Why Do We Fall, Sir?

Well, first, before I explain why we fall, how about I explain what happens when we fall.

Since the fall of man, we've been falling left and right (whoa, whoa! Did I just say why we fall? Or what caused us to make ourselves fall, actually...). A sin here, a sin there. It's happened forever, basically. Now, since Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, we've been given the chance to confess and confess again. But we still fall, it's true.

When we fall it (I'm not sure if it happens for everyone, but I'm guessing it does for many) feels like we've just ended our world. That our lives aren't worth anything anymore; there is no chance. Sometimes when we fall we focus on our fall, leading into more and more falls. Despair. Presumption (in a sense, but not as much). It all happens when we focus on our fall. There is no chance. The point I guess I'm trying to say(I'm really not wording it like I'd like to...maybe I'll save it into a draft and try again some other time) is that focusing on our falls aren't really that healthy for us. Sure, it's only natural (hopefully, to all you people) to feel really guilty for your sins and an ultimate sense of failure ensues, but it could turn into something naturally (or maybe unnaturally) unhealthy for your soul.
You wake up and remember your failure the day before, "Oh look what you did yesterday. Look at yourself, you've failed." What's the next thing you should think of? Do you dwell on this failure and moan and think about it the whole day? Well, only if you're absolutely positive that this can help you. (But I'm not saying that it's bad to be upset the whole day about what you did, only when you dwell on it the whole day and basically nothing else.) Otherwise, the next thought in your head should come from your (so to say) own self which doesn't act on it's own accord (like, the thought of your failure the day before just automatically came into you, as if you didn't really say it; that it was just there. Whereas the next thought should come from you, where you get up and you think about it and come to your own conclusion, like from your own voice). This next thought should be something along the lines of "Yes, I failed yesterday. I was wrong, completely and truly. It eats inside of me, feeding on my faults. But I will do all that I can to starve this beast within me. God, in His infinite mercy, will give me the chance to start again. I will go out and do what I can today. Confession. And I will make darn sure I try harder this time. No chance of confession today? I will ask the Lord again and again for forgiveness and I will try again tomorrow, or whichever day I know I have the chance."
I used to dwell on whatever happened for a long time. Many times I tried not to, but occasionally I would give in. I know that that was alot worse than what I do now. I guess (in my own way) the best way to go on, when there is no chance for help or penance and all that that day, is to just look forward to that Penance and to not ignore the good things happening to you. When the thought comes along, which is only natural, I could say a prayer or an act of contrition; resolving to not fail again without a better fight and going back into the days work or activity and all that. Dwelling on it whenever the thought pops up certainly won't help.

I guess I won't really explain why we fall. I'm pretty sure all of you know; it's in our nature, grasping us to keep back. I won't really go into it. But now I can't really answer the question to my subject! It should actually be asked differently, though. The question should ask,

"What do we do when we fall, sir?"

Well, so we might better learn to pick ourselves up.

If I Was a Freebird!

So, two nights ago I had this wondeful dream. Really, it was wonderful. It was the first dream, you see, where I was able to fly!!

Some unknown guy with powers gave me the power to fly so that I can carry out some unknown task for him. Kinda freaky huh? I mean...I could've been doing this awful stuff for him without knowing it, just like in the movies!! But I knew I was doing good. Because, one! I never do bad deeds in my dreams (most the times)! And two! I felt like I was doing a good thing, like...say, I was helping a person get something he couldn't reach for in his age or what not, it just made me feel good. And three! Jonathan Lance and Royce kept chasing me around trying to catch me and stop me from doing anything and they were always rude about it...you can't be rude and doing a good thing! Can you? :-D
So, with this awesome power given to me, I was able to change into...guess what? A butterfly!! Pretty pathetic, huh? But the cool thing about my gift is, if I go full speed or something for about ten seconds I change into a sparrow (thankfully nobody shot me), after ten more seconds it was a hawk or something, then it was an eagle, then ten seconds more and I was a huge mix between a huge eagle and some type of hawk. I was pretty happy with the last thing. :-) I never figured out what I was supposed to do exactly though...my brothers kept giving me a hard time with finishing it. But Desi was on my side (reason four!) and as a token of my appreciation I flew her around the city and inbetween cars and what not. Theeeeen I woke up.

