The week since I last wrote you has felt like a year.
Taylor and Travis got engaged and my heart was almost as abuzz as all the group chats going off on my phone on Tuesday afternoon. What a joy to see and celebrate love!! I’ve grown up with Taylor Swift music, and I remember being so sad when I heard the song “Mastermind” because it was all about how she felt the need to engineer her own love story. Little did she know that less than two years later she would be swept off her feet by a football player who was ignited to pursue her, no games necessary. I love this for her and them! Here’s to many gorgeous, athletic, and tall babies (God willing!)
The mood shifted tragically on Wednesday when I heard about the shooting at the school Mass in Minneapolis. I can’t write much right now because just thinking about it brings me to tears. I will say that I heard the news and walked straight to Mass, where I sobbed in a pew along with countless other people who had the same inclination I did to mourn with Jesus, and a holy priest who offered the Mass for those students and the school. To be attacked while in the Mass is something too heavy. Lord, have mercy.
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Onto this week’s reflection:
One of my guilty pleasures is watching actors on Broadway share stories about their experience auditioning for shows. I think it’s so fun and inspiring and such a glamorous (and hard) life. Mostly, I’m just impressed with how they stay so resilient in the midst of constant rejection.
Anywho, this week I was served up a video (YouTube shorts, like the millennial I am) and I was so blown away by the girl’s attitude.
After dancing her booty off in a sweaty audition room with 36 other people, she took herself to the park and had a moment of reflection, sharing “I can’t believe this is my life! I get to put myself out there for all of these cool things, meet all of these awesome people, and audition for Broadway shows - how cool is that?!”
How cool is that?
What strikes me most is that the same person, auditioning over and over again, could have had a completely different response: “Ugh, I cannot believe I had to get up so early, do my hair, pay for all of these dance lessons, sit in a smelly hallway, and just get rejected again.” There’s nothing situationally different about these two experiences, but girly in the video blew me away because of how she chose to see the situation, and THAT’S how I want to see my own, awesome, adventurous life.
Traveling every week for work is exhausting. I’ve truly never been more tired, consistently, in my life. I get home to an empty fridge and try to find the right balance between nurturing my friendships and catching up on sleep and errands, and still haven’t gotten it quite right.
BUT.
I am so lucky to have this job. I love my clients and the work we are doing is impacting peoples’ lives in a meaningful way. I meet amazing people who have lived extraordinary lives. I get to stay in gorgeous hotels and work with people who are way smarter than I will ever be. I am so ridiculously blessed to have friends who love me and welcome me home every weekend with open arms and fun plans and keep me updated with voice memos, facetimes, and texts all week. I am so, so lucky.
I don’t think forcing “toxic positivity” is a healthy thing, but this is not that. It’s asking God for the grace to see this season of life for what it is: full, challenging, rewarding, and adventurous.
Maybe there’s something you’re doing now that feels monotonous or you know you need an attitude adjustment, and you’re struggling to celebrate your life as it is. I encourage you to take it to God and ask Him to show you how you can live it with more joy this week.
In Christ,
Jane
What I’m loving lately
Obsessed with this cashmere cardigan
I do not exaggerate, I believe I have worn this navy cardigan from Quince 20 out of the last 30 days. It’s my FAVORITE item of clothing - and I just bought it again in teak and forest green. It’s light enough to wear as we transition to fall, but also warm enough to be a base layer under a jacket as the temperature drops. I have the little cashmere comb and the sweater has HELD UP (trust me, I’ve been pushing to the limit). The perfect over dress plane look!!
A solid podcast
This podcast episode was veryyyy good. I listened thrice! Good for anyone who strugs with the fear of rejection, etc. And a good retelling of Beauty and the Beast (my favorite Disney musical).
St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, incoming!!
Blessed Pier Giorgio is getting canonized on Sunday! An absolute hero of a soon-to-be saint, Pier was raised in a wealthy Italian family, and his father was disappointed thinking that Pier was not doing enough with his life. Unbeknownst to his family, Pier was loving and serving the needy and the vulnerable. He led friends on quests to climb mountains, brought them to Mass, and led them in praying the rosary. He died when he was 24, and the funeral Mass was PACKED with the people who he loved so well. It was a surprise to everyone - his parents had no idea that their son had loved and served thousands of local people, and they had no idea that Pier was from a wealthy family! His story is a triumph - “Verso l’alto - to the heights!” I’ve been praying this novena in preparation - I highly encourage you to join me! I feel like there will be extra graces for his intercession on the day he becomes a saint :)
The fall is incoming.
My beloved pool closed yesterday… sad. But we move forward!! And the end of summer means the beginning of glorious fall <3 And there’s nothing better than wandering through Georgetown in the fall.
Prayer intentions
For a few special intentions