"Treat others the way you want to be treated" is a message that was probably written on a poster in your elementary school classroom, yet seems to be so easily forgotten as we've gotten older. As we go through our own seasons, problems, and challenges that come with age, we become so focused about ourselves that we rarely pay attention to what is happening in the people around us. Truly, what has been weighing on my mind recently is why do we always seem to forget when we treat others with kindness and respect, those same things will come back to us? 
    Jesus tells us that above all other things love one another as we love ourselves. When you are praying to Him for things like gentleness and patience for yourself, try and remember to pray for those same things for the people in your life. When we pray for others, God's kindness is being reflected through us. More often than not, the people around us need that strength and kindness more than we know.
    When you treat others with generosity and selflessness, those same blessings seem to flow back into our own lives. You don't have any idea what the people around you are going through. The world we live in right now is filled with so much judgement and selfishness and not enough thoughtfulness. I believe the message we were so strongly taught as children, treat people the way you want to be treated, is something we all could try to remind ourselves to do in our lives today!



Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  - 1 Peter: 4-8
Mary Grace D'Antonio
(picture from @thehoneydesignco on Instagram)

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    I am so proud of you! You made it through your first week back at school! I hope your classes are motivating you to get back into a routine this semester (even if still over zoom.) However, if this week was more difficult for you than you thought, I'm rooting for you! Coming back to school, work, and online meetings is no easy task. Doing the very best you can in the moment, even if it's not as good as you originally hoped, is always enough.
    If you need someone to be praying for you in this transition back to school, please feel free to leave me a prayer request at anytime!!



But the Lord stood with me & gave me strength.  - 2 Timothy 4:17
Mary Grace D'Antonio
(picture from @jacquelinewhitney_ on Instagram)

    I hope everyone has had a great start to their spring semester! Something that I have been thinking about recently is fresh starts and new goals. This might be on a lot of people's minds this time of year, and I wanted to give a few reminders during this season of changes & motivation. New Year's resolutions are something I always do, and I think they're really great to inspire change and offer reflection at the end of the year. However, sometimes I think we get so inspired by our goals at the beginning of the year that we forget life doesn't always make it easy to maintain them. 
    The goals we make at anytime don't always need to be met with perfection. Especially in this time we're in right now, so much is uncertain, and it's okay when a curveball gets thrown into our plans and expectations. We can't have faith in the world that it'll let our goals be met and our expectations be reached. We can have faith in God that allows us to show up and say, "I'm not perfect, but I'm trying." No matter what we achieve, God's grace has already made us perfect in His eyes.
    In this time of resolutions and goal-setting, be reminded to strive for progress and not perfection. Don't keep reminding yourself of the negatives when you fall behind on what you wanted to get done, but look back on the progress you already have made since you started! You were made for His purpose, not for perfection.



Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  - Proverbs 3:5
Mary Grace D'Antonio
(picture from @thehoneydesignco on Instagram)
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Happy New Year!!

I am so excited to start this year as Director of Spiritual Life! I will be reading devotionals at every Council meeting, and you will be able to read them here as well. I will also be keeping this page updated with some of my favorite quotes and bible verses for encouragement and support throughout the semester. I hope to be someone you can come to this year with anything, spiritual or not! I could not be more excited about this position and this new year. I encourage anyone to leave me prayer requests, so I can be praying for you & anything you need!



Be rooted & established in love.  -  Ephesians 3:17
Mary Grace D'Antonio