Five Years

Roch James Hannasch 12/15/63 - 2/1/13

February 1, 2018

“As a servant, you don’t get to pick and choose when or where you will serve.  Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.  If you will remind yourself at the start of every day that you are God’s servant, interruptions won’t frustrate you as much, because your agenda will be whatever God wants to bring into your life.  Servants see interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and are happy for the opportunity to practice serving.”

-A Purpose Driven Life

Five years.  It is so hard to believe that today we hit the 5-year mark since Roch left us.  There are times when it feels like yesterday – and other times when it feels like a lifetime ago.  I can still hear his deep voice as he would lector at Mass, share a story or say something ridiculously punny.  Though you would seldom hear that beautiful voice in song because, according to Roch, he would always sing solo – ‘so low’ that you couldn’t hear him. Oh, how I miss his sense of humor.

And I miss going to church with him. Or camping. Or sharing stories about our day or the kids’ accomplishments.  I miss tripping over his size 13 shoes sitting in the entry way or his boxer shorts lying on the bedroom floor.  I miss making him his favorite cherry pie and beef enchiladas.  I miss him making me omelets.  I miss the scenty aroma of his aftershave.  I miss praying with him.  I miss going for long walks in the gently falling snow and the nights spent sitting in front of the fireplace or fire pit.  I miss him encouraging me to be all that I could be.  I miss sharing the inside jokes that only he and I understood. I miss having him sit around with us as we enjoy family time. I know that many of you who’ve shared a campsite or hotel room with him will find this hard to believe, but I even miss his snoring as he laid next to me each night.

But while I miss so much, my heart is also so filled with gratitude.  We squeezed more love and more laughter in our 31 years together than most couples get to experience in a lifetime. And it was his constant faith in me and in God that has always given me the courage to carry on.  His life and how he lived it - fully lived it even unto death - are the ultimate reminders to me that although God might interrupt our lives, and have it take a detour from the way we planned, there is nothing that we don’t do for the service of others and the glory of God.

As a family we’ve come a long way in 5 years.  I continue to be so proud of our kids and all they’ve become.  Each and every day I see Roch shine through them and my heart smiles.  They’ve all grown into such amazing, compassionate and responsible adults.  They’ve excelled in their jobs and have all formed some incredible, lifelong friendships.  We’ve overcome health challenges together and over the last 5 years, some of us have become on again/off again housemates, study buddies and orthodontic partners.  We’ve become best friends.  My heart is full.

It’s been a 5-year journey of interruptions as I found myself ‘un-becoming’ who I thought I should be and ‘becoming’ who God truly desired me to be as I journeyed on without Roch.  This 5-year journey found me participating in CPE (a chaplain internship), becoming involved in Cursillo, traveling to Haiti, finishing out my childcare career after 23 years and 70 children, volunteering numerous hours at various non-profits including CaringBridge and St. Joe’s, attaining my pastoral ministry certificate and finally obtaining a new job in ministry.  It has been a 5-year journey full of interruptions and detours that has led me to the most amazing places where I have met some of the most beautiful people and I've made my own lifelong friendships. Oh, how I wish Roch were along for the ride. 

This fall’s interruption led me to the Director of Pastoral Care position at St. John Neumann in Eagan.  Somehow, I knew from the onset that this is what God has been preparing me for all along.  After so much wandering and wondering these last 5 years, it all finally came full circle.  In hindsight, all the hard work, all the detours, and all the interruptions over the last 5 years seem to have been Divine intervention as God was preparing me for just this opportunity to serve at SJN.  My heart is full.

But this wasn’t the only mission that God was calling me to this fall.  Along with starting a new job, I was also starting the last year of a 3-year term on the parish council at St. Joe’s and the time had come for me to step up as chair.  God seems to have Roch’s sense of humor and decided it would be interesting to throw this challenge into the equation – especially since my work duties at SJN and my council duties at St. Joe’s often both occur on the same evenings.  I have to admit, it's been a challenging year on many levels as parish council chair but I’ve been so blessed as I watch all the commissions and ministries at St. Joe’s continue to thrive as these faith filled commission members and ministry leaders constantly says Yes to God through prayer, worship and service.  A true place to witness that an interruption in plans is simply an opportunity to serve in another way as these hard working volunteer servant leaders work so tirelessly and collaboratively for the good of all.  My heart is full.

