Happy Thanksgiving (and Remember the Turkey Trot!)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, 

Praise Him all creatures here below, 

Praise Him above ye heavenly host,

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  

And don't forget about the Virtual Turkey Trot!  Be sure to get your 3.1 miles in anytime between now and Monday and be ready to link up (or email me or Jen your pictures and we'll post for you) next week!  Remember...if we get people from 10 states, we'll be making donations to the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots!

In Case You Missed It....

"It’s a euphoria you can’t buy and you can’t manufacture and you can take this win (with you) for the rest of your life.” ~Glenn Spencer (our defensive coordinator)


....  Pokes Win, Pokes Win!!

Last Saturday Cousin Swiss Mister and I were sworn, mortal enemies when his beloved Bears took on my Pokes on the football field.  (Sadly since he lives in Switzerland and I was busy studying for the bar, we didn't get to attend in person, but here are some flashback shots at prior events each dressed in our respective favorite colors!)

 

I am happy to report that the good guys came out on top (in dominating style) and the final score was 49-17.

 

 So now we have a week off to eat some turkey and get ready for the Bedlam battle against OU.  A win gets us the Big 12 Championship and a BCS bowl game.  The last time that was on the line at Bedlam ended up being one of the three most exciting sporting events of my life.  Here's to that happening again!

 

 

Boys Behind The Blog Link Up

So last week I was working away on a Power Point for a class I am teaching while the real professor is out of town (hot topics in ag law) when I saw a new blog post from College Roomie.  Well, she found a super fun link up called "Boys Behind The Blog" where bloggers ask 5 questions of their significant others and post the answers on the blog. 

Well, given how much you all loved the prior Boy from Texas question series, I knew I wanted to participate.  But I also have my adorable nephew, Little Cowboy, who generally gives the funniest answers to questions that you can think of in our series Ask Little Cowboy.  So, I got him involved too. 

Today, you get a double version of the Boys Behind The Blog.....The Boy from Texas and Little Cowboy Style!

First up, we have The Boy from Texas.

What is your favorite singer or band?  The Great Divide. 

What was your first tape or cd?  Something Clint Black.  {Then he proceeded to spend like 10 minutes trying to Google this certain song and finally gave up.}

First concert?  Cross Canadian Ragweed.  {His love of Texas Country music makes my heart happy.}

Favorite Thanksgiving food?  Brisket and mashed potatoes.  I'm not much on turkey.  {Lord I love country boys!}

Finish this sentence....I am thankful for ____:  Being alive and healthy.  {I pointed out that College Roomie's husband was thankful for her, he said that if he wasn't alive, it wouldn't matter if he had me or not.  Dang logical thinking.}

And now, Little Cowboy.

What is your favorite singer or band?  Miranda Lambert, because she sings good.  {He's not telling you the real reason....which you read on this prior blog.}

What was your first tape or cd?  Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain by Willie Nelson.  {Yep. That was his answer.  He's 6.  With an old soul.}

What was your first concert?  I've never been to a concert, but I'd like to go see Turnpike

Troubadours.  {Someone's parents are doing something right.}

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?  Turkey!

Finish this sentence:  I am thankful for _____.  God.  {Hard to argue that "Aunt Tiff" should trump that answer.}

Happy Birthday Little Brother!

"To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." - Clara Ortega

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 27th Birthday to my favorite brother.

To Do List

I got this little reminder from my very favorite assistant earlier this week and wanted to share.

 



 

Sneaky Friends and the Perfect Present

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”   ~Marcel Proust

My friends are sneaky.  They lie to me and plot behind my back and probably email each other laughing at how I haven't got a clue.  And maybe I deserve that.  I lied to College Roomie for one month and three days.  I shocked a newly engaged Loud Oklahoma Girl and a pregnant SoulMate Friend (who thought the surprise might have been a stripper).  And the poor Boy from Texas has been surprised by me a couple times showing up at his house unannounced (not that he's complained....)  But they got me back with  my birthday present this year.  Here's how it went down.

My understanding is that College Roomie was the mastermind behind this little ploy.  She got together with my best friends, The Boy from Texas, and my family to put it all together.  They bought a Pandora charm bracelet.  And then each of the people who mean the most to me purchased a charm for me.   And the finished product was my birthday present.

