I have always been one of those innocent people that forever seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I started off my naval career, right after boot camp by going AWOL. I didn’t do it on purpose - but they gave me two sets of orders that said to go to two different places. I picked the wrong one to go toÉ and I missed my flight to Iceland . I spent two weeks in Norfolk ,Virginia, polishing floors and cleaning latrines while they waited to get me on a plane to my next assignment.
When I arrived, lo and behold, they said I had been AWOL for two weeks. I said if I was going to go AWOL I could have found other things to do besides polish floors and clean latrines. They said they understood and I could explain that to the Executive Officer at my XO Mass. That’s like one step before you see the captain and go to the brig. It was not a good way to start a distinguished naval career and I am afraid it didn’t get any better. We are not even going to touch getting written up for being an International Coke Smuggler (I carried a six pack of coke from one base to another) asked to surrender my Top Secret Naval Security clearance (okay this one was deserved but I know you don’t want all the details on that one), getting sent to Drug Rehabilitation and a few other little things. But Officer, I was innocent! Needless to say after four years I decided to try something else.
Then my life took a nose dive. I was going to college with plans to go into Journalism. In one of my classes we were asked to rate ten different qualities of life as to their importance. I remember thinking “health” was a stupid one and put that down at the bottom of the list. A week later my brother Mike died from a seizure. All of a sudden that “health” issue went right up to the top!
After Mike’s death I went from being a bona fide atheist to being a 100 percent Christian. Life after death was what mattered now - this life was only a ticket to getting there. I have always been a 100 per center in what I go after. No middle of the road, undecided, uncommitted for me. I either “don’t believe in God,” and everyone knows it, or “I believe,” and can I use that soap box for a minute?
I had visions of becoming a Woman Evangelist and hitting the road. But after some reading and prayer I perceived God was calling me to a different life, to be a nun.
I didn’t feel it was a permanent calling, just something God wanted me to experience before moving on to new and better things. I explained to God that I would be happy to go if He thought it was a good idea. I was sure He meant me only to try it for six months. I figured it wouldn’t be long before the Sisters would show me the door and I would be out with no regrets.
I don’t want to say God duped me, but I do think his recruitment tactics far outdid anything I ever experienced from my naval recruiter. The six months have melted into twenty-six years and so far the sisters are undecided about opening that door for me to leave. I have definitely given them some cause for serious consideration I expect.
In the meantime, I actually have come to like the place and the occupation. I’ve done hundreds of things I would probably never have done had I not entered. Things like learning to play the organ, (”but Sister, I hate the organ” “never mind it will be good for you”) reaching out through the Internet (we now have our own server and host some 30 different web sites, including an international site for the Poor Clares http://poorclare.org
In 2003 we published our first book, 101 Inspirational Stories of the Rosary which became a Catholic bestseller. Since then we have added four more books in this series. Eucharist, Priesthood, Confession and Prayer. Our hope is to continue collecting stories for all the seven sacraments. Next up is 101 Inspirational Stories of Marriage.
In 2005 I became the manager for a 5000 watt, AM radio station here in Spokane. This is an affiliate station of Sacred Heart Radio in Seattle. Our station produces several local programs plus is beginning an outreach with radio training via Teleclasses for other radio stations, schools, and Catholic ministries.
Many people may think that living a contemplative life in a monastery would be very quiet, dull and let’s face it boring, but “being bored” is my number one least favorite thing in life and it seems to be something the other Sisters are not fond of either because it rarely seems to happen.
With all this you may wonder - is there any time for prayer? Now that is where the beauty of monastic life enters in. In the monastery… prayer is always first and foremost. The day is scheduled around our life of prayer and contemplation. We rise at 5:00 in the morning and by 9:00 have already put in several hours of prayer before “other” work even is thought of. With such a good foundation for the day - we enter the day prayed up and praised up and ready for whatever God has in mind. (As anyone knows it really doesn’t matter much what you have in mind… GOD always has something else.)
I think the closer one draws to God the more exciting ones life becomes. Little things or big - the life is joyous if done with Jesus. A favorite line in an old Christian praise song I have always loved says, “When you’re walking with the Lord, you don’t get bored!” Believe it or not.. this is one hundred percent true in Monastic life.
