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Greetings, everyone, and welcome into the month of April. I�Ӱ�ԭ��m not sure if anyone was egregiously pranked on April Fool�Ӱ�ԭ��s Day, but it�Ӱ�ԭ��s definitely been a bit wet out. So, in accordance with the slightly gloomy weather, I thought it would be good to break out the good ol�Ӱ�ԭ�� laptop and do one of my favorite things:

Blogging.

So, grab your hot drinks and the softest blanket you own: it�Ӱ�ԭ��s time to get real for a second.

I�Ӱ�ԭ��m not particularly religious. I�Ӱ�ԭ��m going to start with that. I was raised Roman Catholic, but as I�Ӱ�ԭ��ve started to take a stand in my own life, I�Ӱ�ԭ��ve realized that the Church may not be for me. However, that�Ӱ�ԭ��s not to say that I do not believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Holy Family and Saints. I definitely believe in Them, and what They have done. Am I saying that St. Anthony is the reason you found your car keys or that God made sure every light was red on the way to work?

No, because that�Ӱ�ԭ��s silly.

While the Bible proclaims that God is almighty and omnipotent and stuff, I don�Ӱ�ԭ��t believe that makes Him responsible for everything. It�Ӱ�ԭ��s not God�Ӱ�ԭ��s fault that you didn�Ӱ�ԭ��t do your homework, or that you were late to work. Who knows? Maybe you aren�Ӱ�ԭ��t responsible for both of those as well. Circumstances change things, and the many perspectives that are involved in a situation dictate the true reality of it (more perceptions of a similar event equate to increased, unbiased truths.). Now, before everyone starts quoting the Bible saying that God knows everything, let me explain.

God gave us, His people, free will. If you don�Ӱ�ԭ��t want to be a follower of God, cool. Do your thing, man. Yet, for those who call themselves His followers, remember that He gave up a certain amount of control in our lives so that we are able to make our own decisions. I do recognize that God is said to have known the future of the world as we know it, and the future of all life on Earth, but if that future is already cemented into time, what is the point in changing it?

�Ӱ�ԭ��To stop someone or something from dying,�Ӱ�ԭ�� you�Ӱ�ԭ��d say. �Ӱ�ԭ��To prevent war, famine, or disease. To prevent the horrible, horrible things that happen in this world from happening in the first place.�Ӱ�ԭ��

The author nods, taking a smooth drink of her coffee. �Ӱ�ԭ��Yes, but wouldn�Ӱ�ԭ��t that imply that, just as equally, all the good things that happen would not occur as well?�Ӱ�ԭ��

To stop �Ӱ�ԭ��bad�Ӱ�ԭ�� would be to stop �Ӱ�ԭ��good,�Ӱ�ԭ�� and neither of those things are really real anyways �Ӱ�ԭ�� they�Ӱ�ԭ��re subjective, and subjectiveness is not equal to fact. What could be good for someone could be horrid for another, and vice versa. Yet, the Earth is not flat. It doesn�Ӱ�ԭ��t matter if anyone says or believes it�Ӱ�ԭ��s flat. It�Ӱ�ԭ��s not flat because that is a fact, not an opinion.

As you can see, philosophy strikes a lovely balance between frustration and bittersweet truths, and the ongoing argument of Good vs. Better and Bad vs. Worse is never ending.

Recently, Easter passed. The holiday itself has in some ways been greatly reduced to chocolate bunnies and enjoying time with loved ones �Ӱ�ԭ�� which there is nothing inherently wrong with �Ӱ�ԭ�� but the original meaning comes down to rebirth.

Rebirth is huge in Christianity, and ties in with the themes of redemption, overcoming obstacles through facing adversity, and learning how to be the �Ӱ�ԭ��better person,�Ӱ�ԭ�� which can be such a pain sometimes.

Sometimes being the better person is picking yourself off of the bathroom floor after puking, or forgiving something you never thought you�Ӱ�ԭ��d ever be able to forgive. It�Ӱ�ԭ��s easier to hurt than to be hurt, and I know that everyone has learned this lesson at least once in their lifetime.

I certainly have, lol, many times. I�Ӱ�ԭ��ve thrashed, fought, bled, bit the hands that fed me �Ӱ�ԭ�� all in an attempt to further steep in my own pain because that�Ӱ�ԭ��s all I knew at the time.

But, you pick yourself up off of the bathroom floor, and take a shower. You apologize, and make up for it the best you can. You learn how to forgive, and how that becomes easier the more you do it.

This Easter, my aunt told me that I was glowing.

This Easter, I felt more like myself than I have in months, despite everything that�Ӱ�ԭ��s happened.

There are many things happening in my life currently, and perhaps when things settle down, I�Ӱ�ԭ��ll be able to share them with you all, but for now, I�Ӱ�ԭ��m taking the time to rest.

I hope that with the coming of Spring, all of you are able to come into your own and re-discover what growth means to you. Growth, also, doesn�Ӱ�ԭ��t mean that you immediately bloom. That just doesn�Ӱ�ԭ��t happen, especially in nature. Growth allows you to steadily build upon yourself, and to build a foundation of which your blossom can rest upon when it does open up to the world.

Give yourself the time you need, and work hard to build that foundation. You�Ӱ�ԭ��ll get there.

I hope that everyone is having a lovely day, and that the rain hasn�Ӱ�ԭ��t soaked your socks too much.

All my love to you all, and plenty of peace, love, and peanut butter,
Beatrice

Beatrice Glaviano �Ӱ�ԭ��26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.