Love and Beauty

Sitting in a cute little coffee shop eating a blueberry parfait and sipping on a delicious dark roast, I'm smiling. So many lovely opportunities have come my way this summer; from being a Totus Tuus teacher, to different forms of volunteering, or to finding lovely local coffee shops-there has been so much love this summer! And with an open heart and an open mind, I look forward to the future as I start my next chapter at Franciscan University in 4 DAYS! There is so much to look forward to, but there is also lots I am going to miss. As my time in Milwaukee comes to an end, I am starting more and more to miss the city that I have called home all my life. The city life in Milwaukee is like no other city and there are so many cute little shops to wander into, resulting in a couple hour pit stop. Milwaukee also has so many wonderful coffee shops (which I love because I clearly love coffee) that I will miss; from Colectivo, to Roshambo, to Peet's- I will miss them all! But coffee is found everywhere, so I hope to find some little coffee shops just as grand as these.

Yesterday was the celebration of the Feast Of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. It was such a wonderful and blessed day! I was able to go to mass at a church I had never been to in Milwaukee (St. Stanislaus) which also happened to a Latin mass, which I had never encountered before. After the mass  there was a procession around the block as we sang songs to Mary. The night was ended with benediction-what a lovely way to end the night! Prior to mass, my mom and I stopped at the Marian Center with every intention of making it a short trip-we ended up staying for about an hour talking. Its conversation like that that I miss from Totus Tuus and can't wait to experience at Franciscan in the fall! We were then blessed enough to pray the Angelus with them in front of this beautiful statue:

As I spend my last days with my family and friends, I see so much love and beauty. I see love in their actions, words and just bursting out of them; the same can be said about their beauty. The friends and family that surround me are the best and most wonderful I could ever ask for, which makes it very difficult to leave. When I get caught up in the move and transition, I keep on praying and repeating this line:

~Spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders, let me walk upon the waters, in the presence of my Savior~

In 4 days I will be in a new state, a college, a new chapter of my life; but honestly I cant wait to make new memories!

Totus Tuus Maria!