But God still wasn’t done with me.  Is God ever?!  Studying at St. Kate’s turned out to be one of God’s biggest interruptions in my plans during the last several years that I wasn’t planning on but found I thoroughly enjoyed.  Although several of my classes for the pastoral ministry certificate were grad level classes,  I’ve never actually finished my undergrad.  Life way back when, while I was attending Winona State, got interrupted (imagine that!) and I found myself at a trade school instead and I went on to become a travel agent for many years.  Life took many twists and turns after that and although I thought about returning to get my degree over the years, it never was in God’s plans.  God gave me a degree in life instead presenting me a variety of opportunities for growth over the years.  I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything as they brought me to where I needed to be while journeying with Roch.  Having completed the certificate program last spring, I hung up my backpack for good – only to have God whisper in my ear, "Don't stop now."  

So, in August, I re-enrolled in classes and am continuing to work towards finishing a theology degree.  I’ve got all the theology credits that I need for the degree but what I am missing are those all essential courses.  You know the ones . . . like phy ed (at least that's what we used to call it!).  So I accepted the challenge.  Never to be far from my mind, it seems God has Roch’s sense of humor for I made the dean’s list once again this fall.  It didn’t surprise me to make it in my theology classes as they were truly a work of heart.  But this semester I made the dean’s list taking Exercise Science as one of my classes.  Yes, me - I got an 'A' in phy ed!  Who would have thought?! Roch must just be rolling on heaven's floor laughing at the irony of this former cheerleader "girly girl" of his making the grade!  And if you are counting - that was classes this fall on top of a new job and my duties as chair of parish council.  Trust me, there was never a dull moment.  And I loved every minute of it. Spring semester started 4 days ago and I’m still all in.  My heart is full.  

And through it all the last 5 years,  I have been blessed to be presented with many interruptions and opportunities to still keep my heart connected with those I love and treasure as I managed to share in some beautiful and meaningful times with family and friends.  Those times are cherished more than you can possible imagine.  Thank you for your part in that.  God is good.  My heart is full.

And yet, I would give all these interruptions – all these blessings to serve others (including the new job, parish council and St. Kate’s) - up in a heartbeat to have Roch back with us.  But, as Roch would say, it is what it is.  We can’t go back.  We can only go forward.  I only pray that in all my growing, wandering and ‘un-becoming’ over the last 5 years that I’ve made Roch as proud as he always made me.

Five years.  A journey of loss.  A journey of hope.  A journey full of interruptions.  Roch received the ultimate Divine appointment and served us all by showing us what it truly means to walk with faith even unto death.  Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him deeply.  Not a moment goes by that I don’t feel him near.

              “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”                                                                                ~The Princess Bride

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

God's Loom

In November 2016, I was invited to give a witness testimony during Mass about my faith journey.  I recently watched this video again and couldn't help but feel how relevant it still is - and I think always will be.  Take it to heart!  We are all in this together woven into one beautiful tapestry!

“I have come to believe that we do not walk alone in this life.  
There are others, fellow sojourners, whose journeys are interwoven with ours in 
seemingly random patterns, yet, in the end, 

have been carefully placed to reveal a remarkable tapestry. 

I believe God is the weaver at that loom.”

-Richard Paul Evans

Blessings to you all!

Lori

We Are The Church

Because it simply bears repeating . . .

"The Church has the right, indeed the duty, to proclaim justice on the social, national and international level, and to denounce instances of injustice, when the fundamental rights of man and his very salvation demand it. The Church . . . has a proper and specific responsibility which is identified with her mission of giving witness before the world of the need for love and justice contained in the Gospel message, a witness to be carried out in Church institutions themselves and in the lives of Christians."

Justice in the World, Statement of the World Synod of Catholic Bishops (November 30, 1971), no. 36 ( Vatican Council II: More Post-Conciliar Documents, ed. Austin Flannery, OP [Northport, N.Y.: Costello Publishing Co., 1982])

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2016

Wishing you a very blessed Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year

as we celebrate the birth of our Savior this night!!

God's love and peace to all!!

WITH LOVE FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS,

LORI, BRANDON, GABRIELLE, KYLE & MICHELLE

http://www.jibjab.com/view/KavCibFEDo733mWJ3eme

On the Edge of Waiting - by Brother Richard Hendrick

(A Meditation Poem for Christmas Eve, Eve)

Shhh.

Come away a moment,

my friend.

Come away 

from the lights, 

and the crowds, 

and the shops, 

and the noise, 

and the pressure, 

and the worrries, 

and the old wounds that 

winter us 

before our time.

Come and sit with me here.

Rest. 

Just for a moment.

