with who's lives I was sharing mine gave me an encouraging smile and a sweet reminder to not say, "I'm sorry."

Here's the Pantene commercial for you to watch before we go into the next part of this blog post:

What's That On Your Head? Or Wearing a Chapel Veil.

A few months ago, I felt a call to begin to veil myself during the Mass. It was after I had completed my Consecration to Mary, which is a whole other blog post to write on another day. I get asked regularly why it is that I veil myself. I believe it is an important thing to have literature for women to look to about this calling and understand it more fully.

First, what is a veil? For those of you who don't know, a veil (or mantilla as some refer to it), is a veil worn on the head of a woman during Mass or when in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (read: Adoration). This practice is seen as being no longer obligatory due to the changes made in Vatican II in 1959, but contrary to this popular belief, there was nothing saying that it was no longer an obligation. Does this mean that all women that don't wear it have fallen out with the Catholic Church? Nope. But just know that the Church does still encourage and support this practice.

Jackie Kennedy looking beautiful in her mantilla

I Am, It Is

Living in Texas, every evening is a reason to celebrate because the sun setting in the sky is one of the most magnificent things you will ever see. There are songs written about it, “if you haven’t seen a hill country sunset, you ain’t met me Texas yet,” (thanks JAB). There are Instagram hastags devoted to it—#nofilter #texasforever. And yet, when we see these scenes, what do we automatically think?

“That looks like a painting!”

“It looks like it’s in HD!”

Wait, hold up, what? Real life looks like what?

From Where I Stand

Sometimes moving on means assessing where we are. How often when we're lost do we stop to see where we are before deciding which way to turn? For myself, I have made decisions without assessing where I'm coming from and where I intend to go. So instead, I have made a conscience decision to see where I stand and have understood that where I stand is a threshold to happiness.

I chose my blog name– Threshold to Happiness– because I long for fulfillment and peace in my life, but this is something I need to choose everyday. I need to choose happiness. Choose joy. Choose God. The biggest part of finding this kind of fulfillment cannot be found on this blog, but rather by going outside and soaking up some vitamin d, spending time drinking coffee and sharing my heart with a good friend, and taking a bubble bath on a Friday afternoon. More importantly, I have found that true fulfillment means seeking Christ in all ways. I'm by no means perfect, but this blog is another way of helping me navigate and understand the things I've learned in my own life.

Jars of Clay

"When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”
John 2:3-11

Christ's first miracle and our first encounter of His ministry is an incredible account, but how does it relate to us on a practical level?

Call Me a Bird

We've all had a conversation with a friend where we ponder what the other would be if they were an animal. It may because of a physical feature that lends to a certain animal or their demeanor, but typically there is an animal that comes right to mind. Most of the time, I consider myself a cat. I love sleeping and have moments of high energy, but for the most part, a warm blanket and silence are my two favorite things. It also helps that my nickname for most my childhood was Alli Cat.

Well, I finally cleaned my room this afternoon. My desk has been covered with crap since I moved in here nearly two years ago. I think I've studied on it all of three times. I am such a hoarder. I have a sentimental heart and fret when it comes to giving or throwing things away. The memories attached to them cause them to stay long past their due.

At the age of twenty one, I have furnished the entire downstairs of my apartment on my own. My mom says I'm "nesting," but guys, this is more than a TV, couch, and coffee table. It looks like a home. I am not just the typical college apartment dweller. There's no room for a beer pong table. I live like I'm already thirty and settled down.

Reflecting on this, I realized that the more accurate animal to compare myself to would be a Magpie.

It's funny because before this I already had a fascination with Crows more than any other bird. I love their beautiful black wings. The way their wings reflect the sun bringing out blues and purples, that iridescence, is mesmerizing to me. Come to find out, Magpies are in the Crow family.

So, if you had to think of yourself as an animal, what would you be, and why?