Deeper into life (as if a dream where I can finally fly isn't deep enough), I have been thinking about life again. Look at my life...I've got the best family I can wish for (this goes for my relatives as well), wonderful friends who I feel I can trust and talk to, priests all around who are always ready to help out. I've got wonderful pets, I'm easily entertained. Jasmine and Chumley and all sorts of instruments. I've got a great life!! Sure things can go wrong (and they do! They do...) but I can always go to someone to help me out sooner or later. But what I always think, is how much do I deserve this?? I don't think I deserve any of this. None at all. Maybe a glass of water after I helped someone build a house or something, but nothing greater in life. It just goes to show how much God is better than me by about a gajillion x infinity more times. It's like Jonathan said "How can we think we deserve anything from God? Especially Heaven?? One sin is all it takes to completely make us undeserving of anything." And it's true, sure he was talking to the YG about not thinking we should deserve Heaven for barely trying and what not, but those words made me think about life in general. What did I do to deserve all this? Absolutely nothing! The most I can do is (besides rambling on about it, which I've probably already done) is just be grateful with everything I've got for everything I've got and be ready in case (which would probably do some justice, if any) I'm to sacrifice it all for someone or some moral thing...kinda weird ain't it? I don't think I'm putting it into words too well, but I thought I might as well try for a post. :-D I shall end this subject reminding you all to be grateful with what you've got...though times are hard, it's definitely not as hard as things could be. In addition to that, we should definitely pray to those less fortunate than us.

Maybe a question could help this post? What are the saddest and happiest songs you've heard? It doesn't need to be the actual saddest song you can think of, but just one that comes to mind quickly or what not.

Damien

That Little Chipmunk Scared Me

Over the years, I've learned many lessons. Some of them I ignored at the time, some of them I still do...though I know I shouldn't. Some of them I just know I don't do by watching others! I can't really think of all of them, but here are some of the ones I like to remember.

• ...And someone is holding his arms over you, try a shot from behind your back; I was able to do it twice in a row!
• Never play on the blacktop in the summer...barefoot. It's really painful, but boy oh boy does water feel good afterwards!
• Never guard Royce when you're playing in flip-flops...he likes to step on them and almost make you fall.
• Never shoot an arrow straight into the air...with wind. It'll fly about 100 feet away from you and scare the living poo out of your brother and friend...who are downwind (it wasn't that much wind really...just alot way up in the air) and about 100 feet away.
• Never squeeze/drop your jamba juice cup UNLESS you want to pour it into another cup and share it with your friends.
• Hahaha, never make sharp turns on your first day of driving with a permit at 25 miles an hour with food in the back seat. It's a good way to spill Mexican sauces all over the wrong kinds of food.
• Never say hi to a talkative person when you know you don't have the time to talk.
• Never eat two corndogs and then go on the "Gravitron" four times in a row just to look for a pair of sunglasses you won at a 25 cent machine, but lost on the ride.
• When angry at a video game, never throw your controller or bang your mouse.
• Don't eat spaghetti/sloppy food during a test.
• Never go around camp after hours with someone who gets scared really easily.
• Never give a kid who barely touches guns a rifle that has no safety.
• Never eat "coacoa pebbles" cereal when you're sick.
• Never give someone the shotgun seat when he loves to DJ at full sound.
• Never talk about how girls can be at a boys' camp.
• Never walk up to a dog in the parking lot when you're scared for you life of it
• Never drive a tractor in or near the mud.
• Never make jokes where they won't get it and you'll just have to end up explaining the complete details of the joke and why it is funny when, by the time you're done, it isn't funny anymore because the moment has passed.

And last but not least.

• Never mix up your words when your family already presumes you've drank just a bit too much....

Toodles!

what you feel you should say...

Mi Own little reminder on what to post on next... :-D Oh! I know.. I promise I'll get one in by the end of this month.

"I love you" "No, not today"

