Distractions

It was a busy time. A full semester of classes, working some, but mostly Student Government. And with that came distractions. I remember especially being so consumed with the activities of Student Government (and especially Fall 2013), that I lost sight of the Advent season. 

I recall helping prepare for Prep 2 Pass- a few evenings of tutoring sessions for students to prepare for finals. Two friends and I got the food for the Prep 2 Pass nights from an Afghan restaurant. Afterwards, we were in the car somewhere nearby the restaurant place that was near a business park. There were lights and a big Christmas tree all decorated and bright. 

It was probably only 2 weeks away from Christmas, and I realized how far away I felt spiritually for preparing for Christ's coming. I was so focused and enraptured by the happenings and people with Student Government, my classes and the many distractions around me that I lost sight of the true meaning of that special time before Christmas. I felt so...what's the word, detached, or unprepared. And almost like I lost a sense of my faith, my deeper self with all the noise, and distractions around me. 

It wasn't until the semester officially ended that I went on a silent Christmas retreat with my sister. I was finally able to dive into the true meaning of the season and really prepare for Christ's coming. I could process what had happened over the semester and grow closer in my faith and relationship with God. I realized how much more I needed to take my faith seriously and actually have it be a part of my daily life. 

That's when things started to shift, and in early 2014, I started to go to daily Mass and pray more, and I saw the changes instantly as well as gradually in getting stronger in faith and making it more my own.