There was a longhorn from Hometown Friend to represent our high school mascot.  An airplane from ND Friend and Super Mom to remind me of my miracle at the Grotto.  A suitcase from Uncle Buddy to remember our trip to Notre Dame.  Four hearts from my parents to represent my family.  A ship from Mrs. Arizona to commemorate our time spent riding the Skipper to Seattle.  A trolley car from Gonzaga Friend who I met in San Francisco.  There was a 4-H clover and a clown (I used to collect them as a kid) from Aunt Delta Dawn.  A globe to represent my love of travel and a pink ribbon for the annual family Mud Run from Aunt Evil Kineval.  A sunshine from Queso.  A gift package (representing the gift of friendship) from College Roomie.  A camera from my favorite travel partner, Cousin Whitney.  A birthday cake and a cross from the Oklahoma Girls.  Leaves called "autumn blessings" from SoulMate Friend to show all of the life changes our friendship has seen.  Oh, and the shiny gift promised to me by The Boy from Texas?  A charm with stars on it (representing Texas, of course) and diamonds in the center of each star.

I can't believe that they pulled this off.  That no one bought the same charm.  That no one slipped and told me.  That my genius self didn't figure it out.  It was the best birthday present I have ever gotten. 

My bracelet--and my life--are full of wonderful memories with wonderful people.  My cup (and wrist) runneth over.

Glory Days

Yesterday I was reading through some old blogs written by Courtney at Vintch.  She's one of my absolute favorite bloggers and I swear she's the best writer on the internet.

Anyway, I stumbled across this old blog post titled Glory Days.

"Maybe these are my glory days, and I'm not even realizing it.  Because they don't involve my own home.  They don't involve babies.  They don't involve the perfect career.  They don't involve a master's degree {yet}. They don't involve a cure for my stutter.

But that's okay.

Because these are my glory days and I refuse to let another precious one slip by without grasping it.  Holding onto it and relishing it.  One day these days will only be a memory."

What powerful words.  It's so easy to get caught up in the looking forward.  In the waiting game.  In the comparisons to other people's lives.  And when we do that, we forget to live our now...our glory days.

We spend so much time waiting for our lives to start....I mean really  start.  We wait until we graduate.  Until we have a job.  Until we have a better job.  Until we own a house.  Until we find a boyfriend.  Until we live in the same area code with said boyfriend (oh wait...that's just me.)  Until we have a ring on our finger.  Until we wear a white dress and dance under the stars.  Until we have sleepless nights and a crying little one.  Until the crying little one is in school.....

And if we're not careful, we'll wake up one day and realize that we've been so busy waiting for life to start, that we've missed it.  That we've missed the glory days because they were dressed up like regular ones and we were too dumb to notice.

We'll miss sunsets and birthday cards and smiles from strangers.  We'll miss the chance to travel and the chance to sleep in and the chance to try something new.  We'll overlook kind words and laughing until our stomachs hurt and the goodness of fresh cookies out of the oven. 

I think that we would see these everyday moments as the glory days if we would just stop, quit looking forward, and appreciate the now.

Coming Soon...

....a full blog post on my Birthday Bash festivities with my favorite girls.  For now, this pretty well sums it all up.

30 by 30: Final* Report

You'll note the * next to "final" and probably realize that I didn't get my 30 by 30 list finished.  No worries, I will continue working on the items that I didn't quite get knocked off and add one more and we're going to now call it the 31 by 31 list!  Fake it 'til you make it, kids! 

For this final* report, let's look at what I did complete and what is still remaining:

Completed Items

 

1.  Cook 10 new recipes.  I did 24.  Overachiever, I know!  You can see all of the recipes that I made by clicking here and scrolling through the blogs.

 

2.  Go camping.  Crossed this baby off this summer at the lake with the family and the Boy from Texas.

  

3.  Run another half marathon.  I ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon last April with Loud Oklahoma Girl and loved it!  There has been talk about doing it again next year...
 

  

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list.  Done times 5.  They were: give a stranger $100, visit Auschwitz, take a great trip for my 30th birthday, dancing at Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth and getting an article published in a magazine.

 

8.  Send a little gift to my friends once a month.  This was one of my very favorite list items and I hope that my amigos enjoyed it as well!

