Making the Rounds

I've been here for 6 weeks now, and between this span of time and my previous visits, can you believe there are some Sisters I have yet to sit and have a conversation with? I apparently need to branch out more. So imagine my delight when I came to sit with a pretty regular meal-time companion of mine during dinner last night and also got the chance to sit with someone new.

Want to know the worst part though? I sit next to this Sister every morning and evening during prayer, and other than a "thank you-you're welcome" exchange every now and then when I offer to take a paper or book up for her after prayer, or the occasional "how was your day?" short conversation a couple times a week in passing, I have never talked to her. Shame on me, that's for sure. But I am glad I had the chance to spend some time with her last night, and hopefully many more instances will follow. It was nice to sit with her, and I think she has the most beautiful smile. And I appreciate her little "jabs" regarding my not liking bananas...

There are many more Sisters that I must get to know better, or really wish I could hang out with more. The one downside, a handful of them don't live at the Mount, or they get home super late, work on Saturdays, or are part of the 4th floor lunch crew that I have traded in for the 1st floor ever-so-wonderful company of 8 adorable toddlers who wear their food each day. (A shout out to my former lunch buddies-I miss you all!! Wish I could visit)

So if you are reading this and fall into one of these categories, If I don't get to you first, seek me out!! Sometimes I just need a little reminder :)

Shuffle Hustle

This gorgeous weekend brought with it a joyous cold! Well, maybe joyous isn't the word for it. Was it from work? My brother? The schedule finally catching up with me? Who knows. All I can say is that I am glad it came on a weekend so I could actually rest and attempt not to infect anyone else, except for Carrie, my resident caretaker. I guess I should thank her for putting herself in the line of fire...!! And I should thank all the Sisters for their concern, and one in particular for her sweet little note and Snackwells Cream Cookies...yummmm. Also, you sometimes get other little gifts at your door, like Airborne tablets to put in water. The Sister who gave them to me agrees with me that they are awful, so I guess I don't feel bad posting what could be an exact snapshot of what I looked like when I first tried it (see below). But all joking aside, the concern is very much appreciated. If this was only for a little cold, what happens when you're actually laid up for a few days? Must be that good 'ol Benedictine hospitality.

Since Saturday was such a gorgeous day and I didn't get a chance to take advantage of it, I'm glad Sunday was even nicer. And I'm glad I was feeling better and agreed to take a walk with two of the Sisters because I discovered a hidden talent I apparently have. Now I was actually conned into this, it was disguised as just a walk. So imagine my surprise when I got to the front door and one Sister says, "We've got ourselves some shuffleboard partners!"

...Shuffleboard. You know, that game you see retirees play on cruise ships? Yeah, well, apparently this 22 year old plays pretty well. It took a few rounds to really get into it, but before long I was landing my team's discs right in the middle of the numbers, nowhere near the lines. 10? No problem! 8? Of course! And to be completely honest, I had a blast. So much so that I completely forgot myself and revealed my lovely "happy dance" a few times. Must have been the cold medicine... The funny thing is, we had to go over to the senior apartments behind the Mount to play this. No residents were out there, just us four young ones :) Unfortunately I have no documentation that this event even occurred. The score ended up to be 106 to 20-something. Shout out to my partner, my team was pretty beast. Re-match next week?

Gotta Love 'Em

Toddlers make the world go 'round.

I know this because I am now working solely at St. Benedict Child Development Center, a day-care and head-start program run by the Benedictines. I am in the toddler room, which means I am the human jungle gym-nose wiper-cuddler extraordinaire! Or something like that. Bottom line: they are the most adorable kids, and coming from a family where there aren't too many small ones, it's great to be outnumbered by them. And I get to put my 6 years of Spanish to good use finally! Now keep in mind I've only spent two full days there. This view may change in the coming weeks. But really, they are some pretty great kids. And when your day consists of playing dolls and blocks, going for walks, and running around on the playground, I'd say it's a pretty sweet gig. Throw in about 2 1/2 hours of napping quiet each day, and you're golden! I am absolutely whipped when I get home, but I have to say I am always looking forward to getting my hugs and slobbery kisses every morning.

Lesson learned this week: Don't make it to morning prayer for 31 days straight and then sleep through it one morning. You will single-handedly cause community-wide panic. Sorry ladies! But I do appreciate the concern  :)

Welcome to the Club!

We're official! Saturday night, Carrie and I made our commitment and formally entered the Benedicta Riepp Program for a period of 11 months. A very simple ceremony took place right after Evening Prayer and before dinner. I wish I could relay every detail to you all, but that's just not possible. Partly because you just had to be there to feel what it was like. But the overwhelming love and support of the entire community made the night very special. A short write up of the night can be seen here.