Trust is an exciting thing. You simply acknowledge that you think this person will do this, that this person will not say this, that what you believe out of this person is true. With trust, one may reveal all his thoughts on the world, all his secrets, all his passions, every little urge that dwells in deepest parts of his bodies to someone with whom he believes in the most (having the most trust in, that is).
What makes trust an exciting poem, in a sense, is all the mystery behind it. Can this person really be trusted? Who am I to trust him? Why do I feel I can trust him when I’ve met him after only talking to him for about three minutes (in person :-D)? What are the consequences of my trusting this person? When can I know for sure? And ah yes, the inevitable (I’ve really taking a liking to that word lately) question, “am I to trust myself??”
It’s so awesome, the feeling of trust. When you know you can trust someone; you just know it. It’s like when you hear people in stories and movies talking one sentence to each other until one of them says, “I think we’re going to get along juuust fine.” They’re rarely asked why in those stories, but if they were, the answer would surely be something along the lines of “Oh, I’ve just got that feeling.” I wonder, if someone answered “Oh, I read a fortune from a fortune cookie that the next person I say that to will be for-sure true.” Would that count? I mean…that’s a lot of trust in a fortune cookie. But maybe that’s leaning a bit towards superstition? So let’s go with the first answer. I like that one anyways.
You see, trust can go everywhere; it’s a never-ending story, basically. You may trust someone, and lose it entirely for some reason, only to be completely mistaken and gaining it back, while the same thing happens to you where you are not trusted when you ought to be (though…I’m not sure if any normal man ought to be trusted entirely). It goes everywhere; it’s an exciting thing, really.
Now, trust may be an exciting thing, but not only is it exciting; trust is also dangerous. An extreme sense you can use for an example is giving a passing man a loaded gun, the keys to your house and the instructions: “Come, sit on my porch for a week and guard my house from trespassers. You can only use the keys to feed my kitty-witty, Lincoln and to feed your own face moderately.” All right, maybe this isn’t only an extreme sense, but a rather moronic, idiotic (if not entertaining) sense. But you all get the point right? I mean…you guys wouldn’t trust some guy off the street with your keys and a gun while you’re out sipping soda through a souvenir cup with a souvenir straw while admiring your souvenir fan hat at Disney World….RIGHT????
Trust gets really into it when someone breaks the trust; they may not know that they have, like say….they were caught, but don’t know it, but heck, they may know about it. They can do two things if their reason for mistrust is ever figured out (maybe they can do it before they figure out it’s known, but haven’t done anything about it on account of pride), they can either blow away the fact that it’s known, or feel guilty about it. Heck, maybe they’re even ignorant beyond reason! But the thing with trust is that, once it is broken, it causes a really deep wound so to say; one that still hurts throughout time. Now what I mean by hurt is this.
Someone breaks your trust, you feel bad at yourself for trusting them; you might feel angry at them for completely using your trust and throwing it down the garbage shoot. But then they come and ask for forgiveness, and you feel better again, like everything will be ok. Maybe that’s true with some people, but with a lot (I’m pretty sure) of the people, there will always be that wound. The hurt of the pain isn’t a feeling, like an “ouch” kind of thing, it’s more of a reminder, that this person did this to you. So, when trust is broken, but everything seems ok afterwards, there can be that hurt that always questions the true intention of the person. You remember this person breaking your trust before, so that little nagging thought always comes up “this person has broken it before, what if it’s starting over again? What if that little compliment was all but a part in another game of his/hers?” I’m guessing, that with some people, it may completely go so deep that they avoid this person entirely. But you may here, often, sometimes, whatever, that little saying “give him the benefit of the doubt” and there is an amazing analogy about how we should always try and do our best (cautiously, I would suggest) to give people a second chance.
Christ did so many things for us, painful things; things that would probably cause my sanity to collapse entirely where my legs buckle down and I have no more will left in me. Christ died for us. I mean, this is One of the Three Persons in God, the Son, who was sent to suffer and die for us, just so that we may be redeemed. He completed His task! No matter how difficult it was. But He did it, and there is no use denying that.
But what do so many of us do? We fall into sin. We are trapped by the temptations, we give in, and we fall into sin. We feel sorry for our sins (most of the time) and we repent, and Christ is ever so willing to forgive us. But we make it worse, we not only sin once and repent and go our own way. We sin, repent and go our own way, and then we sin again! And again, and again, and again, and again. We know we sin, Christ knows we sin. But what happens though? We repent; we feel truly sorry for what we do. And by God’s unending mercy, commands, and ways, we ask Christ to forgive us, and He does. I mean…here we (I) are (am), after having sinned so, many, times, asking Christ to forgive us!! Do I deserve it? Should I be forgiven? “Lord I am thine unworthy servant, do with me what thou wilt.”
I honestly don’t know how I myself can be forgiven, but that’s definitely because I’m not as great a person as Christ. It’s really hard to think about it (Christ forgiving people endlessly), but I do know that Christ does forgive me endlessly. It’s why He’s so great!! For me, it’s one of those kinds of mysteries. Where I don’t (or at least feel like I don’t) know why I’m forgiven, or how I’m forgiven, but I know it is so. Because God, through His Son, made it so.

I’ll try to end it with a prayer, that’s probably used by many, but that I like to think of as one I made myself. I’ve been doing it for a long while, especially before confessions, as a kind of way to acknowledge the gravity of sin.


Dear Jesus, how many times have I tempted You to let the cup pass?
How many times did I kiss You, giving You up for worldly items?
How many times did I grab You, bind You, and forced You on Your way to an completely wrong trial?
How many times did I utter false accusations along Your way, lying with what I can to get You condemned?
How many times have I denied Thee? How many?
How many times did I lay the scourge upon Your back? On Thy side? On Thy front?
How many times have I sent those thorns deep into Your head?
How many times have I beat You?
How many times have I completely mocked You, comparing You to the lowest speck of Earth?
How many?
How many times did I see no wrong in You, where I only saw holiness, goodness; that you were the true Son of God, yet condemned You to the cross?
How many times have I given You the cross, forcing You a burden on Your way to death?
How many times did I cause You to fall down, and did not pick you up?
How many times did I deny aiding Thee, and when it had been forced upon me to do so, did I make it known that it was not of my will?
How many?
How many times have I stripped You of your garments, causing the wounds to be re-opened?
How many times did I lay You on the cross and forced You to it by nailing your hands and Your feet?
How many times did I mock You even then, while You were at the last hours of your life?
How many times have I pierced Thy heart?
How many times have I sent Thee to the utmost agony?
How many?