 

9.  Eat in 10 new restaurants.  I pulled off 16.  Clearly food is not an area where I fail to make my goals.

 

13.  Create a gallery wall.  I did three--two at home and one at the office.
 

My bedroom gallery wall.

 

15.  Go to church every day for a week.  I really enjoyed this list item and think that I might incorporate it in again!

 

16.  Visit 2 new states.  Michigan and Washington are now off my list!
 

College Roomie's wedding in Washington.

 

17.  Take Little Cowboy on a Tiff/Little Cowboy Day of Fun.  We did this baby and ended up with a whole list of funny Little Cowboy quotes to share.

 

20.  Take a day off work just because.  Honey, please, I took 2 months.

 

21.  Try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.  Did it, drank it, felt kinda jittery, not sure what all the rage is.

 

22.  Send money anonymously to someone at Christmas.  This was my absolute favorite item.  I was even able to see a post that the recipient did talking about the anonymous gift and what it meant and it just made my heart smile.

 

24.  Finally buy a duvet.  Did that and love it.  Not quite as much as I loved the big fluffy white one I cuddled up in on cold nights with the window open in San Francisco, but I love it anyway.

 

26.  Ride the tram.  Did this one with Loud Oklahoma Girl right before I moved away from NM.

 

28.  Get one of my photos printed on canvas for myself.  I printed 3 and hung them in my office.  Looks pretty good if I do say so myself!

 

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month.  I do love me some fresh flowers in the house. 

 

30.  Pray a voiceless prayer.  Did this at Notre Dame a couple of months ago. 

 

 

 

Remaining items

 

5.  Get a draft of Uncle Black Belt's book put together.  I am so excited about this list item and I just have to make time to sit down and get to typing.  I've enlisted some design help from ND Friend and we're going to have this baby set up in no time!

 

6.  Do my 2011 and 2012 scrapbooks.  If I'm honest, I'm not sure I am going to do this.  I did one for 2010 and it was cool.  But I don't know if I think it's cool enough to spend all the time doing it...plus I have my blog which kinda serves the same purpose....I'm on the fence.

 

7.  Read 24 more books.  I only got to 13.  I guess I was too busy, you know, changing up my entire life and spending time with a cute boy from Texas to keep my reading up to snuff.

 

10.  Apply to The Amazing Race.  Y'all.  I've got to get this done.  My family votes for Cousin Swiss Mister to be my partner, but after seeing him catch the tailgate on fire and try to break a fire log over his knee, I'm less sure about that then ever!

 

11.  Set a new 5K PR.  I don't even think I ran an official 5K during the last year.  I'm on this one.  Seriously, this is one that will happen!

  

12.  Listen to the New Testament on my iPod.  Again, I just have to make time to do this one.  And figure out how to get the files from a cd to my iPad.

 

14.  Learn to parallel park.  Well big fat fail here.  Once I bought my truck, I pretty much gave up on this.  I have, however, identified an expert teacher.  One Tiny Dancer....

 

18.  Work on a family tree.  No excuse.  Just didn't do it.

 

19.  Take my quilts to a quilter.  One quilt is at a quilter.  The other is not.  Stand by...

 

23.  Take a kid trick-or-treating.  I don't own a kid and was out of town for Halloween.  Whatcha gonna do?

 

25.  Read a classic.  I need to apologize to my mother and The Godfather now.  I have failed.

 

27.  Host a themed cooking party.  Why did I put this on here?  I'm not as cool as ND Friend!  Crap.

 

 

The Newest Item

 

31.  Work out 30 days straight.  I've heard of people doing this and I like the idea of a challenge.  Plus, it will come in handy for me to get that dang 5K PR time checked off the list!


What would you put on your list??

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Quick Takes

My friend Super Mom links up for Seven Quick Takes every week, so I figured it was time for me to join in the fun!

(1)  I could not be more excited about this weekend.....I have 9 of my favorite ladies headed to town today to celebrate my birthday (yes...I'm still celebrating two weeks later...don't judge)!  We've got lots of fun planned, but the big event is watching my OSU Cowboys beat up on the Texas Longhorns tomorrow in Austin!  CANNOT WAIT.