My family also came for the weekend. It was the first I had seen them in a month. They were so grateful for the hospitality of the Sisters and they had a great time. My brother was impressed by how "beast" everyone really was. Great job, Sisters!

A very special thank you goes out to our director of the program, and my mentor, for helping to make this past month an enjoyable and educational one, and for supporting me as I take this step toward what will be a very memorable and life-changing year. Let the real adventure begin!!

Signing my Statement of Promise while Sister Anne, Prioress, looks on

My brother and I

At the top of the Bicentennial Tower

One lone rose found on the parking lot side of the Monastery

Believe it or not, we're about one month into this adventure. Well, if you want to get technical, one month from the date I moved in is not until Tuesday, but come tomorrow, I will have been here four weeks already. Shocking, I know. Don't remind me that time is just FLYING by.

With that being said, Saturday marks my commitment. My family is coming and I am so excited to see them. My Mom, Dad and brother will be here Saturday afternoon. I have had countless Sisters come up to me with the same question. "Are you excited? Nervous? Ready? Dreading it? Huh? Huh? HUH???" Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but in no way can I tell that the community is looking forward to it...not.at.all. But I am excited as well. Excited, nervous, but ready. Let the real adventure begin.

Fall is here! Well, sort of. Temperature-wise, yes. When the leaves really begin to change color, call me. It's my favorite season!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Have you ever had one of those moments where you're laughing so hard, you're crying? When your gut hurts so bad that it feels as though you just did about 500 crunches? Sometimes those are just the best.

This weekend I had my fair share of moments like this. Let's see, where to begin...
I guess with Friday night. Carrie and I have been occasionally playing a game of Hand and Foot with a couple of the Sisters, and this weekend was no exception. This time, I thought I'd share a little term with the Sister I was paired up with. Some of you might know it. "Beast." Ok, when someone is really good at something, like cards, for example, they are "beast." It basically just means you're awesome at something. I know, I know, it's not exactly a regular term I use, it was just a silly kind of night and the moment was right to use it. We were connecting rather well throughout most of the game, so we were most definitely "beast" that night. Just ask her, she'll tell you! Quite a few laughs followed while I was attempting to explain when was the appropriate time to use this term. It was great.

Saturday night, Carrie and I found the dollar theater and the movie "Bridesmaids." Talk about busting a gut. If you enjoy the kind of humor that is in this movie, then you will not stop laughing for two hours, and then proceed to quote the movie the entire ride home, continuing for the next few days, and laugh until you're crying each and every time. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of Kristen Wiig or Maya Rudolph from SNL. They are on top of their game in this movie. I know I am a few months late in promoting this, but the theater doesn't carry the movies until a few months after their release. Nevertheless, it was a great night out, even if we had to sit right up front and crane our necks for two hours.

And finally, Sunday night might have had the most entertaining moments of the whole weekend. The day naturally carried a heavy feeling, at least for me, but I am sure I was not alone. Laughter was a much needed remedy that day. After attending a wonderful 9/11 prayer service in the city, Carrie and I went out to eat with two Sisters. Best.Car.Ride.Of.My.Life. You want to see antics? You should have been in that car. Between the two of us in the back, and the two of them up front, we are a dangerously sarcastic foursome. "Orange" lights, developing slightly odd ways of protecting your passenger when you have to suddenly hit your break, getting all excited about a coupon and finding out it expired, but you're going to attempt to use it anyway (bustedddd). Of course, if you weren't in the car that night, you have absolutely no clue what I am referring to. In that case, is any of this even funny to you? Eh..?

I guess to sum things up, I really needed a good laugh this weekend, and I had several. All were most definitely gut-busting and tear-jerking, and I guess our many antics (word of the day) are to blame.

"The Sound of Silence"

Hmm...more song title references.

In the Benedicta Riepp program, each week I am given one day between Monday and Friday to use as a reflection day. Mine is every Thursday. During that day, I do not go to work, I do not have any deadlines to meet, per say, and I can just lay low. Throughout that day, I must feed my body, mind, and soul. Having one day to yourself is really a great thing, but I'll be honest, it's a long, long day, and finding something to fill all those hours with is difficult. At least for now.

