Birthday Blessings

You guys will never guess what happened to me yesterday!

Go ahead, guess! 

"You got a parrot?" Nope.

"You saw Pope Francis?" Awh, no, I wish!

"Somebody shot paint balls at you?" Nuh-uh. 

"Your dog learned to do flips?" That would be so cool, but no. 

Do you give up??! Alright, alright I'll tell you. Are you ready? 

................I received the holy stigmata!! 

Your face right now.

You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Behold the photographic evidence:

Note the inflamed hole in my palm.

Sigh. Okay, you're right. It's not the stigmata. So what could it possibly be, then? 

Now, this is a story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down. And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the girl who flew through the air. <End song> As you may or may not know, I have a children's razor scooter that I typically use for transportation to and from class. My campus is not car-friendly, so nearly everybody bikes, walks, or skateboards around campus. Bikes are expensive, walking takes longer, and I don't have nearly enough balance to ride a skateboard, so I chose the cheaper option of buying myself a $24.99 scooter at Wal-Mart. 

It has served me pretty well in the two semesters I've used it. Pretty safe, very fast, and super affordable! What more could you ask for? Well, you could (and should) ask for knee pads, in case of dramatic crashes like the one I experienced yesterday on my birthday. 

To my immense pleasure, yesterday it rained cats and dogs here at school. I love the rain! When it started pouring down in cascade-like sheets, my heart exploded with joy! I opened my window, sat on my bed, and just delighted in the smells, the sounds, and the sight of a mid-morning rainstorm. I consider it to be God the Father's gift to me on my birthday. He knows His daughter so well! It was the perfect present, and I figured that was the best thing I would receive from anyone. 

I was wrong. 

The rain was bestowed upon us sometime around 11:30am. At 1:30pm I left the house and headed to campus for class. I used my scooter, as always. I did not, however, remember to take into account the effects of water on concrete. I was merrily scooting along, zipping past walkers, nearly in stride with bikers, still contemplating the joys of God's gift, when suddenly I was airborne. Before I processed what was happening, I slammed into the concrete, hard. As I laid there, embarrassed out of my mind, the last three seconds started to make sense. There was a wide crack in the sidewalk that I underestimated. I thought I could handle it, no problem. Nope. I was going faster than I thought, and the concrete was slick. The back wheel of my scooter caught the crack at just the wrong angle, and dislodged me forcefully. I got about 2-3 feet of air, so that's cool. People definitely saw it happen. The guy walking behind me caught up to me as I was sprawled out on the ground and asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was okay, except my pride was a little wounded. But that's always a good thing, isn't it? I thought I was being truthful to him, but when I got to my classroom I realized I was wrong. 

I was climbing the stairs to the building when I saw red out of the corner of my eye. I did a double-take and realized it was blood--my blood--rushing down my leg. Then the pain came. It's weird how adrenaline immunizes us for awhile, until we see the danger. I went inside and searched for someone to ask for first aid, but everyone was too busy. I went to the restroom and washed off the blood that was racing down my shin and cleaned out the dirt that was in the wound. I was running a few minutes late for class, so I just grabbed a handful of paper towels and held them on my knee for the duration of my professor's lecture. I took pictures of my wound (just for my readers), but they're a bit graphic so just suffice it to say that it was really quite bloody. 

See, I thought that God our Father had given me the best gift on my birthday, but I think this accident might have been an even better gift from Jesus. After it happened, a well-known phrase amongst my friends popped into my head: "There is no humility without humiliations." We were taught this mantra by a holy woman, and we have continued to use it on occasions such as this. Being thrown off my scooter certainly was humiliating, but I really think the skinned knee is worth a little help growing in this virtue. Strangely enough (or not at all...) I have been asking Jesus for help with this virtue lately, and it should be no surprise that He has replied generously. "Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) 

And so I thank God my Father for the beautiful rainstorm, but with a smile, I thank Jesus for an even better gift: the chance to grow in humility. I imagine Jesus winking playfully at the Father, gently teasing Daddy that His gift to me "wins" this time around. I wonder what they have in store next!

Now, for memory's and fun's sake, here are the beautiful gifts from others that I received:
-My roommates so generously helped me clean my room (especially "S")
-Two kind-hearted friends gave my dog a bath for me
-My roommates made me pancakes, eggs, and pumpkin muffins for breakfast!
-They also folded one load of laundry for me
-My loving parents got me a new laptop because my eight-year-old one died
-Friends, roommates, Mom and Dad had dinner with me and shared laughs
-I was blessed to speak with a beautiful nun on the phone
-Did I mention my parents came to see me?! 
-Many hugs, well-wishes, and spiritual sacrifices offered for me 
-My dog gave me snuggles
-I received from God not only joyous rainfall and a delightful humiliation, but also the very Flesh and Blood of my Redeemer at Mass. I could never ask for more!

This morning my parents had one last surprise for me. Because of my scooter crash, they so generously bought me a new bicycle to ride to campus! While I was in class they went to the store and got it, and left it in my living room for me to see when I returned home this evening. It is perfect! It's not a speed-bike or a fancy, complex type, but that's good because I need more simplicity in my life. Behold my beautiful bike-mobile! I'm ridin' in style. 

It's yellow with pink flowers! So cute! It even has a bell.

Thank you, everyone, for making my twenty-second birthday beautiful, joyful, and truly memorable. I am so happy that God has put each and every one of you into my life! 

Lesson: Ask God for everything! He meant what He said in Matthew's Gospel.