Graduation!

Graduation day was a joy. Beautiful weather. Fun in gowns and tassels. Uplifting commencement speeches. Hard-earned diplomas received. Family and loving, encouraging friends surrounded. Heartfelt congratulations and hugs. A small, happy party afterward. Grateful hearts.

Throughout the events of the day, this Scripture verse kept resounding through my heart:

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope." Jeremiah 29:11

He sure does! We have no greater responsibility than to trust Him with our lives, for His timing is amazingly perfect. This knowledge allows me to cast myself with such a carefree, joyful sense of abandon into His arms as we move ahead to the next chapter of our lives. Andrew is continuing on to 2 years of graduate work for Theology, and I go back full-swing into the work field, which I am more than content to do, and grateful for!...more on that later, as previously promised. :)

(Andrew was asked a few questions before the commencement by a reporter. See here.)


A big thank you to Mom, my first educator!




A delicious feast...thank you Mom, Laura, & Gabe!

Thanks to Rose T. for the beautiful and delicious cake!

The 3 seniors present at our party cut the cake ;)

Done!

As of Wednesday night, both Andrew and I were done with the labor of our undergraduate years! It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I'm sure by this evening, when we don our robes and caps for the Baccalaureate Mass, it will seem more real. Mom, Mary, Laura and family arrived yesterday, and it is so fun to have the house filled with the sound of little feet, giggles, and play. We are missing those beloved family members who can't be here with us, and we thank you for your love, encouragement, and prayers.

It is a lovely time. No more pressure from papers or finals, family is here, summer plans are being concocted, changes to our lives are on the horizon...more on that later. For now, graduation, party, friends, the beach, and nephews will comprise most of this weekend - ahhh...

A brief interlude - sun, waves, and smilies

This afternoon Hubby and I were very happy to take a little break from studies with our favorite professor, his wonderful family, and Christa! :) It was great for me (as always!) to have girl-time with these ladies, enjoy little Lily's cute expressions and smiles, and the beach! The water felt great! We finished our evening at an Italian restaurant for pizza and cocktails then went to Cold Stone for dessert. What a lovely afternoon and evening!



What a cutie pie!

Hubby and I look tired...it's been a loooong week! But good job, Hubby; your thesis is over and done with!

Family day

As Grandpa and his wife, Joyce were in Sarasota visiting my uncle and aunt this weekend, I was happy that I was able to go up to visit for the day yesterday. Unfortunately, Andrew and Ben were swamped with work, papers, ect. and so were not able to accompany me. It was great to visit with Grandpa and Joyce and hear about their RV trip across the US. Laura and Gabe drove down from Gainesville for the weekend - it's always great to see them and the boys! I was kept busy holding little hands, dressing little bodies, and cuddling little boys, so my camera was not as an action as I would have liked - the little it was out is thanks to Laura who did capture some cuteness for me. :)

Kieran is such an active, talkative, cute little chap.


Aidan and I had a great time playing in the waves.

In perfect conformity

This week I had the great joy of reading St. Alphonsus Liguori for my Mystical Theology class. At this point in our life, Andrew and myself are making some bigger decisions and I often worry about whether or not we are following God's will in the true sense of the phrase; not what we think or want God's will to be for us, but that we truly yearn to be in the very center of the Divine Will in every decision we make. St. Alphonsus offers some simple and beautiful encouragement on this point:

"Our whole perfection consists in loving God who is so deserving of our love. And so the more closely the will of an individual is united to the divine will, the greater will be that person's love. Those who love God are always content because all their pleasure lies in fulfilling God's will even in difficult circumstances, with the result that their very troubles are turned into delight at the thought that they give pleasure to their beloved Lord by accepting them. This is the wonderful peace which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7), all the pleasures of the senses and all other worldly gratifications, which, because they are without depth and are transitory, allure our senses for a passing moment but do not satisfy the spirit in which alone real happiness can dwell. Some people want to serve God, but they set conditions about the employment, the place, the companions. If their expectations are not met, they work with an ill-will of give up altogether. People like that lack inner freedom, and, since they are slaves of self-love, they gain little from what they do. The devout, those who follow the will of God are like the sun, always radiant with serenity no matter what happens because their happiness is in thief conformity to the will of God. And so they possess unalterable peace."