The notion of a free day in the middle of the week is a new one for me. Being raised in a society where you are told that you must be doing something every second of the day, and then counteracting that by doing the exact opposite is kind of a shock to your system. Who has time to sit? To read? To pray? To do something YOU enjoy? To just be? Society's little mascot is just sitting on my shoulder, nagging me. "You're 22, life is just beginning, and right now your life should be 'go, go, GO', you will have time to sit and relax when you are retired." It's hard for me to brush it off and ignore it sometimes.

I like to be silent, don't get me wrong. I enjoy it, which may be a surprise to some out there because at times I don't know how to shut up. I talk too much and I talk too fast. But I like to be silent when I want to be, or when I personally need to be. So this is really proving to be a challenge, and we're only finishing week 3...I'm here through August. Yikes! What if this particular Thursday, I want to talk? It's a growing process, I keep reminding myself. Sisters are here to help, and I need to remember that, too. Stop being so stubborn and just ask.

I overthink things, rush the days, worry too much about tomorrow and not enough about the present moment. I am forever a work in progress. I am human.

The Simple Things

After rounding out two weeks here at the monastery, my internal rhythm is beginning to settle. Rising before the sun is up is getting easier, I just wish I was able to watch the sunrise since I'm actually up early enough! And I'm getting used to the fact that my bed time is between 10 and 10:30pm instead of midnight or later like I've been used to for so many years.

I also have to say that I'm beginning to slow down and take the time to notice the beauty of such simple things around here, most especially for me, morning and evening prayer. I've always enjoyed it during my visits. There's something calming about beginning and ending a long, and sometimes stressful day, with beautiful voices and a designated time for reflection, because I didn't ever have that opportunity, or didn't use my free time for something like that. I love it.

And I know I've said it countless times before, but the deer that appear each day continue to amaze me. I don't get that back home. Not in the city, and not in the town I grew up in. Last night when Carrie and I returned after dinner, two deer were just waiting in the grass, and one was laying down. And they just stay there. Perfect photo-op, although I have not uploaded those pictures just yet.

One last moment of beauty, and one some may overlook. Friday and Saturday night were spent playing games, mostly card games, with a few Sisters. It really was so much fun. Friday night it was Hand and Foot, which I think I almost have down, and Saturday was a mixture of about 3 or 4 different games. And the beauty of it? Different generations and opposite cultures coming together and having fun with something so simple. Lots of laughs and joking around. Nobody taking anything seriously. Just pure fun.

Today is Labor Day! And a day off for me. I have never been off of work for holidays such as this in, oh, maybe the 5 years I've been employed. I hope everyone has had a great long weekend. And good luck to my brother as he begins his sophomore year of high school tomorrow!

"And, umm...how did you become aware of this?"

I have been getting a few questions from some readers inquiring as to how I found this monastery, the Sisters, and this program. This post will hopefully explain.

I have known the Benedictine Sisters here in Erie for about 2 1/2 years now. I first came in contact with them through an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) service trip through Canisius my sophomore year of college in 2009. ASB is a chance to give up what for most college students seems like a rite of passage, a vacation, and use that week to volunteer at different sites around the country, mostly here on the east coast. I happened to be placed at the Erie Benedictine Community site, and, to my surprise, had the greatest "vacation" I could have asked for. No, it wasn't spent on the beach getting a tan, or staying up late partying, or sleeping in until noon each day. It was actually quite a culture shock for me. That week included 6:30AM prayer, packed days volunteering in the community's many inner city ministries, prayer in the evenings, a lengthy reflection each night, and then we'd go to bed and start all over again the next morning.

Much to my surprise, I loved it. So much so, that I interviewed for a leader position and led a team the following year for ASB, served as leader for our Winter Service Week team just this past January, and returned to my original role as a team member again this past March for ASB. So in all, between the four service weeks and our school's Women's Retreat, I had spent a little over a month here before moving in two weeks ago. So if it seems to many of you out there that I am comfortable with this place and the Sisters, it's because I really am.

These women are pretty great. And when you get to form real relationships with them, you find out a lot of things that surprise you. Like, for example, one of the Sisters happens to know someone who lives down the street from where I grew up, and has enjoyed the same popcorn from the stand I grew up going to each Summer, and that's a big deal to me because nobody knows about the town I'm from, unless you live there yourself or know someone who lives there. She also happens to be my mentor for this year.

Some more animal stories for all you readers out there. Wednesday night after dinner, three deer came up really close to the back porch, and behind them at the tree line, a mother turkey and her babies were walking along. All of them out there at the same time, and for a long time, too! I was too fascinated to run down and grab my camera. The mob of us just stood at the windows in the community room in awe until they walked out of sight. All I kept thinking was, "I could get used to this."