Home Sweet Home

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 beautiful, and it grows with each day. Discernment, as I've noted before, is about relationship with God and letting go of my own agenda. I wanted so badly to be a consecrated religious in a monastery. But after 3 monastery live-ins and a couple of other attempts at connecting with religious communities, it just wasn't happening. So finally I gave in and said to God, "Okay, have it your way. I'll move to Elmira and take the job that's been open for months, waiting for me to say 'yes.'"

More to come here now that I'm settled in and am establishing some kind of routine to my life. I've been dealing with another epic tooth fail, so that's also in the mix, but even so, I won't be so alien to my own blog. I have a new life, so it's time to start writing again.