The Art of Thinking (Positively)

Hey y'all.

Today was actually a happy Monday :)

    I love ending my usually hectic Mondays by writing a letter to my three favorite people. Most days, posting cheers me up from an exhausting day at school and makes me fall asleep sooner with a smile on my face. Today, however, was an unusually fantastic day, and I'm grinning even now, as I sit squirreled away in a corner of the library, trying to get this published before midnight as well as complete my massive pile of homework.
     But enough about me and my peppy state of emotions. Time to reply to last week's posts:
     Merrrrrrcy: I get the aggravation you have at people who don't understand religion, or judge you for your personal relationship with Jesus. If it makes you feel any better, kids are only like that in high school because they want so desperately to have something, anything to stand for, and they think it makes them look cool to have no respect for other people's beliefs (seriously, the only differences between high school and middle school are STDs and driver's licenses). So, keep calm and Jesus on, honey. It gets better eventually, kids outgrow their pigheadedness and develop tolerance.

    Rosieeeee- you visited me yesterday and met some of my friends and it was actually lovely to have three-fourths of our family on campus.
    And what the Sam heck was your post even about?

Sam heck- get it? Monday is punday

    Graaaaaace- I just love you. You're so resilient and insightful and wise. I can't wait to see what happens when you happen to the world.
    And I can't wait to start the pirate round story next week!

    So, I've been trying think positively this past week and it's literally changing my world. Earlier last week I was not in a good place and I hated everything and I didn't want to be me. And I realized that since I came to school I've just become a very ungrateful person who has lost sight of what God blessed me with. And so I decided to try thinking happy thoughts, and you know what? It's really working.
Things Laura Has To Be Thankful For:
1. A wonderful family and a very understanding, accepting mother
2. An incredible opportunity to go to one of the best colleges in the country 
3. Only one B on my report card :)
4. An amazing, weird, hilarious, supportive, diverse group of friends here at SHU, ranging from nursing majors to choir nerds to theater kids to Jesus freaks
5. Coffee.
6. A warm bed to crawl into after a long day of colleging
7. Love and encouragement from people back home
8. Warm clothes and cute knitted things to wear around campus as fall settles in
9. The beautiful New England foliage, sights and sounds of autumn
10. The grace of a wonderful God, who catches me when I fall and loves me best in my ugliest moments
    This weekend was Family Weekend at SHU. I went from a fantastic choir dress rehearsal to home on Saturday, and I had a ball just hanging out with my family and got to eat Mom's food and take a shower in my very own bathroom. On Sunday I sang in Mass and then The Roommate and I got ready for our choir concert, and I felt so elegant in my dress and all the girls looked beautiful and the guys looked so handsome (something about a guy in a tux...it makes even the biggest geeks look dashing). We sang our hearts out and laughed and had a great time, and I don't know why I was so nervous beforehand. And today I got a great night's sleep and drank coffee and had a nice conversation with the Scum of Trumbull (my large firefighter friend) and he gave me guy advice and thoroughly distracted me from any studying whatsoever. I laid out in the sun with Rachel and laughed through choir practice and ate dinner with some of my favorite people and went to theater and laughed some more. And for the first time in awhile I felt truly alive.
    I haven't been doing fine on my own. I've been broken, anxious, bleak, drained. I've been getting help, and by the grace of God I am waking up again, seizing the day and making the most of where He has me. Sometimes I scare myself. But by simply thinking happy thoughts I have been able to draw out of myself and live. And it has been truly wonderful.
    It's a beautiful world out there, girls. We only have to stop and look out for it.
It's 11;42 and I have a paper to write. So, I must away. Mercy, I anticipate hearing from you tomorrow.
--Laura :)