A Modern Marvel

For my confirmation, I received a book called Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman's Life. At first, I pictured the book would be a semi-interesting, informative biography. I soon discovered inspiration and a wonderful story within the book's pages.

In a nutshell, Saint Gianna Molla was a modern day saint who lives between 1922 and 1962. She grew up with twelve siblings in a very religious family. She went to college to become a nurse to fulfill a need to help people. Gianna had four children herself, the last of which she sacrificed her life to give birth to. She remained as religious as her parents, and she went to mass every single day. She was the leader of many church youth and women's organizations. However, she also had many other interests such as opera, mountain climbing, and skiing. Of course, none of these took a larger place in her heart than that of her God.

Throughout the book, first-hand accounts of Gianna were given. In all of these accounts, family members and friends spoke of her appreciation of life and religion. One quote inpired me the most. "[Gianna took] pleasure in the small and great joys God grants us even in this world." I can always be greatful for the "great joys" that I experience such as when I succeed in a task or when I get a wonderful gift. This quote reminded me that we all should also be thankful for the "small joys" such as the weather on a nice day or a day that just seems to be going right. Often, I find this hard, but my eyes were opened to these small parts of my life.

During the pregnancy of her last child, Gianna discovered some complications that had three options to fix: an abortion, a surgery that would be very dangerous for the baby, or a surgery that would be very dangerous for Gianna. As she had a giving mother's spirit, Gianna chose the last option. Because of this, a few days after the baby was born, Gianna died. Her sacrifice for that of her child is incredible. I am not a mother, so I cannot really understand such love. I still ask myself, though, if I would be able to make such a sacrifice. Gianna knew that she would likely die, but she also knew that her baby would live. I also wonder how difficult the decision was to make.

There are thousands of Catholic saints out there. However, many of those modern saints are often overlooked. I am very glad that I could learn about a modern woman whose actions led her to become a saint. Who knows, maybe someone I know could become a saint.

"This is Your Moment, No Hesitation"

Every so often, I find a song that is so good, I listen to that song constantly. My newest song obsession is "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" by Shakira. This song has a killer beat that makes me want to dance. However, my favorite part about the song is the lyrics. Once I read the lyrics, I felt inspired and actually pretty confident.

The lyrics of "Waka Waka" are all about believing in oneself and being strong. Even the old adage "try, try again" is included in the inspirational message. One line of the song says "if you fall get up...and when you fall get up." Obviously, Shakira is singing about continuing the fight for whatever is needed, even if failure comes first. Every person fails at some point, and these lines remind us that failure is not necessarily the end.

My favorite line from this song says "your time to shine don't wait in line y vamos por todo" (which means "we go for all"). To me, this line is saying that we should go and take what we want to achieve. I also feel impowered and ready to face the world when I sing this to myself.

I continually play "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" everywhere. I love the song and the message that the lyrics send. This song was chosen to be the 2010 FIFA World Cup official song. After reading the lyrics and taking them into consideration, I can clearly see why. The song is empowering, and perfect for a soccer team hoping to win.

Food for Thought

Some books are pure entertainment. They take the reader into another world, and when the book is done, the reader thinks "hey, that was fun." Other books, however, not only entertain, but they also propel the reader into thought and questioning. One such book is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Not only did this book keep me reading, but I could not help but question myself, the characters, and both worlds: the real world and the fictional one.

The main character of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, was faced with great challenges during the annual Hunger Games during which her whole purpose was to kill everyone else in the arena. As I read, I found myself feeling almost weak. I know for a fact that if I were placed in the Hunger Games, I would be the first to die. Compared to Katniss and the other players, even the young and innocent Rue, I am seriously handicapped. I wondered how I could fare in such a situation, and I admired how the characters in the book showed such immense strength.

In the book, the Hunger Games are controlled by important people to make them interesting to watch and difficult to win. Throughout the book, the Gamemakers threw challenges and horrors at Katniss such as a spontaneous fire. However, they also seemed to bend the rules when they agreed to let two people win if they were from the same place. Then, a few days later, the Gamemakers revoked this rule. In other words, Katniss had to continually change her state of mind. One moment she has a partner, and the next she is supposed to kill him. I was astounded by how quickly she could adjust to these changes. As a person who resists change, I could see how difficult this would be.

I also was horrified at how a government could force such annual bloodshed. Not only did they force the Hunger Games to take place, they also forced all other citizens to watch. I cannot imagine how terrible watching such a program would be.

After I finished The Hunger Games, I found myself hungry for more so to speak. I cannot wait to find out how the rest of the trilogy plays out.

My Annotated Photo

A condensed look into my life. Click to see more...