An Irish Summer

I sit here now , on the step of my front porch embracing this beautiful weather that has finally decided to grace us with its presence.  Most people would be rather bitter...."Where have you been sun?...We've been waiting for you to come for weeks now???" but no , I shall be happy to see it come and take it all in for as long as we have it, because knowing my country it probably wont be for very long at all.

When one wakes up to such a bright sunny morning , one cant help but be in a good mood . The curtains in my bedroom are very light , they are white and leave in any bit of light that appear...which is exactly the way I like it . I love the sun seeping into my room when it is bright outside...can you think of a gentler and nicer way to wake up every morning ? So this morning , as the sun lit up my room I woke up smiling and just hopped out of bed . Instantly happy , such a great feeling .

  I think it is an Irish thing , that when the sun comes out we get excited . Mothers wash every possible bit of clothing in the house to put out on the line , fathers decided the grass must be cut, cars are washed, people start gardening , some ( like me ) relax in the sunshine :) . We feel deprived from the heat and the sun most of the time that when it does appear we grab it with both hand and make the most of it... which is great, at least we appreciate what we are getting .

So now I sit here, under a blue sky , with a few white clouds dispersed around , listening to the branches on the trees rustling , the slight hum of traffic from the main road, which is far away as not to disturb ones train of though , but still close enough to remind this daydreaming girl that other things are going on around her. I hear the ringing of the wind chime just inside my front door sporadically sounding from the slight breeze  that is inevitable no matter how sunny it is here. That same wind is brushing through the curls in my hair , like gentle fingers . The birds are singing , the smell of freshly cut grass ( my dads handy work) is filling the air, which is a favourite smell of mine.

It feels so great to not have to wear shoes walking around all the time, especially outside , I have been taking full advantage of that today, walking outside on the warm concrete , my bare feet touching grass for possibly the first time this summer .... it is the simple things in life my friends.


 I sit here, Lizzy Bennet and co. keeping me company , with my sunglasses on and sipping cloudy lemonade. I am taking it all in , and I am loving every minute of it . I hope that where ever you are, the weather is just as lovely, and that you are having a wonderful day :) . 

Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪ 

P.U.S.H !

BEST FRIEND

Someone you can trust with your life who has seen the best and worst of you and will be there whenever you need someone to talk to. There is a balance in the relationship between give and take . You feel so in sync with them that you can comfortably share your innermost thoughts and feelings. This is what a best friend is - This is how I feel about my best friend . ♥

Pray Until Something Happens :) 

Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪

Just some of my favourite quotes.....just because :)

• There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people my halves ; it is not my nature . ~ Jane Austen ♥
• I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health - Voltaire 
• ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.~Jeremiah 29:11
• “Poets are always taking the weather so personally.”~ J.D. Salinger 
• "I will never leave you, I will never forget you."~ GOD
• The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can not read them ~Mark Twain 
• Don't forget to pray today, because God did not forget to wake you up this morning .
• I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it , but because by it I see everything else ~ C.S.Lewis . 
• “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
• Love never fails. Love without Limit 
• The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched . ~Helen Keller 
• “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”~ C.S.Lewis 
• The past can hurt, but the way I see it , you can either run from it , or learn from it .~ Rafiki (the lion king) 
• The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not Protect you . ♥
• Jesus does not ask that we care for others ,He demands it . ~Katie Davis 
• Listen to God in the silence of your heart and you will know his perfect plan for you ~Psalm 37:4
• There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so . ~ Shakespeare 
• A friend loveth at all times. ~Proverb 17:17 KJV ♥
• Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree , it will live its whole life believing it is stupid~ Albert Einstein 
• To love another person is to see the face of God ~ Les Miserables 
• There are far, far better things ahead then any we leave behind .~C.S.Lewis 
• The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~ E.E. Cummings 
• “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”~C.S.Lewis 
• Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.~Proverb 3:5-6
• May your life preach more loudly then your lips ~ William Ellery Channing 
• If what ahead scares you and what behind hurts you just look above , he never fails to help you 
• When faced with two choices , simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the questions for you, but because in that brief moment when the coin is in the air , you suddenly know what you were hoping for. 
• “In the end, that Face which is the delight or terror of the universe must be turned upon each of us, either with one expression or the other”~C.S.Lewis 
• Every person’s life is a fairytale written by God’s fingers.
  -Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875)
• It takes courage to grow up and because who you really are ~ E.E. Cummings 
• Fear can keep you up all night but, faith can make one fine pillow 
• You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and Love you . ~ Mr.Darcy 
• I have no special talents, I am just passionately curious .~ Albert Einstein 
• “Shakespeare might have met Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the white streets of London, or seen the serving-men of rival houses bite their thumbs at each other in the open square; but Hamlet came out of his soul, and Romeo out of his passion. ~ Oscar Wilde, The Critic As Artist 1891
• “This above all,—to thine own self be true”~ Shakespeare , Hamlet 
• “Do not compare your love story with those in the movies. Those were made by human writers. Yours is made by God.”

This was a "just because" post... I love quotes and this is just a few of my favourite ones. 

Aoife Marie Elizabeth  ♪

Give Praise To God With Music ♪♫

I've mentioned here before that music plays a very important part in my life . It is probably one of the only things that can instantly put me in a good mood when everything else seems to be failing . So it is no coincidence that the 1 week a year I spend at music school is one of my favorite weeks in the entire year...this year was no different.

