Today, in third block, I met up with a good friend. Although she had been going through a rough time anyway, she seemed very distraught today. I asked her if anything were the matter. At first she didn’t give me a clear answer. I told her that if she felt like talking, I would listen. “Matt is dead,” she said with tears gathering in her eye, “My Matt. He got shot while he was on his trip. He was only eighteen.” I hadn’t known Matt personally, but I knew that Matt had been a very close friend to her and had helped her through some of her most difficult times. I didn’t really know how to respond to the news. It shocked me just as much.
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Dearest Blessed Mother,

Today, on this first of the year, we celebrate your feast day. Not only is it a great day of celebration, but also a great day of meaning, both for me and for the world. As I went to bed last night, I fell asleep listening to the sound of fireworks and cannons celebrating a new year. After getting back home from Mass today, my calendar fell off the wall. All this serves to remind me that today is a day of New Beginnings.
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