Dear Mom, Vol. 1 🏔️

...on getting into my life

Mitterndorf in Austria by Gustave Jahn #

Dear Mom,

Indeed! Here I am, once again, in beautiful Europe! I feel so incredibly blessed to call this 14th-century Carthusian monastery my home for four months and collect my own stories of “traveling in my 20s.” I’m so excited to see and do so many wonderful things, meet new people, learn new things, try new coffee (I had some of the smoothest coffee over the weekend and it was wonderful), and to become the woman that God has called me to be. He’s already been so good and loving to me during these first few rough weeks.

Going from driving down I-35 and passing ugly office buildings to walking to the local SPAR in snow and going to classes where monks and royalty used to reside is quite a big jump. But, yes, as you’ve mentioned, I’ve been surrounded by the simply complex European life before, so how surprised can I be? Spoiler alert: very.

While my culture shock may not look the same as some of my peers, I’ve been rather forced into a different sort of shock that I think makes this travel experience so different than when I was younger. I’ve come to recognize in the past few days that God truly is everywhere. In the beautiful architecture of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in the moonlight while trailblazing a hill, in the children stuffed into winter garb toddling alongside their mother, in the old woman half my height sitting with me in Mass, in the food and drinks served in the Mensa, in the people laughing so hard you feel it in the floor, in the pain, sorrow, and darkness, in the love, peace, and light.

I absolutely love when God shows me the little things that make life so wonderful and fun, don’t you? It’s not always easy to remember or to find sometimes, but even knowing that they are there and He is there regardless of what I’m doing, what I’m thinking, or how my relationship is with Him.

Yes, while I’m eager to see the holiness of Rome again (especially from a Catholic perspective now), Salzburg and all its musical glory, and the solemnity of Auschwitz, what I’m most excited for is how God is going to use this time to change and shape me. He’s done so much in ten days, imagine what He’ll do in a hundred! And I can’t wait to bring the newer me back home with all the wisdom and knowledge (and empty pockets) I’ll earn from being here. I continue to love the quote from Terry Pratchett, “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.” Always apt for a college student.

I think I have three primary goals for this semester. The first being to continue finding peace and rest in God’s love and mercy. I find myself so caught up in the whirlwind of life and worrying so much about things that I forget what’s true — I can feel God calling me to rest in Him more this semester, even among the hubbub of travel and exams.

The second goal comes from a great source of earthly wisdom for me: Get out of my head and into my life. I’m missing out on so much of my life by worrying about it and not just doing it. While it’s easier said than done, I want (if not need) to grow in this department.

And the third goal is to make good friends. There’s not too much to say on this goal, but I see so many doors that God has been opening for me and I’m going to push my introverted self to walk through the doorways and see where they take me. I’m curious if you have any goals for yourself during this period while I’m away?

To conclude this inaugural letter, I’d like to encourage (if not remind) you to continue to find the places where God is, especially while I’m away in Austria and you are in the beautiful mundane life of home. I’m having my adventure, but you still have yours! It doesn’t quite look the same, but even Bilbo came home and enjoyed the Shire for a while before returning to Rivendell. Love you so much, Mom!

Yodeling from the mountains,

Tate

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