And yet, after every confession you just know that Christ (maybe in my own, weird sense of things) looks past those things, once they are done with Him, and takes us in His arms and says “I absolve thee of all thy sins; you are forgiven.”
So, trust is an exciting thing. People can break our trust, causing the hurt in us. Heck, we can not only get hurt from trust being broken, but all manner of ill-doing towards us. But do we forgive them??



Oh, heck yes, we do.

Lent Is Still Going

So Hold Fast To Your Resolutions You Catholics, You!!

Damien

So you find all our pictures and you lay them down, you see familiar faces and you're comforted now.

So,

Lately, I've been really wanting to put up a post, only I couldn't think of what to put up!! I mean...I think I've lost most of my graces in making weird reports, at least for now (:-D ), so if I don't get it by the end of this post, I'll just keep it to one subject. Best be expecting alot of different subjects, though, just in case! ;-)

So, we had the Walk for Life, and though it was my first time and I thought the Pro-Choice group was just way out of hand, even though everyone said that that was nothing compared to how it's been. Good thing, too. I probably would have lost it. I really wanted to just tell those people more than I said (haha, and what I said to one person I shouldn't have said). Buuuut it was also cool to see so many people Walking, there! I mean...it was so cool! I was thinking, though. We've got to come up with some good slogans for those Pro-choicers out there. Haha, and that's the idea for this post: What would you guys have for signs next Walk?? I can't really give ideas though...because I'm not too sane in it. For instance, I'd want to have a sign saying "Oh yeah??? We're right, so POO ON YOU!!!!" and then at the bottom of the sign would be one of those little smileys, kinda like this one, if it'll work. (I think the second one would be better). But we've also got to do some chants of our own too! I was too chicken to do it this year, but I think, if everyone will do it (ha, I'm still acting chicken about it) we should do the one chant I had in mind.

"If you're Catholic (you could substitute Catholic for pro-life if any non-Catholics are present, but why do that??? :-D ) and you know it clap your hands! If you're Catholic (pro-life) and you know it clap your hands! If you're Catholic and you know it then your faith should surely show it, if you're Catholic and you know it clap your hands!

If you're Catholic (pro-life) and you know it------------"

Darn...my conscience made me stop. I wanted to keep going, too!! Oh! I know what I HAVE to wear at hte next Walk, some steel-tipped boots! You know...for the, uhhhh, long hiking. Oh! And a guitar. And a Boombox. And a really camcorder. Aaaaand yeah I think that's it. Oh and money, that we can stop to that one place that is really famous for their wings (haha, that's an overstatement!! Only if you know what I'm talking about, though....). But yeah, what can you guys seeing yourselves doing differently for the next Walk? I mean by signs and all that stuff.

Next subject! I just realized that it's been so stinking long since I've written on my blog! About time, too; it feels muuuuuuch funner than I remember. Oh, that gets me thinking! Do you guys say funner, or more fun? Funner is definitely a cooler word. Like....fruitbasket. Or hecka. Or crimony. Or pathetic (patha-etic, I like to pronounce it that way).
Ahh! I'm reading the Screwtape Letters...it's hecka good! I mean, crimony, it's super good! It's not one of those addictive books that you can just read all day (for me, at least, which is hard being that I like almost every book I like...except for that stupid book called "Swiss Family Robinson"...what a happy book), but it's one that get's you thinking after every letter! It's deep, it's so hecka cool.

Oooooooooooooh yeah. I remember this now. I would make long posts and it'd be hard to comment it all. well, I'll bottle up my excitement for the night and write again to my blog some other day. Let's say this. If, for some reason I absolutely can't write on my blog, then I'll be excused. But I promise that I will make a new post before this February is up, how about that? " src="file:///C:/PROGRA~1/Yahoo!/MESSEN~1/media/smileys/15.gif" align=textTop sm="15">
Toodles,

Damien

PS. Many thanks to those who in any way brought about the hastening of this post. As to many thanks for being my friends. For supporting the Walk of Life. And especially many thanks to the person who I used as a smiley-receiver, just so I could drag them onto this post! you know who you all are! (I'm Damien, by the way)