My Last Lecture

A friend of mine recently posed the question, "If you were going to die tomorrow, what life lessons and experiences would you feel compelled to share with others?" Suffice it to say, this friend is a bit dramatic, but the question is valid and insightful.
Honestly, I had not thought about collecting learned lessons to pass onto my friends and family and I definitely had not thought about my immanent death. After thinking about both for several days, here are some key points in my "Last Lecture" so far:

-Suffering is an opportunity to learn vital wisdom. God uses suffering to bring us closer to Him. Based on my experience, those who suffer either by chance or by challenge gain God's insight into the meaning of Love.

-Hope is essential to life. Without hope, we have no motivation or strengthto overcome adversity. We depend upon hope, but it doesn't offer the luxury of security.  

-Generosity. Don't hoard your blessings.  Each one of us has a unique combination of gifts to act as God's hands and feet in this world.  If we don't open ourselves to be God's messengers, then his gifts are wasted.


-Forgiveness.  We are all susceptible to failure and disappointing each other, but our challenge is to forgive.  If we don't forgive, our sorrow and distrust will slowly kill our ability to love even our friends.  Forgiveness is no easy feat, even though we say it with ease in the "Our Father".  Forgiveness requires unconditional Christ-like love to move beyond the pain and rebuild trust.  That's no easy task, but with God anything is possible.  "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ~Romans 8:39 

-Vulnerability. Life is too short not to be yourself. By building a wall or wearing a mask, you only distance yourself from building relationships.

 -The time spent building relationships is more important than time spent worrying about money, material goods, or checking tasks off your "To Do" list.

-Human dignity. Humans are images of God's love and thus are filled with dignity and purpose.  By being human, we are all connected through our God.  We are many parts of one body.  When one part is suffering, the rest of the body suffers too.


-Living a good life begins with today. Our future plans mean nothing if we never take the first step in the present.


-Take responsibility when you make a mistake (paradoxically, the more human you are, the more people will trust you). 


- Show gratitute always.  You never know what God has planned for you.

- If you don't like someone, spend more time with them and your perspective will change.

Sledding at EcoTarium!

Last week, my roommate Lee and I went sledding at EcoTarium (the local Children's Science museum)!  Here are some pics from our adventures:

My roommate Lee and I!

Me laughing hysterically...I was knee deep in snow for the first time EVER!

Lee zooming down the slope!

 What a gorgeous day!

CCC Mexico Mission Trip

I was recently asked to comment on a mission trip that I attended with the Catholic Campus Center at my college.  After reflecting upon my time in Mexico, I realize that time brings clarity and perspective to all experiences.

Here are my remarks:

"The time I spent in Mexico enriched my love for the Mexican culture, the language, and especially the people. After living and working in Quernavaca, I feel connected with the people and their struggles for economic and social justice. As humans and images of God's love, we are all united in solidarity through Christ. Thus, when one human suffers, we are all entrusted with the responsibility to comfort the suffering. The CCC Mexico Mission trip reinforced the ideology that as individual threads of the same tapestry, we can support each other and work together to weave a world of social justice and dignity for all."

added Jan 24th: 1 Corinthians 12  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.  The body is not a single part, but many.  God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.  Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary....If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Thank you Debbie for giving us the opportunity to serve in Mexico!

massive month update!

Speaking of blessings, my mom was able to visit me up here in Worcester for Christmas!  I  took her to all of the places where I work - EcoTarium, Columbus Park Elementary, St. Vincent de Paul Clothing store, and of course St. Peter's.  As she participated in some of the work I do on a daily basis, she said that she reinforced her appreciation for what I do and why I volunteer full-time.  It was fun getting to watch her interact with my community here in Worcester...for once, I wasn't the only "new girl" from Texas in the room!  After a brief period in Worcester, we drove to the snow covered beaches of Cape Cod to stay with my Tante Arlette and her family for Christmas.  Everything was covered in snow when we arrived - the Cape had received nearly 20 inches of snow before we came!  That's an uncanny amount for the Cape.  The local beach and lighthouse looked so beautiful covered in snow...odd, but serene.  My fondest memories from the Cape included entertaining my little cousins (Anne and Peter, 4 year old twins), savoring delicious meals with my extended family, and seeing the children open their Christmas presents from "Santa".  Oh to have that magical excitement of Christmas morning again... 


Lucas decided to visit Worcester too!  St. Peter (after whom my church is named) must have known Lucas was coming and wanted to make a good first impression...  As Monsignor Scollen was consecrating the host, a bat flew out from the rafters and began to fly in circles around the ceiling!  After flying around the ceiling a few times, he migrated down and made a few loops near the altar, the priest, and deacon.  He almost flew right into the priest!  Like I said, St. Peter wanted to give Lucas an accurate impression.  After all, our parish is a little batty at times!


