Today was the first pep
rally of the school year. St. Michael's has more sports teams than I've ever
seen at an elementary school before, and everything from the uniforms to the
equipment (that I've seen) really seems to be of serious quality. While watching
the various teams and cheerleaders in action, I was reminded of my high school.
The kids had a great time, cheering and showing their school spirit.
Ironically, when I went to pep rallies I did not have school spirit, but
I made a great show of it today. It made for a fun afternoon.
Last weekend was interesting. We went to the fundraiser for the hospice on our property out here on Saturday morning and I was surprised at how touched I was by the experience. From the beginning, the ceremony was really quite moving. It started with a song from Wicked about how people grace our lives with their relationships with us, followed by a releasing of white doves, symbolic of souls going to heaven. We wrote the names of our deceased loved ones on our cards that hung on the lanyards we wore while we walked. Afterwards we decorated a memorial stone for them. I found the whole experience to be rather cathartic. See, when I was in novitiate some people and a beloved pet who were close to me died, and I was too far away for it to seem real. That day, I had a chance to feel how blessed I was by their presence in my life, and to mourn.
We also went to the opening of General Visitation for this area of our province. That raised mixed emotions. Mass was lovely, as they always are for such occasions. But afterwards, as we had our celebration dinner together, I found myself getting homesick. It was pretty awkward to be there with those sisters that I don't know much (or at all), and I thought of being back in New Jersey, where such events would have been joyous reunions for me. There would have been sisters to hug and catch up with, and dinner would have been such fun. I had a nice time at the opening of visitation, but it was bittersweet.
Last weekend was interesting. We went to the fundraiser for the hospice on our property out here on Saturday morning and I was surprised at how touched I was by the experience. From the beginning, the ceremony was really quite moving. It started with a song from Wicked about how people grace our lives with their relationships with us, followed by a releasing of white doves, symbolic of souls going to heaven. We wrote the names of our deceased loved ones on our cards that hung on the lanyards we wore while we walked. Afterwards we decorated a memorial stone for them. I found the whole experience to be rather cathartic. See, when I was in novitiate some people and a beloved pet who were close to me died, and I was too far away for it to seem real. That day, I had a chance to feel how blessed I was by their presence in my life, and to mourn.
We also went to the opening of General Visitation for this area of our province. That raised mixed emotions. Mass was lovely, as they always are for such occasions. But afterwards, as we had our celebration dinner together, I found myself getting homesick. It was pretty awkward to be there with those sisters that I don't know much (or at all), and I thought of being back in New Jersey, where such events would have been joyous reunions for me. There would have been sisters to hug and catch up with, and dinner would have been such fun. I had a nice time at the opening of visitation, but it was bittersweet.
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