The past has an interesting way of popping back up when we least expect it. And depending on the situation, this can be either good or bad, oftentimes, it is a combination of both. The reality of it is that we are products of the past, and present is completely determined by this, and the ways if effects us.
It's most essential to remember that while our past, at one point in time it was the most important thing going on in our lives. The past was, at one point, our present. And while we can learn from our past, and can grow from it, we cannot change it. It is, after all, the past.
My advice this new year? Don't let the past tear you apart, don't hold yourself accountable for sins that have long since past. Your sins were long since forgiven, and if it's something you can't bring yourself to let go, here's where being Catholic can help to make a difference.
"I did, x, y, z, t, u, q, y again, and a few of h. Oh! And, l several times."
Then comes the exciting part, when the priest offers you some help. He may give you advice or encouragement, he may even just tell that it's going to be okay. After that, you receive absolution and your penance. Keep in mind, penance will be different every time, and must be done. It's as essential as confession in your quest to say sorry to God.
Keep in mind that the past is the past, the present is right now, and the future is on it's way, so why not do your best to prepare for it?
I'm sitting at my kitchen, eating way too much food, killing time until I celebrate the holidays with my friends by, again, eating way too much food.
There's only one thing between me and successfully completing by fifth semester at Pitt State and that is my final in British Literature tomorrow. I feel prepared, but weirder things have happened. Such as playing my last jury ever today! Which was such a good feeling to be done with that part of my life. Music is great and all, but it is not something I want a career in.
Although I am a day early, I'm ready to celebrate a successful semester! Classes are wrapping up and I have so much to look forward to over the winter break, and next semester. I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for a such a blessed and memory-filled semester. You all know who you are, and how much I love you.
Enjoy the snow, enjoy the holidays, and be ready to light that third candle this Sunday.
Possibly one of the best novels I have ever read, written by science-fiction author Orson Scott Card, the novel Ender's Game holds a message anyone could enjoy. The book is fast-paced, well-written, and hard to put down or even walk away from.
I discovered Ender when I was thirteen, courtesy of my seventh grade science teacher. Ms. Tinsley and I had bonded all year over our mutual like of the areas of Star Wars, Star Trek, and all things science-fiction, ending with her giving me some old paperback novels from when she was in high school. They were mostly fantasy, one or two being more realistic, and one being a collection of short stories by Orson Scott Card.
I don't even have that particular book in my possession anymore, but I can tell you it struck a chord with me. I was intrigued by John Paul and Theresa Wiggin, by the concept of a Battleroom, and above all, by the quote "the enemies gate is down".
Almost three years later, idly skimming the library shelves, trying to find enough books to last me through Christmas break, I happened upon an entire shelf of novels by Card. Ender's Game sat there, in metallic gold print marching down the spine of a large hardback novel. It seemed to good to be true. And it almost was, especially when I came back two weeks later to discover not only was the novel everything I had hoped it would be, but there was much more to it. Ender's Shadow, The Rise of the Giant, and others all quickly became favorites. Valentine, Peter, Bean, Han Tzu, Achilles, Petra, all became characters I grew to know as well Harry Potter and the Pevensie children.
Ender's story has appealed to more than just me though; Card has received the Nebula Award, which is huge in science-fiction. The book has been used as teaching tool when working with gifted young children, and has been on the reading list of the Marine Corp almost since it's birth. The novel speaks to men of war, to those who feel left out because of their knowledge, to male and female alike. The ethics questioned in make the reader think, while the fast-paced method of presentation makes it difficult to realize what all there is to actually ponder.
For me though, it wasn't the war-hero, the PTSD, or the violence that I could relate to; it was the desire to win, and to learn. I understood Ender's voracious appetite for knowledge, and how he learned from the things others didn't bother to study or even notice. I also understood the desire to win, to do anything it takes to be sure you succeeded, and while I may not be willing to kill to get what I want, I still do what it takes.
Maybe there's a little child-genius in all of us, maybe that's why it's appealed to so many the last forty years. Perhaps it's because we've all felt alone at some point, or because we all outgrow our family eventually. It could even just be the simple love a game, that drives us to apply our whole self the comprehension and victory within the game. Whatever it is, it is a novel we should all read. Take a little time this summer, and read a good book, and if you can't find anything else to read, try out Ender's Game.
Watch the trailer, get hooked, be excited for an incredible movie that's going to be coming out, but most importantly, read this book with an eagerness to learn.
