To Encounter Christ

Isabella Grace Sutapaha was born on April 17 at 17:17…and at that same moment, I became a father. Yes, 17 must be her lucky number. There are no words in the world that can describe my feelings at that moment. Pride. Joy. Love. Happiness. These are all the feelings blowing through my heart.

I would describe these heavenly feelings as 'a first kiss' or maybe hearing “I love you” for the first time from someone you cared about. It was no one feeling that stands out….. just a tapestry of warmth, weeping, and wonderment. Many feelings…maybe 17 of them…racing through my mind around the time she was born…..

17. Anticipation—the calm before the storm as Angie and I await the arrival of our little one with grace
16. Excitement- Angie’s contractions, along with my father-like focus, are getting more intense.
15. Angst- Fighting traffic on GA 400 to get to John’s Creek Hospital.
14. Doubt- Will I be a good dad for my kid waiting to greet me?
13. Exhausted- Helping and holding Angie as her contractions become stronger at the hospital.
12. Proud- I am so proud of my wife….for being the mother of my child.
11. Love- The love for my wife rivals that of no other woman.
10. Love—at 5:17 pm….my wife has another woman competing with her for my love.
9. Happiness and Bliss- Isabella Grace came with God’s grace and heaven’s beauty.
8. Empowered- As I’m holding Isabella for the first time, I realized how tiny and precious she was in my arms.
7. Laugh and bewilderment- She definitely has my nose and eyes—she’s a Sutapaha!!
6. Doubt- Am I capable of loving her the way my parents loved me?
5. Conviction- I will love her with all my heart and all my soul. Always.
4. Lucky- I am so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter to be part of my life.
3. Trilogy - Mother, daughter, and I will always have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Perfect Pair- Isabella and I. Father and daughter. I’m ready to show her the world through the eyes of ‘her best friend’. Just the two of us.
1. Grace- Yes, I will be a wonderful dad….with love and grace from God.

Isabella Grace Sutapaha was born on April 17 at 17:17…and at that same moment, I look forward to being her dad.

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A New Insight Into Forgiveness
By Rudy Schlosser, TEC 16

You know when you’re at a TEC retreat and there’s one talk that "got to you?"! Well, at the recent TEC 35, during the talk of Julie Magardo, she "got me." And since that retreat, about 2 months ago now, I have been reflecting on what she had to say about FORGIVENESS. All the talks at this retreat were very meaningful, but for me, Julie’s reflection on forgiveness was "the talk." Specifically, she referred to Catechism 2843 “Thus the Lord's words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end,¹⁴² become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which crowns the Lord's teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these words: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."¹⁴³ It is there, in fact, "in the depths of the heart," that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession."

This was an AMAZING revelation for me! Especially where the CCC states "It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession." See, even our church realizes how difficult it is to "just forget and move on." However, the Church knows that when your heart really tries to offer itself to God/the Holy Spirit, that injury you received can become compassion/love for that other person. And you can be purified in your memory of that hurt, and that can lead to a prayer!

THAT IS INCREDIBLE!

What do you think?

Knowing what I now know what the Church says about forgiveness is going to make me a lot better loving and forgiving person. I promise. And to those of you out there whom I have upset, please forgive me.

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Four More TEC Weddings!

Joey Acuna, TEC 33, and Michelle Ragsdale, TEC 33 are getting married on August 15, 2009

Cathy Varela, TEC 28, and and Jason Hackl, TEC “not yet”, are getting married on August 15, 2009

Karla Ortega, TEC 30, and Tim Pardoe, TEC “not yet”, are getting married in October 2009

Steven Buckley, TEC 33, and Emily Bielawski, TEC 31, are getting married in December 2009

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Greetings from Silicon Valley
By Katie Donovan, TEC 9

Chris (TEC 24) and Katie (TEC 9) Donovan are enjoying life in Silicon Valley. Chris loves his job at Cisco Systems while Katie is blessed to be able to work for a small nonprofit doing Environmental Volunteers as well as leading Weight Watcher meetings. We welcomed Jacob Christopher into the world on December 2nd and are continually amazed by the little guy. We are in the process of buying a townhouse and look forward to have a little bit more space. We are also looking forward to celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and can't believe that the time has gone so fast.

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Everybody’s Best Friends Engaged! :
Dan Daly, TEC 34, and Natalie Chalfin, TEC 34, GOT ENGAGED!
By Rudy Schlosser, TEC 16

If you know or meet either one of them, you’ll believe you’re very special based on how they treat you. Dan and Natalie treat each person as if that person’s the most important person in the world! Whether it’s a party at Dan’s condo or dinner at Il Bacio (their favorite restaurant in Atlanta), if you’re in the company of either of them, YOU will FEEL the love! So when the news spread that they got engaged, you know that God and the heavens were smiling because Dan and Natalie, two of the world’s most loving people, will share their love together forever.

The wedding will happen sometime in mid 2010, and if you’re fortunate enough to attend, just know you’ll be treated like you’re the most important person ever!

Cheers to God for uniting Dan and Natalie!

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