There is a blogger who writes under the name Beauty Beyond Bones. Since I found out that she had a blog, I often read it when she was online.
She is a proud Catholic, and her love of The Lord means a great deal to her.
Discovering her blog was like a reconnection with God for me as a Catholic.
Despite that, I am proud of the moment in my life when I said “No” to my mother when she suggested I take high school classes at a Catholic school when I was an adolescent.
My desire to honor the Catholic sacraments has changed. As a result of reading Beauty Beyond Bones, I felt my Catholic years were worthwhile because I hadn’t forgotten God.
My concern was that Carolyn might read posts from my blog when she wrote Beauty Beyond Bones, so I felt I needed to honor The Lord with my thoughts and actions.
Looking back, I remember what it was like when I decided to attend public high school. In my high school years, I chose not to return to a Catholic school.
When I told my mother that I no longer wanted Catholic education, she was remarkably agreeable.
My faith kept me grounded in the fact that I had essentially been a good Catholic. My pride came from deciding for myself which showed my independence.
I am proud that saying no to my mother and father about continuing Catholic studies was in my best interest. It was more genuine of me to say this than pretend to be a proud Catholic. Although I honored God, I was also free to pursue other interests than what I would have in a Catholic school.
I think of what Carolyn from Beauty Beyond Bones would understand this to mean. In addition to respecting my individuality, I imagine she would encourage me to return to Catholicism.
You can find Beauty Beyond Bones at this address: https://beautybeyondbones.com/
Carolyn is not the one I am saying “no” to, but perhaps even The Lord Himself. I remain sensitive to the possibility that there may well be a true afterlife.
I wrote this with a prompt written by Robert Duff, Ph.D., a psychoanalyst, self-help author, and podcaster who uses the handle @duffthepsych
The Myth of the Independent Blogger and How I Learned to Love It 