Jubilee
Mood:  party time!
Now Playing: Fishing For Men
Well, today's the day of the Sisters' Jubilee celebration that I was invited to. I'm so nervous, but it's ok because one of the Sisters told me that I can sit with her. This Sister is my new boss. I will start working where she works on the 19th of this month. I'm excited about that. I'm also excited about the Jubilee Celebration because I'll get to meet some of the other Sisters. There will be a mass at 2:30 today and then followed by a party. I love parties. This is in my past, but might explain some of my nervousness about going to this Jubilee celebration. The last Jubilee celebration that I went to with another community--the one that ended on a sour note was not a nice experience for me. This is a different group of Sisters, so I know it will be ok, but there is still that small lurking wariness.

Yesterday I went to the festival at the Children's Home where the vocation director works. It rained all night, but they still set off their fireworks and it was awesome. This is one of their biggest money makers, please pray that it doesn't rain too much today. The vocation director was kind and drove me in her car to my own car (which was parked really far away). While I was at the festival, I saw who I think was one of the other vocation directors of another community in the area...though, I'm not sure which community she was from or if she was even one of the vocation directors. I recognised her and she me, but I don't remember where I knew her from (though I know she is a Sister).

I'll have to let you all know how it went.

Here comes the rain
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: the TV's blaring..as it always is at my parents' place
I think it's Murphy's Law that every time you have something that you'd really like to go to, it rains. The Children's Home that I volunteer at is having a festival this weekend and they were supposed to set off fireworks tonight. I don't know if that's going to happen though. I wonder if the festival will still be functioning? They really don't need the rain right now. This is one of their big fund raisers. I wanted to go see the fireworks, but even if they don't have the fireworks, I plan to go anyways.

My brother's currently graduating from college as I type. I'm at my parents' house with my dad because he couldn't go. He has MS and has problems where he can't go out often. I have to run a couple errands today...mainly find a place where I can get some nurse's scrubs. I have to wear those for my new jobs (starting when the Summer is over), and I'd like to have more than a weeks worth of them so I'm not having to do a wash every single week.

I posted my need at the Freecyclegroup near where I live. Basically what Freecycling is, is a way to swap things (like community sharing). You post what you need, and hopefully someone has it sitting around their house somewhere and wanting to get rid of it. You can also post what you have to offer and hope that someone out there could use it. I love it! Asking for those nurse's scrubs was my first posting, my second was to offer some boxes that someone might want to use for packing. I also have an extra coat that someone might be able to use.

Anywho...I'm looking forward to going to the Children's Home festival. I went to my gradeschool's parish festival for a little bit yesterday, and it was interesting. I don't really spend money at the festivals, but I love to just walk around and watch the people. Does anyone else do this, or am I strange?

Peace!
PS. Pray that the rain stops in time for the fireworks at dusk tonight.

Leaping into the Unknown
Now Playing: Mr. Roboto --Styx
Well, today was my last day at Concordia. I'm kind of bittersweet about it. It was a nice place to work (except that they had problems with people coming in on time for their shifts). I miss the teacher that I worked with. She is a really nice lady and we had lots of fun working together with the kids. We had a great professional friendship, which I hope I can continue outside of the workplace since I no longer work there anymore. I will really miss Lana.

Ok, so I have a week until I will be starting my new job. I will start working at a new school on the 19th of this month. I am looking forward to it. Right now, I'm just glad to have a little break between times. I don't have to work starting tomorrow until the 19th. It's a well deserved break.

Anyways, as I left today my boss gave me a lecture on following my "calling". He told me that he could tell that this wasn't just a "job" for me. He told me to search and pray that I would follow where God is calling me. I told him that I'd been discerning becoming a nun and he told me then I need to get right in there and interview all of the nuns that I know.... LOL, I've been doing this for a LONG time. (Now, this is a big thing, considering that this is a Lutheran school that I'd been working at.)

I got two cherry pies from my boss today. One I split with the kids and the other I kept for myself. The one that I split with the kids and Lana was really yummy.

Yesterday I talked to the vocation director a little bit (not officially) and she gave me the time that the Sisters do their evening prayer. I can't wait to start praying with the Sisters. I'll have to do that next week though because I have to go home this weekend to be around because we have family coming in for my brother's college graduation. While I am happy to see my family, I also want to have my time for myself. That's why I'm going to be staying at my place the whole week after that, even though I am not going to be working. I am looking forward to praying with the Sisters at the provincial house. I think that they do the Divine Office, so I'll have to learn how to follow the book that they use, but I'm super excited to learn how. When I prayed with the Sisters in Cleveland I felt so much like that was what I was called to do. I felt so much at home. And the strange thing is, that I'd prayed the Divine office with the Benedictines before and I really didn't care for how they did it. But these Sisters do it differently. I don't know what it is, but it really appealed to me.