I have been going to the Irish Church Music Summer School for 4 years now and each year brings about more excitement then the last. Now I know that does not sound like the most exciting week to be looking forward to...church music......sounds like a crazy week of fun right ?!? ...Ya I've heard it all before . It is possible the hardest thing to describe without sounding like a bit of a nutter !! " Ya it's this week up in Maynooth , in an old college where we do church music from Morning until night and it's just brilliant ..." But it really is brilliant. There is no other place I know where you can literally walk around any corner and find people singing , or playing music that glorifies God. It is absolutely beautiful. No where else could you find a group so unique but so magnificent . People from every corner of Ireland and beyond. From Mayo to Cork, Donegal to Oma and even the states. People comes from far and wide for this week...and its completely worth it .
During the past week I have spent time with some of the most wonderful people I know. When we all meet up it is a joyous occasion. As well as having the "gang" as we are now affectionately known as, I also have many other people up there , people I am very close to . During this past week I have had dinner with amazing composers as well as the most phenomenal singers and musicians I have heard...and I really mean that .

This time last week I would have been sitting around a piano with some of my closest friends that I only see once a year. It is crazy to think that we only see each other once a year , because as soon as we meet we pick up from where we left off... I guess that is a test of a true friendship. We would sit around the piano and sing songs, tell stories, laugh and joke like we had never been apart from each other. It is a privilege to be around these people. Since we do not see each other very often , we tend to spend as much time as possible together.... which means very little sleep is had...but it is so worth it .

Hallowed Halls 

"I wake up to the sound of music..." The Beatles song Let It Be has never had more meaning to me then when I am at ICMA. Every morning I would wake up for morning prayer at 8am.... now when you haven't exactly slept the night before this is extremely difficult... but when you are waking up to the sound of music it is somehow a lot easier. I would slowly drift down the stairs , lethargic and wanting to go back to bed , but when the music hits you, like a warm breeze upon your face , it automatically wakes me up, puts a spring in my step and immediately    I feel better about the day ahead.... Music is the best medicine. Walking around the long corridors of the college is fabulous in itself, but when those halls are filled with music it is even better. People sitting on window ledges reading music is something that just makes me smile...these halls make me smile.

Something I also like to do is walk the beautiful grounds of Maynooth college . Surrounded by beautiful flowers , and tall trees ( and apparently the oldest tree in Ireland) , tall and ancient buildings. Taking it all in, breathing in the freshly cut grass air, and the music that fills it . It is the perfect place to walk and think about things. The sound of the special Choir singing Ave Verum flooding the court yard . It is magical , splendid and magnificent. There are few things more beautiful then the sound of music fill the air, the sound of hundreds of voices praise and glorify God.

So you know the way everyone talks about the calm before the storm? Well in my opinion the calm after the storm is a much stronger and emotional feeling. I guess it all depends on what your "storm" is . But right now for me this after feeling is almost scary . This is simply because what has gone before has been so great for me that I didn't want to leave it - but all good things must come to an end...I just wish they didn't . I am sitting here now, reminiscing  about what an amazing week I have had, what amazing people I know and love. How magnificent music is for the soul . I am suffering from PMD (Post Maynooth Depression) , as always after a great week up there. I have my comforts keeping me going...the smell of cranberry chutney yankee candle( my favourite smell ) , tea , chocolate,a  big hoodie and music books....all my comforts to keep me going ! It was an amazing week, one just need to be comforted when it ends .

" Bach gave us God's words. Mozart gave us God's laughter. Beethoven gave us God's fire. GOD gave us music that we might pray without words." 

 

Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪

Love Without Limit

 

"Love without limit"~ Words I came across on my recent trip , words that are full of meaning and should be lived by !!   There are experiences in life that happen and you just wish you could stay in that moment forever , or for as long as possible . During this past week I have had several of those moment .
    At 6:30am last Monday morning (25th of June)  a group of 18 of us set sail on a journey together . The destination was the south of France for a pilgrimage . After a very long  journey with buses and planes we reached our destination  . Now this was my 3rd time coming here so I did not have the immediate amazement at my first glance at the place , but after all this time it still never fail to take me aback!  
   Having been there twice before I knew my way around the streets and the main attractions , having this inside knowledge was particularly useful as I got to hand it onto my fellow pilgrims - giving them guided tours of this beautiful place in the south of France was such a fantastic experience for me .  
  Also the trip acted as a first for me  . It was my first time being an adult on a trip of some underagers - giving me a taste of proper responsibility , I was responsible for the well being of some of our young participants , which was scary but also quiet exciting . 

  I have had some of the most amazing experience in Lourdes during the years , but one that continues to take my breath away every time is the candle light procession !! One of the most beautiful things I have ever experience .  Thousand of people from every nation across the world walk together , shoulder to shoulder; holding a candle and praying . By the time we reach the end the sun has just set and the candles are the only thing lighting , then people raise their candles to the night sky in prayer and honor to our Lord . It is magnificent and simply beautiful. 
  


   It is trips like this that make you extremely grateful for what you have in life , surrounding this place are the poor, the sick ,the differently-able'd, the addicted and the average person , each with faith stronger then the last - no one is afraid to hide it and no one is scared of it , to be free to do that, simply pray in public is in itself profound.  When you think that in many countries the right to have your own faith is not there !
         This trip also brought be closer to friends I have had for years , but also brought new friendships too ! When you spend a week with the same 17 people, you get to know them... Their likes and dislikes their personality and their quirks . Friendships were planted and some flourished , but also relationships with God got that extra bit stronger too I think - I feel him each day with me , guiding me , strengthening me and keeping me safe . As I venture through this journey that is my life I know he was , is and always will be right by my side .   But now I walk the grounds of Maynooth College , one of my favorite weeks in the year is here . The air is full of this most magnificent music !! I am drinking it all in , the sounds, the people, the glorifying of God ( but more on all this later ) - this is my life and I can't help but love it !!        
                                                                                            

                                                                                                                            Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