Ok, I have to give a Witness Talk tomorrow morning, and the theme is "How I experienced God in my Life" so I'm going to try to write about it here and then we'll see where that takes us, okay?

I believe that God is visable and presents Himself to people in every day situations in every person you come across, it's just more visable sometimes and in some people then in others. There are some people whose lives are dedicated to God, and His love shines right through them through interactions and their actions.

Growing up, I was always Daddy's little girl. My father was my hero, and he meant the world to me. I went through a lot my senior year of high school, but my daddy was there through all of it. He would always tell me that God loved me and that everything would be okay because of it. I was so lucky that my father would always tell me how much he loved me and how proud of me he is. He told me every day, and I really knew and believed it. I believe God would speak through my father and comforted me. Ten days after my 18th birthday, my father passed away suddenly. The last thing he told me was to "pray". My father wasn't perfect, but I'm positive that he's in Heaven right now and looking down on me. I was so Blessed to have such a wonderful man as my father, and sometimes I think things and I think it must be my father--whether it's telling me to sing louder in church (he would always yell at me for singing too quietly, because he wanted to hear my voice) or even when I see the Buffalo Bills win a football game and my first instinct is to call him and tell him.

Losing my dad was really hard on me, but I never lost my faith. I work really hard to make him proud, and I do everything I can so that someday I can see him again.

My brother was taking a nap the entire evening that my father suddenly had to go to the hospital. We woke him up and rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. He didn't get to say goodbye. My brother isn't as...spiritual...as I am, and I think it really hurt him that he didn't get to say goodbye. There were two things that my father used to wear everyday--his wedding band, which always comforts me when I feel sad--and his watch. The watch stopped when he entered the hospital, but my brother wore it to the funeral anyway. My brother and a few of my cousins were the pallbearers at the well attended ceremony that happened to be on what would have been my father's 56th birthday. When it ended, the watch my brother was wearing started working again, and what's more, told the right time. I thank God every day for that, because I think it's the only thing that could have restored my brothers spirit. My little brother loved my father as much as I did, and I think he now understands that even if my father isn't living in our house anymore, he's always with him. My brother has since grown in his faith, and I proudly stood up for him as his Confirmation Sponsor last October.

Last week I returned from New Orleans for the second time, and when I was there, I met some of the most amazing people. One of these women, Lori, (who I know was already mentioned at Mass last week, but she's just so amazing, I wanted to mention her again!) really inspired me. The light of God really shone through Lori, even though she's had the hardest time of anyone I've ever met. Her entire house and all of her belongings were ruined in the flooding, and worst of all, her father drowned when his boat headed towards the SuperDome (which you can see from his house)overturned--and his body was only identified two weeks before we saw her. He was only 60...only 3 years older than my father would have been. And yet when you saw her, you'd never imagine how hard a time she was having. She spent all her time doing things for others--making sure we were comfortable, well fed, and happy. We cleared her backyard of debris and painted her dad's house, which she had moved into. She had hired a man to paint her house before us, but he had taken $4000 from her, and not done anything. I was shocked and her only response was "It's not for me to judge him--he will be judged". I was amazed by her faith. She said she could technically take him to court, but she "doesn't have any fight left in her". Her faith, and the faith of all the people I've met in New Orleans in the midst of all that devestation and destruction really give me hope.

And I believe that hope, especially the hope you find in other people when they're at their worst moments--Lori's kindness in the midst of all her troubles. My fathers last words of faith, rather than pain...that's when God shines through.

I'm so fortunate to have the people and opportunities in my life that I have, and I thank God every day for them, and for the experiences in Him I share.

Thank you.