OSU v. Texas game circa 2009...this ending best be better than that one!

(2)  Last Thursday, these arrived on my desk.  My favorite flowers.  And a precious card.  That boyfriend of mine......I think I'll keep him around.

(3)  I am in love with Compass by Lady Antebellum right now.  If you haven't heard it, listen right this minute.

(4)  I'll be spending Thanksgiving Day with year with The Boy from Texas and his family.  Now, being a good country girl, I knew I had to cook something to take.  But, well, you all remember about how I almost burn my house down and what not when I try to be domestic.  However, Super Mom came to my rescue with this pumpkin crunch recipe that I will be whipping up for the event.  Wish me (and all of those who consume said cake) luck!

(5)  Let's talk about how much I hate Fantasy Football right now.  I drafted good teams.  I am literally projected to win almost every week.  My records in the two leagues I'm in?  5-5 and 3-7.  How does this happen, you ask?  I have had at least 5 guys out with season-ending injuries, Aaron Rodgers' collar bone is making me lose sleep, and don't even get me started on what a colossal flop my first round pick Trent Richardson was.  Oh, and for those of you who recall a little bet about who will be moving to be with whom based on Fantasy Football....The Boy from Texas has now officially beat me twice.  By like 50 points each time.  Yea.

(6)  One of my favorite bloggers, The Single Woman, recently wrote a book.  She also wrote a blog explaining why she decided to take on the book writing task.  If you're single....or were single....or know someone who is single....read this blog.  She understands both the downside and the upside to being single long after everyone else in the world seems to have a husband.

(7)  I'm excited about the Virtual Turkey Trot that Almost Gypsy Soul and I are hosting!  To read more about that, click here.  Basically you just have to run or walk a 5K over the week or so around Thanksgiving--whether an official race or just you jogging down a dirt road, which is my plan--and let us know.  You can email us photos or can do your own blog about it.  Here's the best part.....if we get participants from 10 states, we are making donations to the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots!!  So help some girls out here!

30 by 30: Month 12

This is it, kids.  Over the last year, I've worked on my list and reported to you each month on my progress.  Today I'll be sharing the last monthly progress report and next week I will recap the entire 30 by 30 list and let you know what still remains (and how I plan to keep moving forward).

But, for starters, here goes the report for October!

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (24/10 completed).

I think that of all of the recipes I've made during the last year, this one is my favorite.  I found it on Pinterest (where else) and it's made with all fresh ingredients, which I like.  If you want to eat some awesome broccoli cheddar soup, check out the recipe here.

8.  Send a little gift to my friends once a month (12/12 completed).

This month, I had a house full of people come visit me.....and they included three of the cutest little boys in the world.  I decided we needed to have some goodies to give to them, so I put together a bag of fun stuff while they were at my house...balloons, silly string, balls, lots of candy....and some bags for the road when they left (books, snacks, suckers, more balls).  I don't believe in seeing a kid and not giving them some sort of present.  Bribery to like me?  Perhaps.  Oh, and I failed to take any pictures, but to see the fun that was had, check out Super Mom's blog here.


21.  Try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

I had heard about the PSL for years....I have some friends who act like a little kid on Christmas morning when they come out each fall.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all (unless I'm in Europe), but I broke my rule to try the PSL.  And it just so happened that I did this with ND Friend, maybe the biggest coffee lover that I know, showing me the ropes. 

What did I think,  you ask?  Eh...I wasn't a huge fan.  The pumpkin flavor was good, but there must be a crap ton of sugar and caffeine in there because I felt all jumpy and jittery for a couple of hours after drinking it.  So while I'm glad I can cross this one off the list, I won't be a regular in the Starbucks line anytime soon.


29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (12/12 completed).

I realized I forgot to report for the last month (a simple bouquet of colored daisies...purple, orange, green).  This month I mixed things up a bit and bought....tulip bulbs!  I've had "grow my own tulips" on my bucket list for years and I'm now starting that process.  I planted them in two big pots on my front porch and intend to get some planted in the flowerbed in my front yard soon!

