Hey, this is blog post #2 and my name is Mike Miklius. I am on the board of YAM-Northwest, and I am excited to have the opportunity to write to you today. I have been in education since I graduated college, and I love to write as a hobby. Though I mostly dabble in fiction, I also enjoy thinking about my faith and reflecting on what I have learned, as well as what still confuses me. Thank you for reading, and please let me know if there is any topic you would like to see covered in a future blog…I love the Q&A style of writing.

It has struck me in the last year that being Catholic is an often paradoxical experience. We should avoid doing too much of A or B for risk of creating false gods for ourselves. We are constantly forging our own golden calves, whether they be obvious pitfalls (drugs, sex, alcohol, gambling, violence) or more subtle traps (sports, politics, famous people, technology, work, etc.). Even ignoring our temptations, it can be hard to just maintain a healthy self image. Let's start with something simple: what do you think of yourself when you look in the mirror? Do you like or dislike the person staring back? Are you filled with pride at your accomplishments and good looks, thinking about how amazing you certainly are, or are you dismayed at the chubby figure staring back…the one who is working a dead-end job and can’t seem to do anything right? Maybe you think about your bills, how you don't call home as much as you should, and you need some ice cream to push down these thoughts. I don't mean to judge: I have my own days where I feel like crap and seemingly nothing can pull me out, but I also have great days where I maybe think too much of myself. Look at me! Look what I can do! What does our faith tell us? Isn’t it dangerous to be too proud and we should stay humble? However, isn’t it also wrong to sell God’s creation—us—short of it’s amazing potential? I think to find balance, we should be somewhere in the middle. I know: that’s the least satisfying answer, right?

Let's start with why you should feel good about yourself: when God created the universe millions (or billions) of years ago, he had every aspect of creation planned out. He planned out every single person before time began. Think about that: before God created dinosaurs, he knew Shakespeare would have an amazing gift for words. Before Adam and Eve, God knew there would be a Steve Jobs and that he would be a visionary in the technology world. God knew Michael Jordan could ball before humans discovered sports. With all the amazing things God did, don't forget that you are one of them. Like Shakespeare, Jobs, and Jordan, God created you and had a design for you before you were born. He didn’t see them as the elite and you as one of the dregs; he saw you and them on the same footing. That's how important you are. You still have the freedom to choose whatever you want, but you are here to serve some vital role in the world that only you can fill. That's pretty amazing. You are clearly an important person. Just don't let it go to your head...

Okay, so God planned me out millions of years ago. Clearly I am a big deal and everyone else should watch out. Not so fast: just like you, everyone else was created in the same fashion. God created your boss, that annoying neighbor, and even Hitler. Whether or not they reached their intended purpose, God had the highest hopes for them. Maybe if things went very differently, Adolph Hitler could have been a great leader. Maybe he should have been a janitor, a painter, or a veterinarian. Why did he end up so wrong? Perhaps he wasn't loved by his parents, or he was bullied by his classmates. Any of a million things could have gone wrong in this life. Who knows? Clearly, though, something went off track at some point. Normal people don't become Hitler. The point is that if everyone around us is likewise important, shouldn't we do everything we can to help them? Part of our role needs to be helping others shine in whatever they can. Pray for the President, whoever he or she currently is, because our country needs them to succeed. Pray for the street sweeper that they keep the roads safe and beautiful. It isn't our place to question if they have reached potential, but to help them follow God's plan in whatever way they have been given. In this way, we need to humble ourselves. We need to serve our neighbors in order to help them succeed. While we are important, so is everyone else. We should, really, go out of our way to help everyone we can at every moment...our own needs be damned. After all, we need more results like Mother Theresa and fewer “Adolph Hitler” outcomes.

I think the best example of this duality, no surprise, is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After all, who could claim to be more important than the guy who was God in human form? If anyone had reason to brag, it was Jesus. He could walk on water, heal people from injuries and conditions, turn water into wine, and return from the dead. Jesus should have been the biggest celebrity in the world. However, he humbly walked from town to town preaching the words of his Father. He didn't ask for parades or parties. He never forced his way. He never looked down on the prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, or other "deplorables" of his time. He simply greeted everyone he encountered with a smile and welcomed them into his Divine presence. Jesus knew he had an important mission, so he did everything necessary to accomplish it. He didn't let others stand in the way of what had to be done. Still, he did it all in his own servile way. He had time for everyone who came. Even after John the Baptist's death, Jesus was soon right back to work because it's what the people needed. He had the humility to serve and the conviction to stand by his principles—even when it meant death on a cross. Jesus did all of this to show us that, even though we have amazing potential, we must still have the humility of a servant if we want to change the world.

