October Update

During the last few weeks, the sisters that I live with have been in and out of the house, travelling for ministry and community reasons. I have been the only one who doesn't have big travel plans so far, and I am not a bit jealous of them! I have plenty to do with school and its various obligations, as well as spending my extra time at the university library out here. I had plenty of opportunity to travel in the summer, and I'm sure my turn will come around again soon enough.  

I go to the Madonna University Library on Wednesdays when I can to learn more about the field and I even get to help them sometimes! One time the student who came to the reference desk asked for help with the research for a creative writing assignment, and my language arts teacher background was very useful. I was able to clarify the assignment and help him to focus his research. It was fulfilling; really, it gave me a warm feeling for a while afterwards. 

It has been genuinely touching to feel the love and prayers of our sisters after my grandfather died. I have gotten lovely cards, phone calls,  and hugs expressing sympathy and concern for me and my family. I got a real sense, first-hand, of how this community really is a family. I am grateful for it!

We have been to a few events lately.  The high school that we sponsor here in Livonia hosted a multiple-ministry charity event, Forgotten Harvest. All the different Felician-sponsored ministries from the area came and supported the cause together. The food that we worked with will go to poor people. We also planted and dedicated an apple tree in honor of the Felician Sisters 140th anniversary in America. Many sisters came, and it's always nice to have little reunions now and then. We took a lot of pictures, so there is plenty of evidence that I was there! It was a cool day, and I found the fresh air invigorating, though now I am rather tired. But that's the way it works, right?!

Some of us also went to a Chocolate, Wine, and Cheese event at a historical house here in Livonia. It was a lovely event despite the fact that I don't like chocolate that much and I'm allergic to alcohol. I had the cheese, as well as the crackers and fruit that was also served. The Women's Guild hosted this Ladies Night, and it really was nice. I enjoy the fact that they have younger members. There were members of the St. Michael's School staff there, and we had a fun time together. We brought an older sisters who used to live at our convent with us and she enjoyed seeing her old friends there. 

I have plans for Thanksgiving that I'm excited about! The other sister in my group invited me  to come to see her in Chicago over the holiday. I really live too far away from New Jersey to drive there, and it's not a long enough amount of time to merit the flight. I'll see my family and friends there at Christmas-time, but I am looking forward to spending time with our sisters in Chicago. It will be nice to spend time with my sister friend, and I have fond memories of being at our Chicago convent from when I was a postulant. 

 The school was offered free Spanish by a local public school district, which we do as  our language arts component  on Mondays now. That means that for three class periods in a row, I don't teach. In fact, my homeroom has art class right after that, so I am officially off between 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM! I almost could take Monday morning off, except I have responsibilities in-between. It does mean that I save all my paperwork and such for Mondays, which makes my weekends much lighter. I am pretty much used to it, and mostly I recognize that it's a convenience for me, but I have to confess that I have to stop myself from doing the work on weekends sometimes. And it is a lot of classroom time (which is so precious) to hand over! But it is important that this upcoming generation know as much Spanish  as possible, given the direction our country is headed. Instead of teaching up a storm on Monday, now I am as productive as possible! I get a lot done, and I can feel good about that, so it all works out. 

We're getting ready for Vocations Awareness Week, which is the first week of November. A married couple, a priest, and a religious are going  to discuss their vocations with the classes. I am representing religious life. Giving vocation talks has been a part of being a sister from the beginning, so I'm used to it. I could probably do it in my sleep! Mostly we are going to answer their questions, which they are never short on! If we do the talks on Monday morning, too, we don't need to get a substitute for my classes..... Another perk to having Spanish! 

It's almost my birthday, which is always fun. I have not grown out of anticipating my birthday yet. I  guess I still have some little kid left in me. It's on Halloween, and for the last 3 years I had it off of school! The first two I was in New Hampshire and there were hurricanes, so we cancelled school for those days. Then last year we had a freak power outage on our block, and we actually did not get it back until after noon. Who knows? Maybe I'll have this Halloween off, too. It really is the best birthday present that I could get! We don't really  celebrate Halloween at the school; only the little kids dress up in costumes, and the older ones have short classroom parties. It's a conservative parish.