Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name:
You are mine.
You are precious in my eyes
And honored, and I love you.
I have called you by name:
You are mine.
You are precious in my eyes
And honored, and I love you.
At the mention of my hometown, Pierre Part, my heart is filled with love, and my whole being is put at ease because the truth is that I am a small town girl in love with the little paradise of Pierre Part, Louisiana. My hometown is very special to me because of the community spirit blossoming from within, the beauty it upholds, and the adventurous childhood it has allowed me to experience.
The little speck of land, barely on the map, named Pierre Part has one of the best communities. It possesses a simply welcoming and friendly atmosphere. It is one of the best places to be when a disaster occurs because the people of Pierre Part do not hesitate to offer their assistance and pull together as one for the good of all. If you were to knock on any given Pierre Partian's door, you will most likely be greeted with a "Come on in y'all!" and depart with a "Mais it's early, sha!" Although the Cajun accents may be a little hard to understand, the lively spirit of Pierre Part is clear through every handshake and hello. Through all my travels, which have been very many might I add, I have come across quite a few small towns such as Pierre Part, but I have never seen a more beautiful place. Pierre Part is blessed with the purest natural beauty because of our swamps filled with mossy trees and all kinds of God's creatures. It's very difficult for me to walk outside and not give praise to God for creating such a beautiful flourishing piece of land. Not only am I in love with my hometown because of the people and natural beauty, but also when I look back on memories made. I cannot help but be thankful for growing up in Pierre Part. I am definitely a barefoot type of girl, which makes my hometown the perfect place for a child like me to grow up. I'm almost certain that I have never spent a sunny day inside in my whole life. My family and I always enjoy fishing, picnics, back yard baseball, four wheeler riding, swimming, or some type of outdoor activity. If I had not grown up in my hometown, I'm not sure I would have turned out to be the fun loving spirited person I am today. I truly love my hometown so much that if it is in God's plan, I would be completely content in living the rest of my life in Pierre Part. Although it may be smaller than most towns, the loving spirit of the community as a whole is quite large. Not only is the heart and soul of Pierre Part beautiful, but also the scenery is definitely one of God's masterpieces. I am so blessed to be able to say that I am a full-blooded born and raised Pierre Partian.
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Each moment of our day presents an opportunity to grow closer to Christ. We can give extraordinary meaning to ordinary tasks by turning simple actions like putting on makeup into a prayer. If we can apply this concept to not only our morning routine, but to our entire day, just think how simple attaining sainthood could be. Here’s how we can grow in holiness even before we’ve had our coffee.
As you glob on your concealer, lift it up as a prayer to Christ like so: Lord you know each and every one of my flaws, yet you still love me. Thank you. You are my God, and I love you too. Next, as you sponge your foundation on, connect what you are doing physically to something spiritual: Lord cover my flaws with You. Let there be less on me and more of You. Here I am Lord, a canvas to paint Your story on. Powder: Lord, let your grace spread across my life as much as I spread this power around my face. Blush: Pour Your love out through me every time a smile lifts my cheeks. I offer each smile as a prayer for the one I have encountered. Let them see Your joy in me. Eye shadow: Let me look at life through Your eyes and see others how You see them. Eye liner: Sharpen my vision to be aware of Your presence all around me today in each and every moment. Help me to be more present to You and to others. Mascara: Open my eyes to those in need around me. Let me see all the little ways that You are calling me to be Your hands and feet. I offer up everything I do today for Your glory and honor. Lipstick: Holy Spirit, guide every word that falls from my lips. Let me speak the words that You need to be spoken, and let me restrain from allowing words not of You to cross my lips. Setting spray: Let all my actions be rooted in You. Let everything I do flow from Your will and not mine. No matter what words we use, each step of our usual makeup routine can turn our heart towards the Lord in prayer. Just think how much better our days can start out if it begin with making ourselves physically and spiritually beautiful. This method of doing small things with a greater purpose can translate to just about everything we do in our daily lives. The smallest tasks can hold the greatest spiritual weight if we allow the physical to connect with the spiritual. My challenge to everyone reading this article is to try this out next time you get all prettied up. It could set the tone for the rest of your day. Let me know how it goes, and share your ideas of other physical actions we can turn into spiritual prayers! As another Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is recorded in the books, I can’t help but to dedicate my article this week to Good Ole Morgan City. I have the pleasure of calling this little piece of land my “High School-Hometown.” Although my one true love is Pierre Part, Louisiana (my real hometown), Morgan City holds a very special place in my heart. I would venture to say that during my high school years, even though I laid my head to rest in Pierre Part, I spent the majority of my time leaving footprints in muddy yards and tire trackers on the cracked pavement of good ole Morgan City.
