Powder Puff Football

One of my duties at the high school where I teach is to plan the yearly After-Prom party. As a major fundraiser for this, each fall for the past few years, I've coordinated the junior-senior girls' Powder Puff Football Game. I never had the experience of a Powder Puff game when I was in high school, but what a flurry of drama! For one night of fun and entertainment, the girls design and order their own T-shirts and sometimes sweatpants, favorite football players are recruited as coaches, a guys' cheer squad has a cheerleader teach them a routine, and multiple semi-secret practices are arranged. On top of this we have a bake sale at the concession stand. This year, right before the game, as both teams were warming up and getting ready on the field, the seniors called me over and asked me to pray with them before they played. We circled up and prayed for a safe and fun game, and then they were good to go. I love my juniors dearly (I teach them during the day), but after a rather hard-fought battle the seniors won. Never underestimate the power of prayer?

Little Kids

I am spending my fall break at the Monastery. I had a relaxing day visiting with Sisters that I don't always get to spend much time with. Then came the Employee Picnic. This is a time when all the Monastery empolyees are invited to come and have supper, and play bingo or euchre. While the grown ups are doing this, Sister Alex and I kept the the children occupied. We played many games of hide and seek, follow the leader, Mrs. Macgoo, and games with balls. We ended the evening with playing the card game Spoons. I love doing this and getting to know the employee's children. I also like that they get to see that we like to have fun too. It was a great time had by all but I am now exhausted.

Powerful Weekend

Last weekend we held a Come & See Weekend for young women who think they might be interested in religious life and in our community. Seven women came from Oklahoma, Indiana, and Kentucky. The theme for the weekend was Discernment: Listening to God's Call. Sister Jane Will provided the input and great discussion followed. It was a fun weekend and hopefully the women left a little more enlightened and with a little more knowledge and lived experience of our community. The next Come & See Weekend is scheduled for January 7-9, 2011. Catholic Women ages 18-40 who are interested in learning about us and religious life are welcome to come.

Sunday (I) Sweets

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the liturgical world (ergo, in the monastic world) Sunday actually begins on Saturday evening. Therefore, despite the fact that it is currently late on a Saturday night, I have decided to go ahead and title my entry as "Sunday" or "Sunday I" as in our prayer books**

One of my favorite websites when I'm trolling the Internet is a blog called "Cake Wrecks", a site dedicated to showing off professionally produced baking flops. However, every Sunday, in a bold stride to detract from the usual negativity, the site holds space for "Sunday Sweets", pictures of the most exquisite cakes the world has to offer. I love to check this site on Sundays to see what beautifully creative things bakers have recreated using cake, some icing and a little modeling chocolate.

As I reflect over my long weekend here at the monastery, I can't help but to call forth many of my own "Sweets" from my time spent here. So here's my list of all those things that I might have overlooked had I only been paying attention to the flops. And now onto Sr. Kathy's Sunday Sweets!

*** My first great kindness of the weekend came in the form of a hand-delivered note via the "Monastic Mail system." In simpler terms, when our sisters travel to other monasteries, they often offer to carry mail to and from. One of our sisters just returned from a trip and brought home a lovely letter from someone I haven't seen in quite some time.

*** I was struck this evening by a sister, hurrying into prayer at the last minute. As she rushed to her spot, her eye caught on a pair of roses that someone placed in the Blessed Virgin Room, and in a display of acute mindfulness, she took a moment to stop for a sniff and a brief smile before settling into her place in line.

*** Today was a full one for me - practice time at the piano, helping host the seven (yes, seven!) young women who are visiting us, Temporary Professed class, and bell choir rehearsal. However, in between all the craziness, a good friend and I found a few moments to get outside for a lovely October walk and an even lovelier chat.

*** At the end of the aforementioned Temporary Professed class, we held a short prayer service and blessing for Sr. Jeana who made her Perpetual Monastic Profession just two weeks ago. It was a beautiful time to celebrate with her as she continues to deepen her monastic journey

*** Tonight was community recreation night and we invited all the women who are visiting with us to come join in. I love to see the joy in our community room when it is filled with so many people having fun.

