Fiat Voluntas Tua

This is a motto I have been striving to live by this past year. It's a phrase I have inked on my skin. And it literally saved my life during a dark episode I had.

Roughly translated, it means "Let it be your will," which then equates to "Thy Will be done," which is a verse from the Our Father prayer. The Our Father is a prayer near & dear to my heart because it's probably the one prayer I know by memory and by heart and can re-iterate in my sleep, and it's one of the first things my father taught me. The word "fiat" alone references to Mary's "yes" to God. And as any Catholic would, we strive to say yes to God's will just as Mary does. It's the basis of this blog name.

Here's the thing. I can feel that God has been making moves in my life as of lately, and stirring up something in my heart. I have ideas of what that might be, but it's all unknown still.

For some time now, I have been discerning and thinking of moving to Seattle.

It all started with when I attended the Western Psychological Association (WPA) conference for the first time last year. There, I found one of two schools (i.e. Seattle Pacific), that I was thinking of applying to for my Master's degree.

This year I got the opportunity to attend the conference again (this time in Portland) and was able to speak with an actual graduate student about what it's like to be a student there.

In my search for more information about graduate schools and MFT programs in Seattle, I came across Seattle University. There, I found out the academics are centered around the Jesuit Catholic tradition, and has a chapel on campus (at this time I was completely geeking out). I'm not too familiar with the Jesuit traditions, but my heart leaped for joy to find a school that was a lot closer to my spirituality.

My next step then was to find potential housing options. I first began by looking up different young adult ministries and Catholic churches in Seattle, and found their social media pages. Somehow, in a random search on a page for men's housing, the Lisieux House appeared. I then sent an e-mail to the address on the page, and just waited (admittedly, impatiently).

Two nights ago, I had received an e-mail and set up a telephone appointment. Yesterday, I had a FaceTime call with one of the girls there, and it was a really joyful conversation.

I know that there are still things to figure out (i.e. finishing up the last of my undergraduate studies, and actually starting the school application process), but things are moving so fast in this journey that I can't help but think God is paving a way for me to go to Seattle.

A few years ago, I never thought about Seattle as a potential home, but... who knows what God has in store?

I am trying my best to not get my hopes up, because this is still the early stages of the whole process. And things don't always go according to plans that we have.

But throughout this whole journey, I don't feel as if I've been in control. I mean, I've taken the steps to find and research things, but every time I found something, it was an unexpected find. For example, during the call, when one of the ladies asked how I found out about the Lisieux house, she responded with joy and amazement.

Nonetheless, I praise God for opening these doors up and challenging me to step outside my comfort zone. I praise Him in this discernment process. I praise Him for giving me something new to be excited about.

If there's anything to take away from this journey, even if I end up just staying home, it's been a really joyful process so far. Every step of the way I can feel God working. And I may not know what He's working towards, but whatever it is...I'm excited. I am all for it.