Thankful

"Soon I was no longer visiting [the old churches] merely for the art. There was something else that attracted me: a kind of interior peace. I loved to be in these holy places. I had a kind of deep and strong conviction that I belonged there: that my rational nature was filled with profound desires and needs that could only find satisfaction in churches of God." --The Seven Storey Mountain (Thomas Merton), page 122

I had a completely different post in mind the last few days but after it failed to save three times, I'm thinking that post wasn't meant for that time.

Instead, inspired by this same quotation I had planned to use, and in light of the day it is in America today, I am thankful.

Above all other things, I am thankful for God and his Church: I am thankful that it has been so welcoming throughout the whole process of my inquisition. I am thankful for the priests and friends I have met who have taught me more than they likely realize. I am thankful for the conversations that have blossomed these last several months: perhaps I have taught others more than I realize. I am thankful for this new world which has been revealed to me in which I can ask my Blessed Mother for her aid and ask St. Christopher for his protection, yet still find myself so astoundingly ignorant of all the lovely saints or any of my Catholic relatives.

I am thankful for all I have learned and all I have yet to learn. I am thankful for my Confirmation Saint, though I know not who they are. I am thankful that my life has led me to this point, ready to bound toward the Sacraments as soon as I can. I am thankful for God's love and mercy, my Lord Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, the faithful throughout the ages.

I can't wait to see what the next year will bring and give thanks for it all.