Let me share with you once again

what we forget in our festive

frenzy: 

He is coming…

Down the long ages of despair 

He comes as Hope.

Down the rough road of doubt 

He comes as Faith.

Down the broken byways 

of the 

human heart 

He comes as Love.

He is coming…

Sit with me on the edge of waiting…

Sit in sacred stillness…

Breathe the deep breath of 

blessing.

You do not have to do anything.

He is coming…

Whether you are ready or not

Aware or not,

Able or not,

Present or not,

Believing or not,

He is coming…

As the sun rises,

as the moon shines,

as the tides turn,

as the stars dance,

He is coming…

So do not worry.

Let the tyranny of 

tension 

fall from you…

You never needed to carry it.

Let the false face of 

righteous readiness to defend,

dissolve.

You never needed to wear it.

How could you ever be ready 

for this?

For the first proclamation of the 

Kingdom to be heard in a baby’s

cry.

Nothing is asked of you 

but 

to be here and now

who you are.

Truly.

Fully.

Broken?

Yes.

Weak?

Yes.

Called?

Oh yes. 

He is coming… 

And He is calling you to come to Him.

As He always does.

As He always will.

So, how will you greet Him,

the One who is coming?

The One who calls you, 

to His crib.

(Yes, you.)

Will you prepare a place for Him?

Will you open the cave of your heart to Him?

Will you place Him in the sanctuary of your soul?

Will you lay Him upon the rough straw of your life?

Will you swaddle Him with your silence?

Will you offer Him the gentle warmth of animal breath?

Will you offer Him your love?

Or not.

He is coming…

Do not miss the moment

Of Mystery’s 

mangered birth

by succumbing to 

Bethlehem busyness.

No.

Become as still as a shepherd watching the flock of slumbering sheep.

Become as still as a sage watching the long dance of the stars.

Become as still as Joseph hearing Angels on the edge of dreams.

Become as still as she who is the stillpoint of love’s longing, filled with light, 

and whose silence 

brought forth the 

Word of Love.

Be still and you will know

He is coming…

Always…

In stillness, 

on the edge of waiting…

He is coming for you…

He is coming to you…

Always.

He is coming in Love.

Called to Love

(Jesus in the Breadline by Fritz Eichenberg)

As I finished out my semester in Christian Ethics this week, I’ve had a lot to reflect upon.  I found it no small God-incident then that I got to start my first week out of class with the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity as if God was reminding me - you are called to love.

We read time and time again in class how God is love.  Each assignment brought the class that much closer to our final and closing thought - we are called to love.  The entire semester came down to Jesus’ new command in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  WWJD?

Sadly though, we also read time and time again in class – and witnessed in the news over and over and over -  how we as a society are not always love.  Too often we get caught up in our own single story and forget to look at the picture from all sides…..not just one or two sides but ALL sides.  The TED talk ‘Danger of A Single Story’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wonderfully touches on the importance of listening to all sides of a situation.  If you’d like a more action packed version of the dangers of a single story, check out the Hollywood movie ‘Vantage Point’ with Dennis Quaid, It’s a great movie that quickly shows how everyone has a different view of a given situation but it takes all those views together for the hero to figure out the answer.

Both of these above videos are great examples that all of our stories are so important! Life is way more complex than any one single story. All of the stories behind an issue need to be listened to - not judged, not dismissed and definitely not just heard but actually listened to. Only then will we realize that we are all way more alike than different and that we shouldn't be defined by our religious affiliation, our race, our gender, our political affiliation, our sexual orientation, our job, etc. We should be defined by the fact that we are all made in the image of God and we all have a story to share of our humanity and our divinity.....a story that interacts with everyone else's story.

In his book “Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins” Miguel De La Torre, states, “..the relationship existing within the Trinity, between Father, Son and Holy spirit, is not a cosmic puzzle in need of solution, but rather is a paragon to be emulated by humanity.  Father, Son and Spirit do not exist in a hierarchy; rather, all three share equally in substance, power and importance.”  Can I repeat that?  “..a paragon to be emulated by humanity….all three share equally in substance, power and importance.”  

All are equal.  This is the example that God sent us in His Son.  Jesus was one of us.  WWJD?  Jesus ate and drank among those who were marginalized and oppressed in the world – too often those we would consider different from ourselves.  He saw the face of God in all those whom He came into contact with.  He listened without judging.  He treated all as equals.  He treated all with respect and dignity.  And he told us how to do it, “Love one another.” No qualifiers.  He didn’t say ‘love one another if…….’  He said “Love one another.”  Period.

