The First Goodbye

Today is the day I have been dreading for quite some time. The day I finally have to say goodbye to my best friend and the day a piece of my heart is gone leaving a hole nothing could fill. 7 months ago I never thought it would be this hard to say goodbye. I also never thought I would meet my best friend 7 months ago. I can't help but wish for more time. Sadly, I'm coming to the realization that there's never gonna be enough time with the people you love.

Saying goodbye to Brendan today was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't know it was possible to love and care for someone so much in such a short amount of time. I think what gets me the most is knowing that things will never be the same no matter how hard I try to make them be. It breaks my heart to know that I will no longer be able to call up my best friend and him be at my house in a matter of minutes. Brendan has one of the biggest hearts I know. His constant outpouring of love and care for each and every person he encounters is something I think we should all strive for. I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing friend to live life with and I am so thankful for all the memories I've been given. The amount of joy Brendan has brought me is immeasurable and as much as he says I changed his life, I think he's the one that has changed me. I don't know how I am worthy of such a friendship. The Lord is so good to me. No longer will I be able to listen to an eminem song and not hear him singing every word. No longer will I be able to eat Chinese food without thinking "let's go eat Chinese food cause that's what real best friends do". No longer will I be able to go stargazing without laying in the back of a truck with a bunch of pillows and blankets. Brendan has taught me a lot of things. He has taught me what it means to be a true friend and what it means to truly desire the best for someone. He has taught me that you can make friends anywhere at anytime, all you need to do is be open to it.


My heart is sad because I know that my time with Brendan has come to an end for now. Things are going to be a lot different from now on but I know I will never be the same because of Brendan Mcguigan and his power to change lives. I am forever thankful that God brought such a loving man of God into my life and helped him make such a big impact on me. Although I am going to miss him terribly and as much as it pains my heart to know he's so far away, I know Richmond is where he is meant to be right now and that he is going to do great things there. Praise God that I was given the privilege of getting to know such an amazing person. I now know that there is never gonna be enough time, but if you learn to cherish the moments you can always make up for it. Richmond may be taking away my best friend, but I know Texas will always be home with all of us.

Living A Good Story

Today was nothing special, just an ordinary day. But I seemed to see God in everything I experienced today and I couldn't help but share. I saw God in the breath-taking sunrise my Dad woke me up for, that painted the sky the most beautiful colors and made for a gorgeous sunny day. I saw God in my parents love for each other as I watched the sunrise with them. I saw God in my beautiful sisters as we spent time climbing rocks and doing crazy jumps off them into a surprisingly clear lake. I saw God as we walked into mass today and I was instantly greeted with friends, old and new. I saw God in our visiting priest's homily as he spoke about missions and
our job to help people who can't help themselves and that even though we may think our contribution is small, we are still helping to change the world. I saw God in Father Izzy as he embraced me with the hug of a long lost best friend and claimed he wouldn't ever let me go. I saw God in little Amelia as her and her radiant smile entered graciously back into my heart and as she gave my the best present I've ever received, a shirt with Pope Francis's beautiful face on it. She brought so much joy to me through the simple act of love as she thought of me when she went to Rome. I saw God in the beautiful sunset that he left across the sky as a reminder that life is short but the blessings we receive are endless. He was so ever present in my day and I am so thankful I let him be. Nothing can compare to the joy you feel when you are content and know that this life is good and that we are far more blessed than we'd like to acknowledge. God gave us this crazy, beautiful life and told us to go out and live a good story. I can only hope that I'm living these days out to their fullest, surrounded with a beautiful family who loves me dearly, my faith to get me through the good and the bad times, and the beautiful sky to remind me how beautiful this life really is.