So, we are left with this paradoxical advice and meant to live each day by it: remember that God created you and you are special. Hold your head up high because you are a unique, amazing and purposeful part of the world. However, treat others the same way because the exact same thing is true of them…they also have a unique and beautiful purpose. Though we are given the lineage of being princes and princesses in the Kingdom of Heaven, we must serve our brethren to fully live out our greatest lives.
 

PS. Please comment if there is a topic you would like to see covered in the future and we will do our best to help. Thanks again for reading.
 
 

Hey YAM-Nation! Welcome to the YAM-NW Blog! This is a project that we've been considering for quite a while, and it's finally become a reality. We had originally crafted this idea in a fit of "genius" on how we could extend our social media reach. After letting this idea perculate a couple of weeks, we came to realize that maybe this was a worthwhile idea after all; this blog would create an avenue to allow contributors (more about that later) who have a gift for writing the chance to share their insight. And it also allows for more participation in YAM-NW, which is always a good thing.

We plan to publish new content weekly (at least), with topics ranging from commentary on everyday life and events, to deep religious insight, to reflections, and everything around and in-between. RIght now, we are looking for a few more contributors. If you are interested in being a contributing writer, please email us at yamnw.suburbs@gmail.com. We can discuss what will be a part of being a member of the YAM-NW Blog Team.

With that brief formal intro out of the way, on to the first blog.

Greetings YAM-Nation! Bryan, your friendly neighborhood YAM-NW Co-Chair here. I guess some sense of responsibility (and a bit of gluttony for punishment) has me being the first contributor. So I figure, what better way to create the way forward than to spend some time in reflection looking back at YAM-NW's 2018. Get your reminiscing hats on, because here we go.

If I had to describe 2018 in a single word, I would say "firsts". Considering that Kathy and I have been YAM-NW's Co-Chairs for 3+ years, you'd think that there wouldn't be that many firsts left for us to undergo. However, you'd be wrong.

One first I'm particularly proud of is that 2018 is the first time we've actually completed the #WorktheWorks challenge. For those that don't know, this is a YAM-NW service challenge where we try to do all seven of the Corporal Works of Mercy (click on the hashtag for a full readout). In past years, we never actually managed to do all seven, mostly because two or three of them would be incredibly hard to complete (ie. Visit the Imprisoned, Shelter the Homeless, and Bury the Dead). This year, though, with some dedication (and creativity), YAM-NW has written letters for Prison Ministry, stuffed toiletry bags for PADS, and cleaned a cemetery, along with many other service projects. Seeing the new faces come to each and every one of our service events has been amazing. So huge shout-out to all of you for making this completion a reality! Don't worry, we won't rest on our laurels, the challenge is never actually completed, just accomplished.

Another first is that this is the first year we have experimented in rotating our Wednesday Studies to other locations. For many years, Holy Family in Inverness has been the home of YAM-NW's weekly Wednesday Studies. While we love being there and are hugely thankful to that community for always welcoming us with open arms, we thought that, in order to be consistent with our attitude of ministering to and reaching out to all of our parishes, we would explore the rest of our half of the Vicariate. We hoped that by doing this, we would open up more opportunities for people to come and be spiritually nourished as we studied Pivotal Players, Basics of Apologetics, and Lenten Preparation. Happy to say that we have seen many new faces who all have contributed greatly to our discussions and reflections.

A third first I have to talk to about is that 2018 was the first time we have revisited being more active. With kickball and frisbee, we have gone outside to play. This is significant to me because, truth be told, I originally got involved in YAM because they had sports: basketball, volleyball, softball, and open gyms. I ended up staying because of the fun I had and friendships I made. From one of those friendships, I discovered the other parts of YAM that included Bible studies, Eucharistic Adoration, and prayer. So for me, I look at YAM-Sports as more than just sports, but also as a portal to being a part of this great community and fellowship.

The final first of 2018 I want to mention is that we took our Masquerade Ball and put the power into the hands of the people and put the theme to a vote. It was a slight risk, since we had no idea how to plan until the vote was over, but it was fun to see how certain people worked really hard to get the votes in. The eventual winner was "A Night at Gatsby's", which ended up being an awesome night and a lot of fun.

While that was a fun look at the past, how about the future? For 2019, we hope to carry on the momentum from last year and keep on improving. We have a two-week series starting up at Queen of the Rosary focusing on the Ephiphany. In February, we are almost done planning Winter Wine Series, and it looks awesome. Check back with us when we put the schedule up.

Looking even further into 2019, we are looking forward to the return of some YAM-NW favorites, and the introduction in to some new events that we hope become favorites. We are really focused on planning all of these out, and we can't wait to start unveiling them. This is a labor of love for not only Kathy and I, but also the YAM-NW Team. So we're hoping that y'all feel the love.

I guess that's enough waxing poetic for me. So until next time, pray for us, because we'll be praying for y'all. Peace!