This Sunday, I am going to go to the Sisters' Jubilee celebration. I'm both scared and excited at the same time. What's scary is that I'm going to be walking into a crowd where I'll hardly know anybody. Please pray that perhaps there will be someone nice enough to let me join them. I think it will all be ok, though. That's the feeling that I get when I think about it alot. I know that God is good and that this experience is not gonna kill me. I look forward to meeting some of the other Sisters. That's what I'm excited about!!!

This weekend is also the festival at the Children's Home that I volunteer at. I hope to make it down there sometime this weekend. The vocation director told me that there will be fireworks on Saturday night, so I hope that my family will be satisfied if I make an appearance Friday and Saturday into the afternoon so that I can go see the fireworks in the evening.

I have my official meeting with the vocation director on next Wednesday.

Anywho, wish me luck with everything that I have coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Dreamy
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: There Goes my Life -- Kenny Chesney
I'm just in a day-dreamy mood today. Only a few more days until my current job ends and I'm in transition. Transition can be hard sometimes, but I know that I'll be fine. I am really looking forward to starting my new job. I'll be working in Kentucky for the archdioceses... LOL, I think they pay my check. Actually, I'm going to start working in a daycare center run by a church down there. I'll be working with older toddlers. My new boss is a Sister of Notre Dame.

I'm just passing time before mass tonight. I go to mass every Tuesday night at the Mercy Center down here. I help out in the sacristy there, and also help pass out communion to the people who cannot make it up to communion.

I got invited to the Sisters' Jubilee celebration this Sunday. I am sooo looking forward to it. But I'm nervous. The last jubilee celebration that I went to of a different group of Sisters, I got kicked out of because the "right" people didn't invite me (though I WAS invited). Anyways, depending on my mood, I can walk into a room full of people that I don't really know and be ok. Most of the time. I just hope that there will be someone there who will invite me to sit with them. One of my friends was supposed to go with me, but she had something come up. But I will not chicken out! I really want to go and meet some of the other Sisters.

Wish me luck.

Homesick Blues
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Absolutely nothing!
Is it normal to feel homesick (for lack of better words) for a type of prayer and for a group of Sisters? Ever since I left Cleveland I've felt homesick. It's strange because I've only been to Cleveland one other time, this was the first time that I'd met this particular group of Sisters (though I'm discerning with their "branch" down near where I live.) I don't know how else to describe it. I miss them so much. I also miss praying in the morning and in the evening with the Sisters.

How do I tell this to the Vocation Director???

Catch-Up and Revise
Now Playing: Stairway to Heaven -- Dolly Parton
Well, today I'm just chillin. I went over to where my new job is and played with the babies over there. It was really fun to play with the little babies. I'll be going back tomorrow and hopefully I can spend time with some of the toddlers that I'm going to be working with.

I've updated the colors and the picture on the Yahoo group that I run. Catholic Kaleidoscopeis open to anyone who is Catholic or who is interested in becoming Catholic. It's just a place to chill out. Any of you are welcome to join! Right now I'm working on a book list on group.

I put up the following picture on the group. It's the portrait of Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN that the actor Martin Sheen commissioned. The sign that Sr Dot's hand is in is believed to be the original sign of the cross. Cool eh?

Down Time
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Halfway Around the World -- ABBA Teens
Yesterday I picked up my pet fish from Sister Joanne (RSM) who was baby sitting it for me while I was away in Cleveland. I had mentioned to her how sad I was to have come home to an empty apartment after I had spent the week with the Sisters of Notre Dame up in Cleveland. She gave me a nun doll and told me that it was my new room mate. She said don't be too upset when Sister (the nun doll) doesn't do her share of the chores or the cooking. Hee hee! Anyways, that's where the fun begins...

I bring the nun doll home and stick her up on the shelf and the whole shelf comes crashing down to the floor. LOL! I didn't think it weighed THAT much. Guess the shelving unit was just unstable. Anyways, I picked everything up off the floor and reassembled the shelf and then put everything back on (including the nun doll). By the way, I named the nun doll Sister Mary Kathleen (after one of the Sisters up in Cleveland).

Kathleen's always been one of my favorite names. I think that if I ever have kids (not that I'm planning to), I'll name a girl Kathleen. I've written stories since I was young. MAny of them have a main character in it that bears the name Kathleen or some form of it.

I have the rest of the week off work. I hope I don't bore myself too much. I think I'll go help out somewhere on some days. I'm thinking about making a small road trip tomorrow maybe up to Dayton so that I can go to a celebration of the life of the person who was the priest who was campus minister at Wright State while I went there. He died tragically of the flu. I'll have to see if I feel up to it after my time at the Children's Home.

Peace!

