Haversack Law

Breakups happen.
And they suck. They do.
We all know this.
You can't make them not suck, but you can at least get through the process with a little class— or at least we can all try to do so.

Don’t be a total jerk or reprobate about a breakup.

1. DON'T break up during a fight. Even if you're sure the fight is the last straw, wait and do the breakup when you've cooled down. You'll be much less likely to do or say something hurtful or embarrassing.

2. DON'T give your soon-to-be-ex a litany of his or her character flaws. In the long term scheme of things, it won't matter what you think, and all you'll accomplish is making him or her feel bad. Which leads us to,

3. DON'T be insulting, condescending or belittling. As tempting as it might be to give your partner the kick to the curb with a kick in the ass, resist this urge. Your words will get around, and they'll make your already awkward social situation even worse.

4. DON'T place blame on your partner, or try to deflect it onto an external factor. Instead…

5. DO be honest about your motivation. A good way to put things is, "This relationship isn't working for me because…" This way, you're not telling your partner, "you suck." Rather, you're telling them, we've tried, but it isn't working. Try to find ways to phrase your reasons that aren't accusatory. For example, instead of saying, "You're a loser who can't hold down a job," you could say, "I feel like we have different career expectations and different financial goals.”

6. DO offer to return any personal property, clothing, apartment keys, headphones, etc. If they ask to keep something as a souvenir, let them (unless it's really valuable and important to you, in which case, suggest something else.)

7. DO have a plan to settle any debts, and untangle any legal or financial arrangements.

8. DO offer to return, delete, or destroy any sexually explicit photos or videos.

9. DON'T splatter the details of your breakup all over the internet/social media websites. Just don’t.

And finally,

10. Be kind. Be calm. Anger is not a good thing. You live long enough, you are going to have regrets...and the ones that nag at you the most are the ones where you know you had a choice as to how you could act.

Sunday in mass, Father Houston preached about Maximillian Maria Kolbe.

Kolbe was a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar. In 1941, Father Kolbe was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Auschwitz as prisoner 16670.

In July of 1941, a prisoner escaped from Auschwitz. In response to this, the commandant ordered ten men chosen who would be starved to death in an underground bunker to deter further escape attempts. As the guards called out the names of the ten men, one name called was Franciszek Gajowniczek. Upon hearing his name called, Franciszek began to cry out in agony over his fate. He screamed, "My children! My wife!"

When Father Kolbe heard this, he volunteered to take the place of Franciszek.

The prison guards then took Father Kolbe and 9 other prisoners away to the underground bunker where for two weeks they were deprived of water and starved. At the end of two weeks, only Father Kolbe and three other men remained alive. Tired of waiting for the men to die, it was decided by the commandant to give Father Kolbe and the others lethal injections of carbolic acid. It was said that when the guards approached Father Kolbe to inject him, he raised his left arm and calmly waited for the deadly injection.

Franciszek Gajowncizek survived Auschwitz and World War II, and lived to the age of 93, dying in March of 1995. Franciszek always said that as long as he had breath in his lungs it was his duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Maximillian Kolbe.

Father Kolbe's actions truly show the power of love and faith-- to stand in the middle of Auschwitz and say to the powers that be, "No, you aren't going to kill Franciszek Gajowncizek. You may kill me. But you aren't going to kill him. Not on my watch. Cause he's got a lot of living left to do."

Father Houston used Father Kolbe in his sermon as an example to show that there can always be light in darkness...that we can save others and that true love and faith are unmatched in power and strength.

That is and will always be true.

Make good decisions tonight and every night for the rest of your life!!

Stay safe and Happy New Year to ALL!!!