Jesus himself became an outcast – one of those who was different, marginalized and oppressed.  And yet He still “shared equaling in substance, power and importance” within the Holy Trinity.  Could there be any better way for God to show us that all deserve to be loved and valued than to align His Only Son with the oppressed.  We may be different from someone else but not better or worse.  That doesn’t mean that we always have to agree but it does mean that we all deserve to be treated with love, respect, and dignity.  It also means that those of us who are able are called to help those speak out whose own stories can’t be heard above the roar of the privileged.  Doing nothing is not an option.  It’s not only our duty to see the sacred in all but it’s also our privilege and our commandment.  Love one another.

This was the lesson that was reinforced for me all semester long.  But how do I know it’s the message that God really wants me to remember?  Because He told me again this morning during the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity as Fr. Bob stated in his homily - ”God is love…….We are love……We are called to love.”  Wow. Sound familiar?  The messages don’t get much clearer than that.

WWJD?  May that thought carry us into our week, our summer, the political season and onward.  May it cause us to pause and reflect with each and every encounter we share with another individual and every decision we make.  May we always remember that we are called to treat each other as the sacred individuals that we are.  We are called to listen to all sides of a story.  We are called to stand up for what’s right.   We are called to love.

De La Torre, Miguel A. (2014). Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, 2nd Edition. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.  

Where is God?

As I sat in church this First Sunday in Advent, I was once again reminded of a story that I shared last Sunday with our RCIA group. It's a story that I first heard in a sermon at my small, rural Lutheran church growing up. With time, I realize that I might not have the exact story correct anymore but the message behind it will never change. There have been certain times over the years, not surprisingly just when I needed the reminder, that this message has popped into my head. Some of you may be familiar with this story as I've shared it before in talks and even previously on CaringBridge entries. As we begin Advent, I thought it was worth sharing again. The story goes like this........

Tucked into the peaceful countryside was a small, yet beautiful, country church. The history in the church was deep and the members were truly one family in Christ. Sadly, one Sunday morning as the parishioners began to arrive, they were in complete shock. You see, overnight someone had vandalized their small piece of heaven on earth.

One by one, as the parishioners gathered, they stood in complete silence surveying their now ruined church. Beautiful stain glassed windows had been smashed into tiny pieces, pews had been overturned and broken. Holes had been punched into the walls and banners and hymnals were scattered and torn. The altar had been knocked over and everything up front in the sanctuary had been viciously destroyed - seemingly beyond repair. Black spray paint covered most everything. And in the dome above the sanctuary, written very sloppily in large, red spray paint, were the unmistakable words - "GOD IS NOWHERE."

GOD.

IS.

NO.
WHERE.

I can only imagine the violation that these people must have felt. And yet, what if it was true? How often during our lives do we feel like 'God is nowhere?' It's certainly easy enough to feel this way when we are feeling alone or scared, when we don't get the job we're hoping for or get laid off from the one we have. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's easy to feel this way when finances are tight or people we know (even ourselves) is ill. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's a thought that can easily pop into our heads when we lose a loved one to addictions or death. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's easy to think sometimes as we look at all the cruelty and terror in our world. GOD IS NOWHERE. How many of us have experienced this thought, at least on some level, somewhere on our journey? GOD IS NOWHERE.

But the beauty of this story is that it didn't end there - and neither does ours.

No one spoke a word as this small church became more and more crowded that terrible Sunday morning. The people stood still, tears streaming down their faces, as they looked around at all the destruction. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft sobs of the people as they took it all in. And yet, out of the despair came a very small voice. The voice belonged to a little boy who was holding his father's hand. As everyone else was looking around at the devastation, this young boy was looking up very intently at the red spray painted words. As he looked up, he very slowly sounded out the words and very quietly read them out loud as he did - "GOD IS NOW HERE."

GOD.

IS.

NOW.

HERE.

Oh my, yes - yes, He is! For you see, even in our darkest times when we feel that He is 'nowhere', He is always 'now here'. To me that's what Advent and Christmas truly means.....that God is now here. He's in the anticipation. He's in the smiling eyes of the strangers that you might meet this Christmas season. He's in our children and in our parents. He's in everyone we have the opportunity to help. He's in everyone that helps us. He is the Alpha and the Omega and He is most definitely with us in our darkest 'nowhere' days.