Stretching my Heart...the aftermath
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding"
Well, this is day one of my getting back from Cleveland, OH where I volunteered for a week with the Sisters of Notre Dame. Here's a little about the Stretch Your Heart Program. I really did stretch my heart. I found a place in my heart for all of the people that I met, the children I worked with at St Thomas and Saint Francis Schools, and all of the Sisters and other people that I got to meet.
My feelings...I've got a mixture of them... I am so glad that I had the opportunity to help with this service program. I wish it was longer. I really enjoyed living with the Sisters and spending time helping out in their ministries. Spending time with the Sisters reminded me how much I don't like living alone. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. I want to live with people who share that desire.
I got to test out my cooking skills when I spearheaded the Mexican dinner on Thursday night. I also helped out earlier in the week with various other dinners. We had an awesome Korean dinner made by JiSoo, who's from Korea. It was very delicious. I also got to meet two Sisters from Korea as well. They danced and sang for us. We then danced and taught them the Electric Slide. I love to dance! I also found out that one of the Sisters also likes to dance and does things like I do for personal prayer. Meeting her was great!
I'm kinda sad though too; I really miss the Sisters. I live by myself, and really miss living with others. I don't do much cooking, but somehow it was a nice experience just to cook for other people for a change.
On Friday, we got to see the provincial house of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Chardon. It was really huge (that's an understatement). I could spend days and days there and not really see all of everything there is to see up there. I wish I had more time to just wander around up there and spend more time looking at everything. I especially liked the chapel and all of its little niches (sp?). Click here to see the website of the Sisters of Notre Dame up in Chardon.
After the week of service, Sr Kate (who ran the program) took us toMalley's (an icecream parlor that's popular in Cleveland--that might be an understatement). I had a peanut butter sundae and it was really good. I really liked the place where we chose to sit and eat our sundaes. It was decorated in the Alice in Wonderland Theme. The mural was really nice to look at.
I could also see God at work in the lives of these people that I met. The children that I worked with were so accepting and loved having us there. The Sisters were great as well.
I also got to look at a book about the foundress of the community and I see my story in it. She took in children who needed someone to care for them. One of my dreams is to work with orphans, and she was able to do just that. I don't think there are any more orphanages in the United States, so I wonder if I'll ever get the opportunity. But I see alot of children in my life already who need to be loved and cared for. Right now, I'll continue working at Concordia at the preschool. In another month, I'll be at Holy Trinity where I'll be working with toddlers. I'm excited!

How good God is!

Loving it!
Now Playing: absolutely nothing
Hi everyone!

Well, I'm now up in Cleveland for the week on my mission trip. I really like everything so far. The Sister who met me at the airport is really nice. She reminds me of my God mother...I think it's her manurisms (sp?). Anyways, I got to see alot of the cool sites that are associated with the Sisters of Notre Dame up here. The first house they had up here is as big as a castle. In fact, it got the nickname Castle Ansel (b/c it's on Ansel street). My first reaction was like....wow....that's big....

Anyways, not sure how the rest of the week will go. Today I helped out at a school called St Thomas. I helped with the third grade class and then had recess duty (which was fun) and then library duty. These kids are so awesome. The Sister who is running this program is named Sr Kate. She's really neat (she's the one who picked me up from the airport). Anyways, she was wandering around the school with her camera taking like a gazillion pictures. I wonder if any of them will be used for anything. I signed a release form for that.

Tomorrow the other volunteer and I will go to a school called St Francis which is right next door to where we are staying (St Francis convent).

I'm closing for now. Don't know if I'll write anything much for the next week, but we'll see.

Peace out!

Mission Trip
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: nothing
This Sunday I will be leaving to go on a mission trip in Cleveland, Ohio. I'll be working with other volunteers and living in a community setting. I'm really excited about it! The volunteer mission trip is called "Stretch Your Heart" and it's sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame. I'm going to be helping out in one of the schools that the Sisters run.

I'll return on Saturday. Please pray that it goes well. I've flown before, but it makes me a little nervous sometimes. I hope that both of my carry-ons will fit on the plane. I've got a bookbag (filled with clothing) and a sleeping bag that I hope I can just carry onto the plane instead of having to check anything.

I'm going down to Kentucky today to give my new boss some of the things she wanted me to fill out for my new job. (My new boss is a Sister of Notre Dame). Pray that that goes well as well. I'll start working with the 24-30 month old children starting mid-June.

This Saturday, I'll get to see the first Sister that I ever knew. She has a big role in my vocation story. She's a Dominican Sister (St Catherine de'Ricci congregation in PA). As I said, this is the first sister I ever knew. She was the Director of Religious Education at the church that I went to growing up. She left about 5 years ago (2001) and that's when I started discerning a call to Religous Life. I'm soooo excited about seeing her too! I haven't seen her in like forever.