After a quick visit in Worcester, Lucas and I drove to his hometown in PA to visit his family.  I love Pennsylvania - rolling hills and forests, independent farms, towns rich with early American history, and lest we forget the Soft Pretzles!  PA has quickly become one of my favorite states (second to Texas, of course).  During my January visit, I ice-skated OUTSIDE for the first time in my life, played bridge with Lucas' parents, learned about an early American faith community known as the Moravians, and toured historic Bethlehem, PA with Lucas' mom.  I was sad to leave, but excited to return to my community here in Worcester.  After a long vacation, there is nothing more comforting than attending Mass in your home parish.
Home sweet home.


Next week, all the regular activities begin again!  This year, I am teaching the ESL Intermediate II class and volunteering in the St. Peter's Mentoring program as usual.

picture provided by: wikipedia.org

The Gift of a Cookie

I am a firm believer that children can teach adults powerful life lessons.  During Preschool Time at EcoTarium, the snack area is usually overflowing with puffy animal crackers, but today chocolate chip cookies were on the menu.  As I watched the children react at the sight of this coveted new snack, I laughed to see their faces light up with joy.  I remember when a cookie used to make me that happy; although, I sometimes surprise myself at my excitement towards chocolate (You know what I mean, Debbie)!   As I was looking through the crowd of children and parents, I noticed one of the kiddos looking around and seeing that his friend didn't have cookie yet.  After a few seconds of thinking, he bounced off the floor, walked up to his mother (who was standing near the "Snack Area") and exclaimed, "David doesn't have a cookie - he needs one!".  After David was given a cookie, this generous little boy made sure that everyone around him had a cookie.  It was amazing to see such love from a child.

If only we as adults would learn to be as generous with our blessings as that little boy, the world would be a better place.  Of course, his generosity originated by first recognizing his gifts - mainly, the satisfaction of eating a cookie at 11am.  Once he realized this was a blessing in his own life, he was then able to be aware of children without cookies and offer them a cookie so to share in his gifts.

Today's Mission:  List the blessings in your life and share at least one blessing with someone who lacks that same gift you cherish.

Some of my blessings: time, a loving family, caring friends, food, shelter, clothing, ears with which to listen, eyes with which to see, legs for walking, a mouth for talking, arms to embrace, a knack for cooking and organizing, a car and the ability to drive ...  I'll let you know what I share!

photo provided by: http://www.old-picture.com/

Voices in Harmony

December 17, 2009

I've been going to St. Peter's choir practice for the past few Thursdays (including this one).  There are only 6 members, but we have a great time singing and harmonizing our voices.  The organist even brings hot cocoa and cookies to share with the group!  We are quite a group of characters - Kelly, a mother of 10 children (5 of whom are still home) is so vibrant and full of joy; Jenn is from Kenya and is attending grad school at Assumption College when she is not working in Boston (an hour drive); another woman works as a nurse in the ER and still manages to find the energy to sing with us after 12-14 hour shifts at work.  What a crew!  After every practice, I leave with a reinforced appreciation for the endurance of the human spirit.

If I have enough time after choir, I drive to the Assumption Chapel for adoration and the weekly recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  What I love about adoration at Assumption is the atmosphere - the chapel is completely dark, save for several candles lit around the altar with one sole light shining down from above on Christ.  The Monstrance glimmers and reflects the beauty and radiance of the Eucharist within.  Just being present in the Chapel is incredibly powerful.  Here is some background on the Chaplet: http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplet.php  and the chaplet in song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eym833fy8Uc.  Again, the harmony is glorious (minute 6 and 7 are particularly poignant)

December 15, 2009

I went to a meeting with Frances, the CEO of the Family Health Center in Worcester, MA.  We first met at my church - Sr. Mary Ann (my boss) introduced me to her.  First of all, I was slightly surprised that a CEO of a major health center is a parishioner of St. Peter's church. The parish resides in an impoverished part of town known as Main South and is thus one of the poorer parishes in Worcester.  Not to mention, there are over 40 Catholic churches from which to choose in an 8 mile radius of St. Peter's.  After talking with Frances, the CEO, for a few minutes I realized why she goes to St. P - she is an incredibly humble advocate for the poor and truly loves the people in Main South.  Her passion is inspiring!

As Frances walked me through the center (this is the only place you will find the CEO giving tours to lowly volunteers), I was struck by the concept of a "community health center".  The intent of the center is to provide medical care that treats the physical ailments of patients as well as the root causes of their health problems, such as poor drinking water, malnutrition, the lack of health education, and/or the lack of adequate housing.  This Worcester center in particular offers a "Read with Me" program, wherein every child that sees a doctor here receives a book (in their language) and is encouraged to read with their parents.  Not only that, but as the children are waiting for the doctor, volunteers read with/to the children in the lobby.  How cool is that?  

These health centers are non-profit companies wherein at least 51% of the board members are required to be patients of that particular center.  Patients have a voice!  What a concept...
I hope to be working there in a few weeks with the Administration department.  Frances mentioned fund-raising and I immediately thought of a 5K/1mi Fun Run.  She gave me the green light, so I hope I'm ready.