Bear for a Night

“And a special thanks for not burning up the whole ship. Including yourself, you daft bum-rag.” 
~ Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan

Cousin Swiss Mister is a Baylor Bear fan through and through.  I'm not sure that I've ever seen anyone be quite so proud of his alma mater.  So I wasn't all that surprised when he announced that he was going to fly 5,000 miles from Switzerland to attend the Baylor v. OU game last Thursday.  I was lucky enough to get an invite to this shindig.  Well, you know that I love all things college football AND Cousin Swiss Mister, so you best believe I was there!

We kicked things off with a little tailgating with some of Cousin Swiss Mister's friends.  This included a live 80's cover band and free bbq for everyone.  Hard to beat that!

 The best part of the night was when Cousin Swiss Mister, an admitted pyro, decided that the "redneck fire pit" needed another log.  (The fire pit was a metal bucket with charcoal and 1/2 a fire long in it to keep everyone warm.  Cousin Swiss Mister threw the half a fire log from across the tailgate to the bucket.  It was kind of like slow motion....you could see the disaster fixing to happen, but couldn't stop it.  Of course, the bucket tips over and catches the grass on fire.  Right next to a truck tire.  Cousin Swiss Mister tried to stomp it out with his tennis shoes.  We had no water (would beer have helped or make it worse?!?).  At one point he drugs his foot across it instead of stomping, which sent sparks everywhere.  Finally a nice guy in steel toed boots came over and helped stomp things out and someone else brought over some water to pour on the grass.  You literally never know what kind of disaster is coming next with this kid.

Then we headed to the stadium for the game.  Baylor did a black out and I have to admit I was impressed that just about every single Baylor fan complied and was decked out in black, myself included.

The game started out slow and kind of strange---I thought Cousin Swiss Mister might have a heart attack.  But in the end, his Bears pulled out the big W against Oklahoma and remained undefeated.  He was one happy camper. 

So that was my being a Bear for a night.  His Bears are on a collision course with my Pokes in two weeks....winner will have a huge shot at a Big 12 title.....so my green and gold days are limited!

Why We Show Up for Funerals

"It's all about respect, respect, respect.  It's about taking an hour or two out of your life to honor someone else's.  It costs so little and it gives so much back."  ~Bunny Terry

Last week I read a blog post by another Logan native and it absolutely blew me away.  The post is called, "Always Go To The Funeral - New Mexico style."  To read it, click here.

I have been to most funerals in my first 30 years than most people go to in their lifetimes.  I did a quick count last night and came up with 32 off the top of my head, and that was without really sitting down and thinking.  I've been to several of the same funerals that Bunny mentions in her blog.  I've sat in a packed gymnasium, in a tiny church on a hill, and next to a graveside by the interstate.  I've carried a casket and given two eulogies and cried countless tears.  It was at a funeral that I first saw my dad with tears in his eyes and first heard the song, "I Can Only Imagine," and have seen more examples of unfailing faith than I could even begin to describe.

But what I've learned from these experiences is that rural communities--especially those in rural New Mexico--pull together in hard times.   That starts with showing up for the funeral.  We manage to make something right out of situations that are nothing but wrong. We bring an enchilada casserole and wear our Sunday best.  We love and pray and support the families who have lost their loved one because even if not blood related, many times it feels like losing a family member of our own.

I don't wish the pain of losing someone who you love on anyone in the world.  But if that day comes, I do wish that everyone could have the support of the small towns in Eastern New Mexico where I grew up.  Because as I've said before, those communities are never finer than when the time comes to honor one of their own.  I've watched this sense of community pull people through their absolute darkest hour with prayer and encouragement and a helping hand.

That's why it matters.  That's why we show up for funerals.

A Weekend in Ft. Worth with the Boy

"She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people..." ~Nicholas Sparks

At 3:00 on Friday afternoon, I got a call from a pretty excited Boy from Texas who said, "I'm on the way to Ft. Worth, get headed north!"  We were hoping to be able to meet up in Ft. Worth this weekend, but we had to wait to get the green light from a truck dealership where he had to pick up something for work.  I had pretty much given up hope, so I was beyond excited to get that phone call and hop in my truck for a little road trip.

Y'all.  I have the sweetest boyfriend in the entire world and we had an absolute blast.  I probably think this every time we hang out, but this might be one of my favorite weekends.  We ate a lot, saw some friends, caught up with Aunt Delta Dawn, did some shopping, watched some football....it was awesome.

