This is Beautiful : )

Over Easter Break PC's campus burst into bloom and when we came back, we got to see PC in all it's flowery glory. The beauty was truly breath taking. Just walking from class to class became an enjoyable task. As the sun shone down brightly and the tree branches, all in bloom, gently swayed in the breeze, I can say I was completely content. For me, these sunny days were the perfect conclusion to what has been an absolutely wonderful year. It's crazy to flip through my planner and see that I only have two weeks left of my freshman year. Time really does fly when you're having fun. And that's exactly how I would describe my experience at PC, fun. The people I've met, the experiences I've had, the classes I've taken, the clubs I've joined ... basically everything about my first year here at PC has changed me and taught me something, and to me, that's fun, that's happiness.
Happiness. I've learned so much about that word this year. Because of my experiences and interactions I've had this year, I've come up with a new definition of happiness. It's a definition that is impossible to describe with words, it is something that must be experienced or witnessed to be truly understood. But when you do see it or experience it, it is something so beautiful. One of the experiences that really showed me happiness in a new light was the R.C.I.A. mass that took place Sunday, April 18th at the 7:00 mass. In the days leading up to the mass, I grew more and more excited, for all the other candidates, even though I didn't know most of them all that well. The night of the mass, the chapel was brightly lit and wonderfully decorated. The choir began to sing as students and families continued to come in, filling the chapel almost to capacity. Even before the procession began, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. There was something truly beautiful about seeing young adults readily commit themselves to God. I just couldn't contain the happiness and excitement in my heart so the tears flowed down my cheeks as the smile on my face grew. After the baptism, the confirmation and Holy Communion, I cried again. As I myself received Jesus in the Eucharist, the tears will still fresh on my cheeks, but the smile had not vanished for a minute. The happiness of the candidates was contagious. They were absolutely radiant with happiness and the grace of God. Even after mass was over I cried, the happiness was just too much for me to contain. The joy and happiness I felt for all the candidates was indescribable, and seeing that joy and happiness brought about by God's grace mirrored on their face and in their every action, was more than enough for me. It was one of the most beautiful, most moving, most joyous experiences I have ever had.
I discovered a wonderful song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4eLw3ZTFjg )only a week ago and although the song is most likely written in a secular sense of boy-loves-girl, it is easily and wonderfully converted to a love song from us to God. Listening to it that way, it serves as a reminder of how beautiful our relationship with God is and just how blessed we are to have Him love us in the completely unconditional way He does. It is my prayer that you realize how much you are truly and unconditionally loved and that you remember every day to seek the beauty in all things, because this, life, really is beautiful. <3