Not Just Another Good Car Song

Greetings,

Matthew West's song "The Motions" always has me singing along in the car on the way to or home from class. Even in the house, I hum along when it is played on the radio. Other than it being quite a catchy tune, the song reminds me of how to live our life no matter where I am.

There was such an gracefilled passion for Christ and Monastic life when I promised perpetual profession. This wanes and waxes as a part of life. Still, West's song has been a great reminder of the how the promise to live for Community, Christ and the Church should continue to change how I live and connect with our profession of Converstatio, Stability, and Obedience.

What started this whole reflection? Not just the good music; I attended a final vows celebration at the Franciscan motherhouse yesterday. Commitment ceremonies always make me a bit more reflective.

"The Motions" by Matthew West
This might hurt, it's not safe

But I know that I've gotta make a change

I don't care if I break,

At least I'll be feeling something

'Cause just okay is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day without

Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time

I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind

Let Your love make me whole

I think I'm finally feeling something

'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day without

Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

A Few Hours in the Dark

Greetings,

Well, we had a bit of excitement here last night! I had been raining for just over an hour when the lights blinked for a moment. Hmmm...sisters Linda and Jane were in the kitchen preparing egg rolls for Linda to take to work tomorrow, they called out to see if I had seen anything in the living room. Nope, the lights were only out for a moment, so I turned the TV back on to catch up with the Sherlock Holmes mystery on PBS.

A few minutes later the lights blinked again. This time there was a loud crackling and buzzing outside as the lights went out. The sisters kept making egg rolls in the kitchen, and I went to the window feeling a bit puzzled. I was raining pretty hard, but there was no wind, no lightning, or anything that would account for the lights going off.

The third time was the charm. The buzzing and crackling started again, and I looked out the window just in time to see a transformer (about a half-block away) burst into sparks like a roman candle or groundflower. Then our side of the block went dark...sigh...the wrong side of the tracks.

Luckily, I have been keeping my flashlight (Christmas gift from my Dad) in the same place since one of those tornado/emergancy drill lectures at the monastery. I joined Linda and Jane in a hunt for the candles and other flashlights on the main floor. Soon we had enough candles so they could see to finish up the egg rolls. I held a flashlight in each hand to shoot some helpful light in their directions. We also called the electric company to report the blowout. The automatic voice told Linda that the company already knew about the 'problem'. We did have the choice of receiving a call either to give us an estimate of when the lights might come back on or when the lights came back on (why get a call to tell you the power is on, wouldn't you notice?).

So, we visited for a while, considered playing cards (but not everybody could see well enough in the candlelight), and eventually Jane headed off to her bedroom. Linda decided to wait for another sister who was out last night and snoozed off and on in the easy chair. I wrote a letter telling the story for the sisters at home...it should give a chuckle or two for the mailroom readers. My only problem is the Sherlock Holmes story. "The Tale of the Three Gables" isn't one of the shows based on a story from the books but written for the show itself, and I may never who done it in the end.

Blessings,

Greetings,

Happy Feast of St. Theresa the Little Flower. This morning was a good day to reflect on how to serve in little ways with great love. Nothing 'big' was going on and no where to go in a great hurry, just time to sit and wonder how love can change simplest act into gift.

"I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is Love!" ~ St. Theresa of Lisieux

Blessings,

Archangels and Undergrads

Happy feast of the Archangels!

Today, I returned to my observation school on the other side of town. I was up early enough to take time to pray our Lauds for the feast and even sit in reflection on a reading about Archangels from my Benedictine breviary. The morning proved to be such that I am very glad that I took the time to remember God surrounds us with His TLC via angels every day.

The commute to my observation site was fairly smooth for 8:15 AM (no one honked today, I'm proud). I even hiked up the five flights of stairs without stopping (woo-whoo)! When I reached the resource room, I learned how to continue to be flexible. Today was "star" day and not "B" day which means school ends early and all 14 or so modules are shorted down to like 14 minutes.

The first four mods I assisted with various ALGEBRA II assignments and tests; this consisted of helping some ADHD kiddos keep time on task and no actual math knowledge was required (thank God). Then I worked with an essay assignment, but backed up the kiddo from writing her introduction to reading the two articles she printed off and preaching the benefits of prewriting her ideas before starting the actual essay. Then one the aforementioned ADHD math kiddos returned with a religion assignment the needed to be read aloud or not read at all...at the same time an easily distracted freshman with a month late biology paper was placed on the other side of me.

