you raise me up

I spent my 4th of July the best way I could imagine- surrounded by an amazing community of women who made it all possible for me to have the best year ever. The Detroit Sisters of Mercy, who fund the Mercy Volunteer Corps, have gone above and beyond to make sure the four of us were taken care of this year. Whether we were sick, needed a personal retreat, hungry, bored, had car problems, whatever, they were always there with us, with open arms and prayers.

We spent the day at McCauley center on Sunday. First for Mass, then a goodbye service for the four of us, and ended the day with a picnic. The service was absolutley perfect. They invited the four of us to speak briefly about our year. This is pretty much what I said...cannot remember my exact words.

"I could write a book on all of the things I've learned this year, but today I think I can narrow it down to three. First of all, to be able to reconnect with Mercy has been a true blessing. I went to Mercy High School and had an amazing experience, went away to college and really missed it. I knew that I wanted to be able to come back to Mercy somehow. MVC has given me that opportunity, and seeing the amazing things the Sisters do every day inspires me. I am very grateful for their support and prayers and know we wouldn't have made it through without them. Secondly, working at Cristo Rey has been amazing. I have never worked with high school kids before, so when I found out I was going to be counseling them, I was a little nervous. I love those kids. Their stories touched my heart. I know each of them by name and each story. I will never forget them. They helped give me the best year of my life. Lastly, my wonderful community members. They have become my three best friends, and will probably be three of the best friends I'll ever have. It was so great to be able to pray together, cry together, support each other through this experience. I want to thank them for their support and love and wish them all the best".

It's funny, because those words do not even begin to express how grateful I am, how much I've learned, what touched my heart. I don't know if I ever will be able to explain it. I just know that this year was probably the best year of my life, despite the little bumps along the way...and even though I am unaware of my future, I'm excited about it, because I'm taking with me a whole new perspective.

That would be a perfect place to end this blog, but I cannot skip out on my letters meme, especially since I missed it yesterday.

Dear Crush,
Well, right now you are nonexistant. Actually, you probably do exist somewhere, I just haven't met you. I hate the word "crush" anyways. I'm not 13 years old anymore. Anyways, you must be out there somewhere. I'll keep my eyes open but my heart protected, because I've been hurt. Let's hope you are different than all the rest.

Cheers, Megan.



Dear parents,

You are my whole world. I cannot ever thank you enough for the support, compassion, understanding, patience, and grace. One of the things I have learned this year is just how lucky I am to have such amazing people guiding my way. You've never let me down, and are always there to pick me back up if I fall. You are so incredibly generous. Knowing that it's okay that I don't have a job yet and that you are going to welcome me back into your home with open arms means the world to me. You guys know and understand me more than anyone else in this world, but you love me for it. You have unconditional love for me, JP, and Maureen, and I have never once doubted that. You know how to make me laugh, you know when I am worried, you know what to do if I'm angry. You know what I love, you know what makes me sick, you know absolutley everything. Even the little things, like making me salmon when everyone else is having burgers because I don't eat meat. Also, part of my experience this year has been especially wonderful because of your support. Offering your home to us on these hot days, lending the bikes, allowing me to use mom's car, picking me up on the side of 94 when my car broke down...all of those were incredible acts of kindness. I thank God every single day for blessing me with such amazing parents. I love you both from the bottom of my heart. See you Saturday. :)

Thank you, Meggie