First and foremost I wish to apologize for
the lack of activity on my blog in the past few weeks. With that being said, as
I sit down to compose a new blog post I become overwhelmed with the copious
amount of things I could write and tell you all about. So what I have decided
to do in order to cover the most ground is muster up a sort of laundry list of
lessons I’ve learned over this past month. Here we go:
1. Prayer Unites
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“Prayer
is helplessness casting itself on power, infirmity leaning on strength, misery reaching
to mercy, and a prisoner clamoring for relief.” – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
o
Once
a month as part of an outreach initiative I accompany Elisa (my direct
supervisor) and a few other parishioners to Catholic Charities. During that
Saturday morning we hand out about 50 free lunches. The meals are great but the
most compelling and filling moments are the moments we join in prayer. You see
most of the individuals who visit this local Catholic Charities are not yet
citizens of the United States and/or are struggling with deportation of
themselves or members of their family. Many of the people we have the pleasure
of interacting with ask not just for the food but for a prayer. So we all join
hands and together we pray. Elisa leads the prayer (most often in Spanish).
Although, I don’t speak Spanish I have come to learn that prayer in and of
itself is a universal language. Although these people are struggling, being
able to unite with them in prayer is absolutely beautiful and uplifting.
2. The land of the endless summer
Up until my move to
Tampa every one of my winters have been spent in some part of North Eastern
United States; now here it is February 24th and I am sitting outside
on the porch composing this post. In this month of February, I have worn
shorts, gone to a drive-in movie, watched fireworks and even gotten mild
sunburn. (No, I am not bragging – I am still simply in awe of this Florida
weather). Still cannot wrap my head around all these palm trees and absolutely stunning sunsets.
3. There is always work to be done
The
Salesians are some of the hardest working individuals I have ever met. At each
day’s end I stand (or rather collapse into bed) in awe of all the work that was
done. Working under Fr. Steve Ryan is such an incredible blessing – he works
for the best boss there is. Mary Help of Christians Center is on the move –
growing, evolving and evangelizing – being a part of it all is so incredible.
4. We all laugh in the same language
Whether
3 or 23 we all laugh in the same language. One Thursday evening, I found myself
laughing with a 3 year old girl who only spoke Spanish. I speak no Spanish and
yet we played and laughed together. In this moment I truly felt God at work.
5. “Salesians For
Life”
-“human
life is a manifestation of God and his glory.” – Pope Benedict XVI
This
past weekend we hosted Tampa Bay’s 2nd Annual Pro Life Youth Rally.
This was an entirely new thing for me to be a part of but it was such a moving
experience. A profound moment for me during the weekend was gathering all the
rally participants to use sidewalk chalk and draw 3500 hearts in a memorial
that had been set up. The 3500 hearts drawn were to symbolize the 3500 babies
that are aborted each day in the United States. That statistic is horrid. We
must change our culture and become prophets of life.
6. Mary Help-3 Volunteers-0 … “I’m just waiting for her to realize that we are on the same team!”
-
“What
I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none
of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with
great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Theresa of
Calcutta
-
It has become a running joke between
myself and Bridget (the other resident volunteer) that Mary Help is against us
simply because we both find ourselves getting hurt or in some sort of
predicament that nobody else seems to face. For instance, we are both head to
toe covered in bruises.
-
All kidding aside it truly is
wonderful to be a volunteer here at Mary Help of Christians Center. I am so
grateful for the team atmosphere and support that is provided. We truly are a
family – looking out for each other, cheering each other on and simply helping
wherever and whenever needed. It really is such a beautiful place to work and
grow.
7.
What
you learn in school really does matter!
-
I
have come to enjoy spending time over at St. Phillip’s Residence with the
retired Priests and Brothers. While spending time with these men I am able to
use some counseling skills and really get to know these men. It makes me sad to
think of how many elderly simply do not have anyone to talk to. So, taking an
hour out of my day to sit down and listen to their stories matters – not only for
them but also for me.
8.
Write
things down!
-
As I come to the end of this post I know
I am forgetting a lot and leaving out a lot of details. I vow to spend more
time writing, reflecting and generating blog posts. I cannot rely solely on my
memory – far too much happens in a day for that to be sufficient! J
Thank you all so very much for reading, writing, sending
mail and for the prayers. I am so excited to welcome my Dad to Tampa in a month
(thanks to my siblings!) Sharing this journey via a blog only tells half the
story so to be afforded the opportunity to share this journey with my Dad in
person is such a blessing.
