Game Changer

One of the main reasons I accepted the teaching job I currently have is because there is a 6:30 am Mass every day before school. I was not always able to go to daily Mass in college but the Eucharist is something that I desire more and more each time I receive. Now that I am almost a quarter of the way into my second year of teaching, daily Mass has become something that I not only desire but need in order to get through my day. Getting through my day, as a teacher, does not simply mean surviving. Getting through each day with the Eucharist inside of me means that I can shine Christ's light to each of my students even when I don't feel that joy myself. Part of the reflecting process leading up to my hip surgery has been realizing that I will not be able to go to daily Mass. I did not realize how much that would upset me. I desperately need Jesus, not just to be a good teacher but to be a good and faithful Child of God. When any of us walk out of a church anywhere in the world

Life is not a game, despite how much we act like it is at times. We want to be in control. We want to know and determine our future. In a game, of any kind, you can only do so much to change the outcome. You can only do your part. Sometimes that part isn't enough to make a difference and sometimes it makes all the difference. I've been reflecting on the phrase "game changer" a lot recently. It has come up in my life as a pattern of shifts that I cannot see coming. Sometimes these shifts are good and sometimes they are bad. In the end, God always finds a way to bring good from the bad. God is the ultimate Game Changer. The first time this phrase affected me was during a difficult conversation with my physical therapist. As of mid-August, I had been going to physical therapy for 9 weeks with the hope that the labral tear in my hip would heal without surgery. The outcome had been looking very good. I began physical therapy barely able to walk on my own without the