Race for the Cure

This past Saturday, I volunteered at the Louisville Race for the Cure. It is a 5K walk/ run to raise money and awareness about breast cancer. I helped stuff bags with goodies, and then passed out the bags to participants as they went past the booth. Survivors were given bright hot pink shirts and baseball caps to signify who they were. As the survivors walked past the booth in a parade to celebrate their lives, I was so touched by the sheer number of them. I was inspired by their strength and courage. I prayed for them and was so grateful that God has blessed them with healing, support, and the gifts they needed to overcome cancer. It was a graced moment for me and I was so glad to be a part of it!

A different side

If I haven't said it around here, I absolutely love my job. Sure, I get tired of grading papers, and I hate having to discipline my students when they act out. But the benefits far outweigh these little drawbacks. In the classroom I love watching the look on their faces when I hand back a test with a big purple "A" at the top (yeah, I check papers in purple instead of red... it's prettier) and I love watching the kid who really struggled with a new concept one day lean over and explain it to his friend who was absent. On the soccer field, I get absolutely giddy when one of my players masters a new trick or when I watch my whole team huddle up to celebrate a remarkable goal. My job is so full of rewarding moments that fill me with joy!

But I think the best moments are those quiet moments, when I'm not teaching them a new idea in class or maybe during a water break at practice. I love those moments when I get to interact with my students on a totally different level. I love getting to do other activities with them.

This week I had one of those opportunities. Our school participates in a citywide program called the "Joseph of Arimathea Society." Students who participate in this organization are called out of school a few times each year. We travel with the students all the way to the other side of town to a little area that the city has given over for the purposes of burying the poor, the homeless, the indigent. The boys in our little organization go when called to attend the burial and offer prayers for someone who otherwise might have no one at their funeral. We tell the students that no one comes into this world alone and no one should leave this world alone, either.

On Wednesday, I took a group of four students to bury a man, Buddy Carter, who died alone on the streets. They had never met him and knew nothing about him except that he was homeless. And yet they showed up. Our boys were called on to offer a little prayer service for Mr. Carter and then to transport him to his place of final rest and these four souls stepped up and offered to go. These are the same students that I have had in class who tease each other mercilessly, who tell crude jokes and who pretend to sleep through our school masses. And there they were standing at the grave, one with tears glistening in his eyes, another who gently, reverently reached out a hand to touch the coffin as we walked away to leave, and yet another offering spontaneous prayer asking God to accept Mr. Carter into eternal life.

I love these moments with the boys when I get to see them step out of their comfort zones, when they do something that is totally outside of themselves and entirely for someone else. I love getting to witness their conversion of heart, no matter how small it might be. I am so proud to say that I teach these boys, not math or soccer, but how to be men of character and people of faith.

Waiting for fall

As I was walking back to my living group last night, I was awe struck by the orange moon! It was so full and bright! It lit up the night sky! It made me stop and take time to ponder God and all the beauty of creation!

Officially we are now into fall, however, the temperature's tell a different story! Fall is my favorite season/time of the year! The leaves on the trees become these bright, vibrant colors. The temperature's cool off, harvest time begins. I've never been big on Halloween though.

For me, fall has another meaning as well. It's a time of transition/change. Last year at this time I was entering the monastery in fall, and completely changing my life as I had known it! So when the leaves were falling off the trees, I was falling away from my old life, into a new life here. I see the trees bare and taking root into the ground to prepare for winter. I was taking root in the ground of this monastic community.

This year I will also embrace more change as fall aproaches. I am now a Novice. I have entered into another step into my formation. I have become more deeply rooted in this way of life. I continue to learn so much day by day from my studies as well as from the sisters in this community! I am truley blessed!

Becoming an electrician

My school has chosen to be a pilot school for Science kits. These Science kits come with everything you need to teach a part of your Science curriculum. My first kit is on Magnetism and Electricity. It is great fun. I feel though like I have to become an electrician to understand all of the terms involved. I spent one whole evening cutting and stripping wire to get things ready. The great thing is that the students do things hands on and learn and have fun at the same time. My classroom is loud and noisy but I know that they are learning.