I have to say, that i am not surprised, I think any Democrat would've won this year, but I think it is even more meaningful and special that we have elected our first African American. I even shed a tear the other day just thinking about the historical and generational impacts this nomination means to a country that is so torn apart by divisiveness and differences of opinion. I cant wait to be apart of a country where helping ones neighbor, and community service is, again, at the top of peoples priorities. I feel so at peace with the world right now, that people finally look past color and actually on a persons character.
I participated in a Service Learning trip fro the first time in my life the other week. I visited Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, New York and helped St john the Baptist parish and community in so many ways. Tutoring 3,4,5,th graders, helping the soup kitchen , meeting so many people in the community and just being blown away by God's purpose for putting me at Aquinas
Probably the most striking moment of my entire trip was in this photo. the man I was talking to was an amazing human being. As you can see, everyone else was working on cleaning up the grounds of St Johns and I decided I would go ahead and catch up with some other people. As, I walked down the sidewalk, I stopped to compliment this man on the hat he was wearing, from then on, I truly was just in awe of what he had to say. We started a dialogue discussing how 'his people' as he refereed to them, are tearing each other apart, and fighting each other for the things in life that matter most. However, he was hopeful and understood Gods message of love and talked about peacefulness and resolving some of these issues because love was the most important thing to him. ....now, you don't have tho think too hard to see that this man probably doesn't have a home to go to or a family to love, (he told me he was from Jamaica), so he is living purely on the word of God...As the conversation came to a close, I returned to the group in awe of what I had just went through. As I resumed my cleaning duties, right in the middle of the sidewalk was a brick, foreign to the area we had been cleaning and not similar at all to the brick that made up the church. I was struck, then and there that the brick, much life the man, was an out of place..maybe not out of place, but a sign that there are people and even bricks that are like a diamond in the rough, and that God has made these 2 paths cross for a reason that is bigger than mine or this mans being. It was truly an unrealistic moment and I will never forget it
Beyond the spirituality that I experienced from the trip, I was a tourist for several days. I got to see the statue of liberty, be on the today show, visit time square, go to a knicks game, and meet some AMAZING people from AQ that otherwise would have never met. It was truly an amazing experience.
Thus far, the school year has been the most chaotic semester in my life. With taking all new sustainable business classes and trying to finish up my accounting major, I am torn between responsibilities with the Student Senate, retention committee, and trying to earn some money. I haven't found that balance that allows em to calm down, but i think its a good thing because once i take my foot off the accelerator, I tend to enjoy it a little too much.
Well, i have a trip to Chicago for Model UN in the works and a CYBIAC retreat coming up in several weeks. So, in my coming weeks, I will be very busy and fruitful in terms of new experiences in a journey that I am going on. I hope to talk to all of you soon and that God may cross our paths again