Are we to be joyful in our circumstances no matter how unpleasant? Of course.

"When you feel troubled by some negative experience, remember that it comes from God. Say to yourself immediately, "This is God's will" and then be at peace. It is true, as I have said, that when someone unjustly offends you, God does not will that person's sin nor share in the malice; but it is also true that God is at work through the act by which you are persecuted or robbed or injured. In this particular sense your suffering is in accordance with the will of God and comes to you from his hands. Chastisements, do not come from God for our ruin but rather so that we might change our ways and be saved. Confident of this, we should abandon ourselves to God's will, which is always for our good. Let us then place ourselves in his hands, for he will surely take care of us. My Beloved thinks of my good and I will think of nothing but of pleasing Him and of uniting myself to His will in all things."

I'm thankful for the saints who provide us with endless wisdom for all facets of life. Lord, we desire to always do Your will, for we trust that you know our needs and desires even before we know them.

Easter Joy!

Alleluia, He is Risen! It was a beautiful Easter weekend and we were so happy to have Gabe, Laura and the boys visit. A quick recap: The Dilanjis arrived late Wednesday night; Laura and I opted to not do a Seder Meal this year, as my recital was the next day and I was already pretty tired from the busy week; Good Friday - Stabat Mater and Stations of the Cross (see previous post); Holy Saturday we dyed eggs, ran a few errands, and Andrew and I attended Easter Vigil Mass where we had the privilege of witnessing souls being baptized, receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, and meet Jesus for the first time in the Most Holy Eucharist. (Hubby does a great work preparing them for these sacraments!) Easter morning Laura and Gabe went to Mass, and the boys searched for eggs upon their return. Then we sat down to a delicious brunch and fun games with some friends. It was great to share the joy of Easter together and sweet treats! A few pictures below; I was so busy all weekend, I barely pulled out the camera. :/


Good morning!


Dying eggs


Easter baskets

My Easter sweet bread sans frosting

So cute in their Easter vests!


Tired people Easter afternoon...

Good Friday

Holy Week was a busy time for the Steele's, as not only was hubby rehearsing/singing for every service and preparing his RCIA candidates to be fully received into the church, but I performed my senior recital on Good Friday. Carrie and I were extremely blessed to present G. B. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater in conjunction with the Stations of the Cross Good Friday evening. It was a wonderful experience, not only for us to give the gift of beautiful, meditative music to the Ave Maria parishioners, but also for us, the musicians, to embark upon the way of the Cross singing the sentiments of the Sorrowful Mother. Below is a segment from my program notes:

The Stabat Mater Dolorosa is renowned as one of the greatest hymns originating from the Middle Ages. Recalling the prophet Simeon’s revelation to the Blessed Virgin, “and you yourself, a sword shall pierce,” (Luke 2:35), the words of this poem have been traced to St. Bonaventure and Pope Innocent III, but historians attribute its final compilation to Jacapone da Todi, a Franciscan friar of the 13th century. After its use in the Catholic liturgy was prescribed in 1727, it was implemented in the Divine Office and also as the sequence for the two feasts of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are celebrated on the Friday after Passion Sunday and on September 15, a second feast of the Sorrows promulgated by Pope Pius VII. Musical settings of the Stabat Mater were also incorporated into the devotion of the Stations of the Cross, with a verse being sung after each station was prayed, and the tradition continues to this day.

The maternal compassion and sorrow of the Blessed Mother are so well characterized in the Stabat Mater, that its poignant stanzas have inspired many composers to reflect the heart-rending emotions of Good Friday in musical settings. Among the famous composers who joined G. B. Pergolesi in doing so, are Boccherini, Haydn, Verdi, Rossini, and Dvorak. Reverend James Mearns in his Dictionary of Hymnology, aptly describes why the Stabat Mater is so compelling for all who hear it:

“This noble poem…has been, not unjustly, styled the most pathetic hymn of the Middle Ages. The vividness with which it pictures the weeping Mother at the Cross, its tenderness, its beauty of rhythm, its melodious double rhymes almost defying reproduction in another language, and its impressiveness when sung either to the fine plainsong melody or in the noble compositions which many of the great masters of music have set to it, go far to justify the place it holds, and has long held, in the Roman Catholic Church.”









Hair: Laura Dilanji
Photo Credits: Gary Huber