May you all have a very beautiful and blessed Advent and Christmas season. May your holidays be filled with love, peace, hope and joy. And in among the busyness of this often times crazy world, may you find the gift of time to spend with family, friends and so many others that come to us as Jesus in disguise. My prayer for you is that you might see God in all those you interact with this Advent and Christmas season. And most importantly, may you always know that GOD IS NOW HERE!

Haiti 2015

Wow - has it really been 4 months since my last post?  I cannot believe how quickly the spring and summer has gone this year.  I've been staying out of trouble and plenty busy but the highlight of my summer has definitely been a trip to Haiti with the St. Joe's Adult Mission Team July 4th - 11th.

Mission of Hope is the amazing organization that we volunteered through.  MOH's vision statement is this: As an organization following Jesus Christ, Mission of Hope exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti.  At orientation on Sunday, it was pointed out to us that we were now in Haiti so they fully expected that this experience would be transformative for us as well.  WOW - they weren't kidding!  It was an amazing week and one that I would HIGHLY recommend everyone do at least once in there life.  You DO NOT need to be a member of St. Joe's to join the group.  Given the opportunity, I will definitely do it again at some point along my life's path.

During our trip, we updated our parish website with highlights from each day.  You may read about our amazing week at: http://stjosephcommunity.org/mission.aspx.  You may also check out our photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.963263800362997.1073741835.742220645800648&type=3.

The week away wasn't the only tranformational time of this journey.  Preparing for and reflecting back on the experience certainly gave me plenty of time to examine my own life. We were informed on our second to last night on Mission of Hope: Bercy/North Campus that now that we hopefully had been transformed by everything that we had witnessed and experienced in Haiti, it was up to us to bring this effort back into our own communities.  They spoke my heart.  As we discussed our day that evening among our St. Joe's group, I read for the group the last Facebook post that I had made prior to our departure for Haiti which echoed this exact sentiment......

Facebook Post - July 3, 2015
"By Saturday night, those of us on this year's St. Joe's Adult Mission Team will be settled into our home away from home for the week at Mission of Hope in Haiti.

As I was packing today, I had to decide if I wanted to take 'this' or 'that'. If I didn't have something, I knew I could easily pick it up at my local store before I went. I enjoyed lunch and supper with family and friends (both meals purchased at a local eatery and eaten on the deck in beautiful weather) and we were capable of getting fresh, drinkable water out of the tap.

It wasn't lost on me as I packed that my luggage probably contains more 'stuff' (remember, that I had to debate over) than the average Haitian probably even owns. I'll be honest, I wasn't able to finish packing without a few tears welling up. I kept coming back to the reality that the luxuries that I take for granted really are just that - luxuries - and I take them for granted way too often. Yet, am I any happier than the people that I will meet this week? I don't think so and I am so excited to meet these people because I know that they have so much to teach me about love and compassion! I haven't even gotten on the flight yet and I can already tell you that this trip has changed my life!

As we celebrate the 4th of July this weekend, I pray that we will all remember that we live in a land of great freedom and with that freedom comes many privileges and great responsibilities. With our freedom, we have been granted access to many amazing 'take it for granted' items. We have also been given endless - absolutely endless - opportunities to show respect, love and compassion to all within our homes, our communities and our world.

It's not about the 'stuff' any of us have or don't have. We can show respect always and in every situation. It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with the other person. We can love them unconditionally and always be like Christ towards them. It's not about caring for only those who share similar ethnic backgrounds or religious views. We can show compassion to all people without discrimination.

I am so excited and so humbled to be going to Haiti but don't think for a minute that traveling abroad is what makes a mission trip. The mission field is in our own homes and our own backyards. Love one another - the greatest mission in the world. It just really doesn't get any simpler than that. That's what I know the Haitian people are going to remind me of this week, smile after smile, and I can't wait!

May you all have a very blessed 4th. If you'd like to follow our journey, we hope to post regularly on the St. Joe's website at:http://stjosephcommunity.org/mission.aspx"

But what about after my return home?  How have I been carrying on the mission work that Jesus commissioned us to do over 2000 years ago?  I'm not so sure that it's always so obvious.  Even while in Haiti the effort could seem overwhelming at times.  After all, I'm just one person - how can I make a difference in my big, big world?  Well, yesterday was one of those amazing God moments that reminded me that our lights can shine even in the smallest everyday & ordinary activities.  We don't need to 'search' for ways to make a difference.  We simply need to go about our daily lives and God will present us with incredible opportunities to make a difference one after another.  This I also shared on Facebook......

Facebook Post - July 24, 2015
"Are you in need of a feel good story tonight? Allow me.......

