The View Up Here

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and looking forward to spending the first part of my day at Mount Saviour Monastery . Today is their Dedication Day, when their monastery was first dedicated in the early 1950s . It’s a very important commemoration day in the life of a monastery or church, like a birthday or anniversary. Some of my family members were present for that initial event in the middle of the last century and were involved with helping the monks as the community grew over the years. As a child and teen here in Elmira, I loved visiting the monastery with my mother. The light-filled chapel in the round with its bell steeple and the beautiful crypt (lower level) with its cool darkness and 13th century statue of Our Lady surrounded by novena candles were more fundamental to my own spirituality than I had realized back then. I still have a book that influenced my love of things mystical and symbolic that I purchased in their gift shop as a tween: The Book of Signs , by...

Much has happened in these last few months. Jesus has been whispering in my ear... In a nutshell, I am now the Confirmation and Adolescent Catechesis/Youth Ministry Administrator for the Elmira Catholic Churches. That's right - I'm back in Elmira, the place I despised for so many years. I came here to visit last summer, and the lure was instant - somehow it felt all glowy and attractive. Now that I'm here, the vibe is even stronger. I am where God has longed for me to be! My work is precious and wonderful, and my lifestyle is more beautiful than I could have imagined. I live at the bottom of a wooded hill, close to work. I can easily buy local produce, hit the Wegmans for necessities, walk along the river, hang out at Harris Hill to watch the gliders take off, and best of all, I am a few minutes' drive from Mount Saviour Monastery (Benedictine monks). Compline (Night Prayer) at Mount Saviour Monastery. The freedom I feel inside is indescribable and bea...