Hello Internet Friends!

Sorry for the long blog pause.  My life has taken on an extra dimension of craziness these last few weeks.  Here is what I have been up to:

Learning the ropes in my new job – I think I am going to enjoy my new role as subprioress.  I am a people oriented person.  I like listening to people, I am attentive to feelings and moods, and I can be organized.  I think that being subprioress will strengthen and utilize some natural skills I have and will also call forth from me abilities that I will need to consciously work on to do well.  It will be a time of learning and growing and I think that is a good thing.

Keeping up in my old job – The Altar Bread Department is doing well.  We FINALLY have some breads in the freezer – this is a great thing!  We had been a little nervous that we wouldn’t get any breads in the freezer before Christmas but we did!  I know that I won’t be able to do both jobs of AB Manager and subprioress so I am enjoying these last few weeks with my staff.  They are a great bunch and I will miss seeing them on a daily basis.

Watching the Olympics – I LOVE the Olympics for lots of reasons.  I guess they always trigger fond memories of watching the games with my dad when I was little.  Another reason, I am a patriot at heart.  I am proud of my country and the athletes who represent us.  I love hearing the athlete’s stories and the odds they have had to overcome to get to the games.  But more than all that – I love the unity the Olympics foster.  There is something neat about seeing the countries in the Opening Ceremonies all separated by nation and then entering the Closing Ceremonies in a hodgepodge of nationalities and uniforms.  It gives me hope that somehow we can overcome all our differences and policies and just PLAY together and celebrate the marvel of the human body.  It is an AWESOME thing.

Visiting family – I grew up in St. Louis but moved to Texas when I was in high school and spent some time in California before I entered the convent.  My parents currently live in Nashville and so I usually go there for my homevisits.  But last weekend, a cousin in St. Louis was getting married so it was a great chance to see some of my family that I hadn’t seen in years.  I had a great time visiting and laughing with my sisters and cousins and playing with their babies.

Now I am back at the monastery and settling into my old routine.  It was good to get away and it was good to come home.  Other than that, there is nothing else terribly exciting happening.  Will hopefully post again sooner!  Hope you are all well (all 5 of you that read this blog!).