Pearl From an Oyster

"Circumstances must not control you; you must control circumstances. Do something to them! Even the irritations of life can be made stepping stones to salvation. An oyster develops a pearl because a grain of sand irritated it." This was an excerpt from a wonderful book I read last summer by V. Fulton J Sheen titled 'Remade for Happiness.'

I came across this point from the book recently as it reminded me of challenging situations and hardships that have happened in the past few years and some of the things that helped me, inspired and encouraged me.

These are good reminders for me now, as every season in life has its own share of hardship, suffering and growth. As of recently, I am undergoing some sadness and melancholy due to a special priest who is being transferred to another parish. It's hard not to get emotional about this change. I will miss his presence, his words of spiritual insight and wisdom, as well as his role as leader, and of course a spiritual father to the parish. I can't help but think of the hard times I was going through internally and this particular priest was a positive and encouraging presence to have around, whether that be in saying Mass, praying in the chapel, or receiving the Sacrament of Confession from him. In all, I have so much to be grateful for and I want to focus on that more.

This pearl from an oyster came in other forms in the last months and years. Just last year, I was looking through an old notebook from school that was used for Shakespeare notes, other English courses and International Relations notes. I was perusing through and looking back, and remembered my sister's old friend wrote on top of certain pages of little notes that made you smile since they were dispersed throughout. The thought of this old friend brought back inspiration as I recalled she was another kindred and creative soul, who also loved English and literature. My dear sister gave me the bracelet that her friend made, (and that notebook from her) that was so original and creative, it helped me throughout my long and hard work days.

I remember back in early 2017, I had an inspiration to make videos on YouTube. It was an outlet that I hadn't tried before and also thought it would be a good idea to be comfortable on camera. My idea was for English lessons, as I was tutoring students in person. This idea of making videos gradually led into Arabic language lessons to help me continue learning the Arabic language and share it with others. It helped me in moments when I didn't have a lot going on and another thing to pursue and find inspiration with on the side.

During difficult internal moments, prayer is always powerful and a way to turn a deep and personal challenging times into a prayer. To surrender to God, His plans, and to ask and hope for what I need. It's also been a beautiful way to turn the pains into something good and unite them with Jesus's sufferings and passion.

Also in 2017, I had the inspiration to get more into cooking, grocery shopping and was inspired to try out different recipes from my international cookbooks. I wanted to create and serve in some way, and first it was at home. But this desire deepened as those months went by, and I didn't know where to look to. With a lot of research and prayer, I was able to volunteer with a senior center and serve food. I feel in love with it and was grateful for those many months of uncertainty due to the fruition of hope and joy. I continue to enjoy cooking, making new recipes and have collected 2 binders full of recipes!

I wrote a lot due to various thoughts and feelings and wanted to jot things down. I would write in the pages of notebook, and still do, but creating Samakti was officially born out of a need and desire to write, to share and to become creative in another form.

These are just a few things that have encouraged me to change a circumstance within my control, to learn, grow from and grow closer to God. I am grateful for these experiences.