This afternoon I went to my primary doctor for a check up. While there, I ran into one of Roch's former INR nurses. For those of you that have been through a lengthy and serious illness you know that your medical staff gets to be a lot like family. She gave me a huge hug and asked how things were going. We each talked a little about what's been going on since I last saw her about a year ago. As I shared, I told her I had just gotten back from Haiti and she was mesmerized. She was full of questions and wanted to hear all about what we'd done there, who I'd gone with, etc. As conversations often do, we transitioned quickly from topic to topic and eventually began talking about the importance of a faith community especially when a loved one is ill or passes away. Then at one point she simply stopped and said, "You look so good - you look younger and full of energy. What is it?" She caught me off guard - not so much that she said it but that I've been told this by more than a couple people since returning from Haiti. Part of me always wants to ask "Why - what did I look like before?!"

But the best I can muster most of the time is a simple "Thank you" or an "I'm not sure why that would be if you think so" in reply. I'll be honest, there's been a few times when I've wanted to say "Well, I don't feel young, I feel old - really old." You see, I've been in a funk. Our 30th wedding anniversary is coming up shortly and regardless of the fact that I've already celebrated alone twice doesn't seem to make this third time any easier. But I refrain from that reply and try to keep those comments to myself and a few poor unlucky souls!

Our conversation was interrupted when I was called back for my appointment by a new nurse that usually isn't with my primary doctor. As the nurse began taking my vitals she ran through the standard "Have you been depressed" questionnaire. I said "No - no - no" to her questions and somehow we got on a question where I replied that I wasn't depressed but as a widow, I certainly was in a funk lately but there's a difference. I told her that it's okay to be in these funks - for any of us - as we work through a grief of any kind - death, job loss, divorce, etc. It doesn't mean we're depressed, it means that we have sad moments that pop up every so often especially when thinking about a special event such as an impending anniversary and I think that it's truly okay to embrace those moments. In fact, I said, I think it's absolutely necessary to sit with them and acknowledge them a while before we can let them go. I truly believed that even these melancholy moments are all part of the process and that I have been truly blessed to have such a great faith and friends' community to always see me through.

She reiterated what a lot of people say - that I'm too young to be a widow. I reminded her that there are a lot of us out there - many younger than I am. I informed her about the widows fellowship that we started for the community at church and how nice it is to connect socially with others who share a similar bond.

The conversation transitioned and as we began talking about my malaria medication (that you also have to take for a few weeks after returning), she asked where I had traveled to and who I had gone with. Well, again my faith community came into the picture as I told her I'd traveled with my church's adult mission team and I shared with her a few of the more amazing moments in Haiti when she inquired.

This lady, who by this time I could tell was in a funk of her own said, "You're so lucky. You have that faith foundation and support. I've never had that." Talk about a God moment! I assured her that it was never too late to get involved with a faith community and I could almost guarantee that she'd be welcomed wherever she ended up with open arms because we were all children of the same God. By this point, we'd already taken up a little more time than we probably should have and she stepped out. A few seconds passed and she knocked, stepped back in and asked, "I'm just curious - where do you go to church?"

Wow! WOW!! I LOVE moments like these. We talked briefly about St. Joe's and how welcomed I knew she would feel there. But I also made sure that she understood that wherever she connected with a faith community, they would welcome her because that's what belonging to a faith community is all about - being accepted and being loved for who God made us and not who others think we should be or what our bank account is. She gave me the biggest smile that completely touched her eyes and walked out. This unknown nurse absolutely made my day!! Will she ever come to St. Joe's or connect with another faith community in the area? I certainly hope so. I will most likely never know though but that's okay. I'm just a small part of the picture and this afternoon God put me where He needed me the most.

It was then that it dawned on me that when people have said I look good or younger or more energized, I don't believe that they are really seeing me. It's my belief that they are seeing God work through me just like He worked through those beautiful people in Haiti that stole my heart. There is nothing here that's about me. That's what I saw in the Haiti people. That's what I hope this nurse finds in a faith community somewhere. And I hope that's what people have seen when they look at me - even through my funk. We are all sacred. We are all loved. We are all made in His image. And how amazing that we get to share in the wonder of that together in our own faith communities or even with complete strangers? God is good!"

God is indeed good!  We just need to be open to see all the small miracles that He allows to glow through us each and every day.  We all have that light from within.  To allow God to work through us doesn't require big changes in our lives or the lives of others.  It simply requires us to continue to shine one small act or word of kindness at a time.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ― Mother Teresa