As I headed out the door, the cooperating teacher asked if I was 'okay' from the onslaught of the fast paced morning. To her surprise (and mine), I smiled and told her I couldn't wait to be back next week. Oh, of course I was frustrated at the quick turn over and short mods that left me with only about 10 minutes once the kiddo was settled and found his/her books and a bit frazzled at helping out with math (soooo out of my comfort zone). However, the students themselves reminded me why I'm here at university... So you can decide for yourselves, who were the angels sent with a message by God (no dramatic lighting effect cues were included)? Me? (probably not) or the Kiddos? My money is on the kids.

Now to the undergrads...if there are other college folk/students/professors out there, please help me with this riddle! Why were they all in my half the library today? I do quite a bit of my reading in the book-half of the library where the only sound is the whir of the air system and the hum of the bubbler (actual Milwaukee word for water fountain). Today, there was a major influx of undergrads not only flooding into the study cubicles but also looking through (hold on to your hats) BOOKS. Hmmm...is it mid-term already?

Blessings,

Volunteering Step by Step

Greetings,

Soon I will begin some volunteering at a Catholic high school not too far from the house. I have had some of the teachers in previous courses and a couple in my courses this semester. I knew I would learn alot during my time volunteering; I just never imagined the importance of the lessons before I could even step foot in the classroom. There are many steps and hoops to jump through to be a volunteer.

The first step was to make initial contact...several times. I called to inquire, visited the school with a teacher co-student who teaches there, and e-mailed once a week. Approximately three weeks to a month later I met with Joe who fellow who coordinates these things. Now is when I realized the importance of persistence in becoming a volunteer. While I was waiting patiently for him to get back to me after discussing the possibility of me volunteering with the English Dept. folk, many events too place at school and the volunteer was forgotten (it's okay). Luckily, I was inspired by Vanessa and Mark to e-mail again (and again) to show that am still interested. Step three is predict what the office might need. Just in case, I attended the safe environment session in my parish and got the signed certificates needed to prove I had seen the videos and speakers. Ah-ha! When Joe replied to my e-mails (pestering), he asked if I would attend one of the sessions...woo-who...I even remembered to print of the diocesan code of ethics thingy. So setting up for this meeting today with the English department head and Joe actually started way back in the middle of August. This doesn't mean I get to start volunteering soon. They have to run a background check on me and set up a couple more hoops first, but then I'm set for the rest of the school year.

For a couple weeks I harbored thoughts like "this wouldn't happen at my previous school". Then I realized, I've never been on this side of the fence. It very well could take this long to get into a volunteering spot at our schools. I'm just hopeful that I can be useful to the English folk while I'm here. It will also be nice (for the first few days) to be working with students again...help me reconnect to how I can use my courses and learnin' when I return home.

Blessings,

Autumn Colors

Greetings,

I wonder if God's favorite season is Autumn? The season has begun to creep up on the city and it leaves my favorite quiet spot on campus absolutely gorgeous! The flowers are still blooming while the leaves turn due to the cool dry year they have expereinced this summer in Milwaukee. I think the autumn colors on campus are more striking than the lush green landscaping that they cultivate during the late spring and summer seasons. Once the colors hit their high point at nearby Lake Geneva, I plan to do the scenic drive and take in their fall festival. It is supposed to be one of the most colorful areas in this region of Wisconsin.

Blessings,

Yoga?

Greetings,

Sr. Marcia sent this on to me via her e-mail. I love it! My family has been practicing 'yoga' for years and we never knew it! Yup, I think we should add it to our Monastic practices.

“My friend Doug Wilson has developed a potent, new spiritual practice,” writes best-selling spiritual author and the founder of Bread for the Journey, Wayne Muller, in his book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest (Bantam, 1999). “He calls it Slotha Yoga. It consists of one simple precept: When you wake up, don’t get up. Stay in bed. Give yourself time to review your dreams. Notice how it feels to be in your body this morning. Do not be hurried by your impending responsibilities, but rather luxuriate in the softness of the bed covers. Watch how the light comes into the room today, read a little, daydream, wonder about breakfast.
“Many couples begin their Sabbath this way,” says Muller in this beautifully simple collection of gentle solutions to the “violent enterprise that a successful life has become.”

Blessings,