I owe my greatest appreciation to Morgan City for welcoming me with open arms and a beautiful view of Lake Palourde on every drive into town, even offering me the opportunity to serve as a maid of their renowned Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. Most natives of Morgan City around my age have probably thrown up in their mouths by now upon reading about how I actually like their city. Just to be clear, this is really not a sarcastic article at all. I am dead serious when I say that I have fallen in love with my High School Hometown and everything it has blessed me with. If you are guilty of calling Morgan City by its little nickname: Morgan (starts with ‘sh’ and rhymes with bitty), please let me explain why I owe your city a huge piece of my heart. Two words: people and places. First, I have to thank Morgan City for connecting me with my enormous tri-city family. These beloved "family" members come in all different shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. One quality that stands out among the older (or should I have said wiser) generation of my extended family is their hospitality. I can't even count on my hands and feet how many homes I've been welcomed into, whether it was for a delicious dinner or for a lengthy chat about the latest sporting event. Even now that I am away at college in a different city, my tri-city family still keeps up with me, wishing me luck for my softball games and trying to shove food down my throat every time I pass through. As for the generation of family closer to my age, this group of individuals consists of the funniest, weirdest, and most warm-hearted human beings in the world. I am forever in debt to Morgan City for intertwining my life with such lovable people. Whether I am privileged to see them every day on campus or I only get to catch up with them once a year at the festival, when a Morgan City crew gets together, a good time is absolutely guaranteed to follow. I also do have to mention a special thanks to Morgan City for providing this girl with her first love. For even though it has caused some heartache on both sides, a first love is always worth mentioning if it is indeed a real first love. Second, the unforgettable places within Morgan City deserve some love as well for holding countless memories of sweaty summer days and chilly winter nights. Of course I had to first mention all of the people, who taught me every back street and short cut to our favorite spots. To begin with my absolute favorite, Lake End Park is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with Morgan City. There is no place more peaceful than the wharf on a Sunday afternoon, where I can spend hours feeding bread to dozens of ducks and their adorable little baby ducklings. A very close second has to go to the one and only Seawall, where I've spent hours stargazing from the tailgate of a pickup truck as well as listened to my favorite Swamp Pop music from the bands of Rythmns on the River. I would probably be disowned by the whole city if next, I didn't mention the best Mexican food restaurant in the whole wide world: Tampicos. If I had a penny for every salsa-dipped chip I've ever eaten from that place, I'd be able to pay for every gallon of gas I've ever wasted riding around Morgan City having hearts to hearts or just jamming out with no destination whatsoever. The list of people and places I fell in love with through Morgan City could go on forever. Hopefully now you don't think I am absolutely insane for saying that I whole heartedly appreciate being able to call Morgan City my beloved High School Hometown. From the inside looking out, your city may seem like a boring little chunk of mud and water, but from the outside looking in, I see a beautifully woven creation, full of compassionate people and exciting places. So next time you catch yourself referring to Morgan City by its catchy little nickname, just know that there are outsiders like me, who absolutely adore the place you call home and never take a moment spent there for granted. 1. Your "dream" is actually possible.The athletic world is competitive (obviously). You will be faced with tons of adversity, resistance, opposition, and difficulties, but don't you ever let anyone tell you that it is not possible to live your dream. If I would have listened to those voices of antagonism, saying that I am too small, not good enough, and lacking, I wouldn't be having the time of my life successfully living the dream of being a D1 collegiate athlete. Your dream is absolutely possible if it is backed by hard work and determination.
2. You gain a whole new family.Upon arrival at your college, you automatically gain 25 new sisters like I did (or in some cases 100 new brothers). You never have to worry about fitting in because your new siblings are just like you having the same ugly tan lines and awkward man-arms. You also have 25+ new moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas, who will love you like their own and feed you as often as they can. 3. Good habits are inevitably created.The habits you create in college are very likely to follow you through the rest of your life. As a college athlete, you will definitely instill the habits of a healthy lifestyle. Academically, good habits will also be made when it comes to keeping up with your school work, which will eventually translate over the the work world later in life. Most importantly, college athletics will create in you the habit to get back up every time you are knocked down. You will inevitably be faced with adversity in college; you will lose games just like you will lose in life sometimes. You will learn how to stay grounded, humble, and persevere in order to come back even stronger. 4. Endless doors of opportunities will be opened.College athletics involve tons of people and places. You will constantly meet new people as well as travel to many new places. Your eyes will be opened to a whole new world you've never even imagined. You will make so many connections that your head will spin. These connections will surly open doors to job offers, relationships, new interests, and so much more. The spotlight shined on college athletes will also shed some light on doors you couldn't even see before. 5. You will learn to manage your time.You really don't have a choice as a student-athlete. Between condition, weights, class, study hall, practice, games, community service, and team bonding, you literally will learn to manage your time or die. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I promise that you will learn how to squeeze in two 30 minute naps in one day, make it to class from the parking lot in three and a half minutes, and push through studying on a six hour bus ride. 6. Crucial life skills will be attained.Some of these crucial life skills include being coachable. One day when you have a great relationship with your new boss, you will thank your coach for teaching you how to follow rules, work harder than everyone around you, and take constructive criticism like a champ. You will also become a skilled public speaker. College athletes tend to be in the public eye and put on the spot a lot. Countless interviews, community events, and camps will give you ample time to refine your public speaking skills. Teamwork is also a skill, which cannot be escaped from in college. You will learn how to get along with all kinds of different people from around the country. You will learn so much about their hometowns, cultures, and may even pick up a few things from their crazy accents. 7. You can glorify God.God has blessed you with talents and abilities. Do not take this opportunity for granted, whether you are striving to become a collegiate athlete or you are already there. You can touch so many lives as well as gain so much ground on your path to Heaven through your years of athletics. So please, dream big. Work hard. Don't forget where you came from. Enjoy every moment God allows you to LIVE THE DREAM! |
Megan LandryJust thought I'd share a few of my thoughts... Archives
December 2018
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