Debriefing - one week out

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

Tonight we had our first official whole-group meeting since returning from Louisville. That’s not to say we haven’t been hanging out, having lunches and dinners, and attending mass together, but tonight we took specific time out to reflect as a group where we are after a little longer than a week of being back in “normal” life.

It seems hard to return to “normal” life — school, homework, tests, roommates, boyfriends and girlfriends, sororities and fraternities, clubs, parties. It seems hard to explain to people who got to sleep all week, or who got to go on a booze cruise to Mexico, what we did with our spring break. It seems hard to find time to spend in meditation and prayer with God, and it seems even harder to listen to His call when our lives are focused on the mundane daily tasks. It seems hard to take what we learned and experienced in Louisville and apply it to our lives here in Blacksburg.

All at once, it seems like we’re so selfish, focusing on our relationships and homework more than serving others. At the same time, it seems like we’re so overwhelmed by life, leaving ourselves no time for prayer, reflection, service.

But we are making it work.

Everyone tonight had a different story to tell about the past week of adjustment. Everyone had a different idea of what had been crappy, happy, and awkward occurrences in their lives over the past week. And everyone definitely had a different take-away that they were immediately noticing — something in their lives that had distinctly changed because of our trip. Hearing everyone’s stories of introspective thinking and extroverted actions with others was awesome.

Some of us are more motivated to do service, and have specifically made more time in our lives to participate in service opportunities with Newman. Some of us are more motivated to continue our prayer lives that were so strong together in Louisville. Some of us are just trying to be kinder to others, or to listen better, or to find peace in a busy life, or to be more optimistic. But everyone was moved in some way to change something.

All week last week we talked about how we see God, and where we see God. I found myself looking around this week intensely for God, and I’ve realized that I can see Him literally everywhere if I think about it. I’m seeing Him in the gorgeous Blacksburg weather, in someone who holds the door for me, in conversation with friends and roommates, in my 11 new #bffsforlife who are willing and eager to share a meal or a conversation.

But I’m also finding myself wondering what I can do so that others might see God in me. I’m not talking about praying in the streets or being self-righteous. I’m talking about how I could be nicer, smile more, be more understanding, help someone. How I could put more love into my actions.

I ran across that Mother Teresa quote on Pinterest (typical) last weekend just after we returned. How fitting, I thought to myself. I even made the image my computer desktop background, to remind myself that even if I cannot do Earth-shattering things every day, I can put love into literally everything I do.

I think in our own individual ways, all 12 of us are striving to put more love into the world. We all became incredibly close during our week in Louisville, and I’m so thankful that those relationships are continuing even now that we’re back to our “normal” lives. In our relationships within our group, we are continuing to promote love, understanding, and openness. At the same time, in our relationships with God and with the world, we’re seeking the same things.

God couldn’t have picked a better time to put the 12 of us into one another’s lives, and He couldn’t have picked a better time to send us to Louisville, Kentucky. We thank Him for that, and we ask that His peace be with all of us as we continue our transition back to Blacksburg, and with all of the people we met in Louisville who changed us in so many ways.

-Liana