With Ski Trip John at Rodeo Goat

 We also went on what we called our first actual dinner date.  It's true....we've been dating for over 8 months and Saturday night was the first time that we ever got dressed up and went to dinner, just the two of us.  At one point on the way to the restaurant, The Boy from Texas said, "You know, it's kinda weird spending time with you and not having 40 people following us around."  Ha!  To celebrate....fajitas for everyone!

I realize that this sounds cheesy and annoying and all of those things, but sometimes in this relationship I feel like I need to pinch myself to see if it's real.  More than once this weekend, I thought to myself, "Stop and look around.  This is what you wanted for so long and were sure you'd never find."

I waited for a long time for The Boy from Texas to make his appearance...but from where I'm sitting, that wait was worth every minute.


*Linking up with Weekend Shenanigans and This Weekend I... and Miscellany Monday.

The Voiceless Prayer and a Toy Airplane

“The truth is that God has a miracle planned for you too, if you are willing to expect it, look for it, and wait for it to play out in God's perfect timing.”   ~Tracie Miles

As you might recall, I checked "pray a voiceless prayer" off of my 30 by 30 list while I was at Notre Dame in September.  At that time, I wasn't sure whether I'd blog about that little event or not.  But over the last couple of months I've had several things happen that made me feel like I should share the story because it might speak to someone else in a way I couldn't know.  Anyway, I was still debating when Super Mom posted about her prayers being answered by St. Therese and a miracle flower appearing outside her church.  So, I figured if she could share, I could share.  Here we go.

Over the course of the year, I had several different ideas of what I might leave for my voiceless prayer.  In the end, I decided on praying my voiceless prayer at the Grotto at Notre Dame, which is hands down one of the most spiritual and beautiful places I have ever been.

 

Given the fact that I'm in this long distance relationship that you all are well aware of, I wanted to leave something having to do with that situation....something to ask that all of this work out to where The Boy from Texas and I can live, you know, in the same zip code (hopefully sooner rather than later!)  I decided that a toy airplane would be the proper item to leave at the Grotto as my voiceless prayer.  But, well, life got crazy and I got behind and ended up on the way to Notre Dame with no toy airplane purchased.  Never fear, Southwest Airlines to the rescue.  I decided that a bag of airline peanuts would serve the same purpose, so my plan was in place.

On a cold, dark September morning, I began a run around St. Mary and St. Joseph's Lakes on the campus of the University of Notre Dame under the shadow of the Golden Dome.  It is my absolute favorite place to run in the world.  I approached the Grotto and it was almost empty, save a man replenishing candles and another man praying. 

 

I lit a candle, knelt for a while, and left my peanuts on the railing.  If you've never done a voiceless prayer, I'd highly recommend it.  There is something special about offering up a tangible item and walking away, trusting that God hears and sees and understands.

 

 

So, then I continued my loop around the lakes and watched the sun begin to come up that morning.  As I finished the run, I was walking back along the path near the Grotto thinking about all the things we had to do that day.  As I walked, I glanced down and something caught my eye.  In disbelief, I knelt down.  A toy airplane.  No lie.  Just laying there.  I hadn't seen it on my way in and there was no one else around.  But there it laid.  I snapped this picture and continued on my way.

 

Well then about 5 minutes later, I realized that I should have picked up the airplane and kept it as a reminder to have faith in this situation.  (I'm a little slow, obviously.)  So I turned around and headed back down the path to pick up the plane.  And it was gone.  Nowhere to be found. 

I suppose that you could argue that all of this could have been pure coincidence.  That some kid dropped his toy and someone else picked it up.  After all, we are now 2 months down the road and The Boy from Texas and I still live in different zip codes.  Perhaps you could argue that it was nothing divine at all.  You could argue that....but I'll never believe it. 

 

When I left the Grotto that morning, as the sun began to rise over the steeples of the Basilica and the campus would soon be bustling with people and bagpipes and drumlines, I took with me a gentle reminder that God is there.  That He hears our prayers, even the voiceless ones.  That He answers them, albeit maybe not in ways that we would expect.  And that we must have faith in Him.  Even when we are left with no tangible proof that He listens, we must have faith that He does....listen, hear, and answer in his time.