“I know God won't give me anything I can't handle; I just wish He didn't trust me so much.”
-Mother Teresa
Following her graduation in May, M has taken a volunteer position in South America. For the next fourteen months she will be living and working in an orphanage in
Montero, Bolivia. Together with another young missioner and six resident nuns, M will be a helper, a tutor, a mentor, an authority figure, a spiritual guide and a friend to 120 abused or abandoned girls aged 0 to 18. Her post-graduation preparations conclude with 4 weeks of rigorous one-on-one
Spanish language schooling in Sucre, Bolivia. She is there now and staying in the keep of a local family who speaks no English.
In preparation for this lengthy departure, we enjoyed the rare occurrence of three daughters, all together, in our Omaha home. We are very close and these opportunities are far too rare. But we make due and see each other often, albeit not as a full company of five - six now. And this mission is sure to fill all of our collective family photos with an obvious void - like the ones we have while M was in Rome.
The week of three daughters was filled with much activity as M busied herself consolidating belongings and readying mind, body and spirit for a prolonged absence from home and family and friends and comforts. And among the laughter and joys of all this family togetherness, the mission was was everpresent - foremost on everybody’s mind. And it’s more than a Mission I think. I think of M’s departure as a Giving. And we are all here to support her. And we are all “giving”. Giving of daughter. Giving of Sister. Giving of Self. Giving of life.
On our last evening all together M surprised us with gifts. She described them whimsically as "treasures straight from her heart...and also from her bedroom!" And their simplicity was profound. She gave each of her sisters and Denise one of her treasured
miraculous medals. These were
acquired by M at various faith-significant moments in her life and she had worn these on a necklace every day for several years. This was an amazing gesture of selfless giving and strengthened the already tight bonds of our family – bolstering our ties in preparation for distance.
Her gift to me was wonderful. It was to all of us really as we each searched for reasons why God had chosen M for this mission that was about to snatch her from us for a very long time. She gave me a story...
During her weeks in New York, each prospective missioner was assigned the task of preparing and delivering the story of how they chose to follow their call to give so much of themselves to their mission. M’s story was a hand fashioned collage from various items that she had at her disposal. It is long and narrow and is depicted below in three parts.
It began, she explained with her parents. She told of the careful nurturing she received and the loving example set for her and her sisters in their youth. Then she was accepted into the Notre Dame family and the school of Architecture. There she learned a great deal and met many wonderful friends.
While at Notre Dame she spent time volunteering in the Appellatian Mountains of Virginia where she helped renovate the home of an impoverished coal mining family. She went to Mexico and helped build a home for a single mother whose family had no prior shelter. These “missions’ touched her spirit and furthered her commitment to help others.
Then her studies at Notre Dame carried her away to Roma for two semesters of study abroad. And she fell in love with the city and Her architecture, history, art and the everpresent spirt of God and all the Saints. She had many experiences – each shaping her mind and strengthening her faith.
It was in Rome where she met several
Deacons at Seminary. They had reached out to offer spiritual guidance to the Notre Dame Architecture students. She became close friends with Deacons
Joe and
David and eventually traveled across the US upon invitation to their Priestly Ordinations.
Over time she has come to respect and rely upon several of the Saints. They are depicted above as Mother Teresa (white), St. Francis (brown), St. Therese of Liseux of the Little Flower (black) and St. Joan of Arc (gray). She said she loves the saints "because the more you learn about them, the more real they become as people with faults and shortcomings, but with such an awesome outlook on life and God". And it was one of these influences that inspired her choosing of her confirmand name last year upon entering the Catholic Faith – Joan. Young Joan of Arc was courageous and ultimately victorious (except, I guess, for that burned at the stake part) against all who would doubt her abilities. (And I like to image her name choosing was also, perhaps not so coincidentally, for my mother - Joan.)
Then through it all she heard the calling of God and after much thought and prayer she chose her way of Giving…thus the celebratory fireworks at the far edge of her story.
And after all the giving she came and sat on my lap in the darkness of our living room like the little girl I remember and cherish so much. and there she thanked me for everything and I thanked her. At the time I had been trying to think of what I could possibly send her away with that would help carry us all through this trying time apart. And then it came to me. My special gift from my heart would be my mother. Since her death I’ve often spoken to her during difficult or troubled times. And it has always been a comfort to know that she is there for me in spirit. I told M that I had decided to dispatch my mother to Montero - to watch over M as she has me. And I explained that I would manage for awhile without her but that I expected M to bring her back to me. M hugged me and smiled as we wiped away the tears.
And later that week at the airport, Denise and I watched as M turned and walked away. And we tried to find confort in this giving by knowing that she carried with her a deep faith, many prayers, her family’s hearts and my mother’s good graces.
Godspeed My Precious!
