It all started on Monday. There was no conscious choice to
say “yes” to everything, it just seemed to be where the spirit was calling, so
I followed. Bingo happens every Monday night at the church my novitiate is
attached to, and though they often need help, I have never felt I had the
energy by the time Monday night came around. Spiritually fuelled and
surprisingly full of energy from putting the finishing touches on a 15-page
paper on Teilhard de Chardin, this particular Monday I felt great – so I went. I met a community of people who told me all about the parish they love so much, where their kids received their sacraments, where their grandparents were married, and where so many memories lie for them. Having moved every few years, I can’t fathom this, though I can relate to loving the church where my parents were wed, as that’s the church I attended most on PEI. I never expected to serve in the church by peddling lotto tickets, but I can see that for $10 you could have a night of entertainment, the possibility of winning prizes, and being surrounded by friends.
On Tuesday there was a memorial for one of our sisters. I
don’t remember her, just as I don’t really remember meeting the last few
sisters who passed away and who’s services I attended, but I’m not sure
memorials are for this. When asked to go, I said “yes” to be around a community
of sisters who were grieving through their own pain and celebrating the joy of
her life. I said “yes” to learning more about who she was and how she lived her
vocation. I said “yes” to being in a room filled with love.
Wednesday held a “novitiate training” activity (that I was
expected to go to and only learned about it when it appeared on my calendar.)
So rather than answering a question, this was an internally motivated “yes,” to
go with a willing heart, an open mind, and a smile. It was a panel discussion
about a new book written by young sisters “In Our Own Words.” A nice read on
many aspects of being a sister, including a hopeful and well-written chapter by
CND’s own Debbie Warner.
Being regularly told from lots of different sources how so
few sisters are joining religious life, I am always surprised to go to a
gathering and see so many young sisters, especially ones I didn’t even know
existed. In a room of 100 sisters, I knew only 3 people. There were at least 40
sisters there my age (or there about), confronting the notion that I know in my
heart is false – that religious life is dying. I met vibrant, joyful, and
hope-filled sisters who knew what I did – there is a reason we are being called
and we need to meet occasionally to remind each other. As you can tell – it was
easy to say an internal “yes” to this.
Thursday morning started with the usual greeting of friends
at the local food bank and putting together bags of food for the local
community, before running off to mass and an all-day novitiate class. On Thursday
afternoon, I learned they needed people to sit in an adoration chapel at the
local convention center because there was going to be a gathering of 2100 young’uns.
When I say local – I mean walking distance, less than a mile away. It’s amazing
what happens right under your nose and you don’t even know about it. I went to
the early shift, prayed for an hour, and kept Jesus company until the next
companion came along. Later in the evening, a few of us went back to the rally
to see the charismatic event in action. Filled with impassioned speeches and witness
talks, I was surrounded by an army of priests administering confession for eager
teens. A second “yes” to go back, I learned that in the NY area, the future of
the church is ts Hispanic youth. It felt nice, like I was back in Texas, the
only blonde in the crowd.
Friday involved a four-hour roadtrip (twice as long as it
should have been due to traffic), a slight bribe getting to stop at Chick-fila
along the way (my favorite place for sweet tea and waffle fries), and a weary
arrival at shore. In Quonnie, Rhode Island, we were greeted by the sound of the
ocean and a towering 3-story inn. When sisters tell me about this place on the shore,
their eyes always brighten, their smiles come easily, and their minds drift to happy
memories. Arriving in the fog and cold under the veil of night enhanced the
feeling of magic. Like Hogwarts or a false wall in the wardrobe to Narnia, this
seems to be the setting for a number of mystical tales. My “yes” today really
means helping tomorrow morning to prepare the rooms, so all summer long, guests
can enter into their own tales and stories n this mystical setting. Even though
this is my first visit, the feeling of “opening the cottage” is familiar. Each
year on PEI, our family comes together on a cold, wet day, laughing through the
mundane tasks to wash dishes and make the beds, enjoying each other’s company
and expecting a summer of adventure. Among the PEI trees, the silence of the
forest is as deafening as the waves I now hear on the Rhode Island coast.
During this week of “yes,” I have encountered so many
people, my little introvert inside is crying for quiet time. Though not
physically tired, I am emotionally drained and mentally wiped. With everything
else, this week held meetings, a term paper, reading 3 books and a few additional
chapters, and 2.5 intense hours learning from Elizabeth Johnson. And that’s
since Monday. Spiritually, I am so gratefully full, in part for the awareness
of the many “yes’s” that just as easily could have been “no’s,” for the people
I met this week, and for the many places where I saw love weaving its way
through the tapestry of life. I leave you with this quote that has accompanied
from the noisy bingo halls, through the conference room-turned temporary
chapel, to a wood paneled room on the Atlantic coast:"God is the tip of my pen, my spade, my brush, my needle – of my heart and of my thought" - Teilhard de Chardin, a paleontologist and author.
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