I'm definitely not on the Eastcoast anymore...

"Chelsea...you need to get up... there's a tornado siren."

Groggily, I rolled over to see Carly's face peeking through my doorframe. I glanced at my clock as I sat up, now acutely aware of the shrill cry of the siren and the hail pelting against my window pane.

My clock glowed brightly: 2:45 AM

I looked back at Carly. "Sooo...what do we do?"
Also being a native of the East Coast, neither of us had ever experienced a tornado before. She looked back at me with a blank stare. "Umm.....I don't really know..."

So I rolled out of bed, threw on a sweatshirt and moccasins, and grabbed my phone as Carly went to go make sure everyone else was awake.

All the postulants congregated in the hallway, everyone half-asleep and slightly freaked out. Quickly we decided that the best plan of action was to head down to the basement. With the wind howling at the corners of the convent and the hail beating the side of the building, we made a quick descent down the back stairwell. Halfway down the stairs, the sirens stopped.
We all froze.
Someone broke the tense silence,"Is it over?"

After lingering a few more moments to listen, half of us decided it would be best to continue to the basement, and half of us decided to head back to bed, but keep an ear out for the weather.
I was part of the group that continued down to the basement.

Once we got to the study in the basement, we flipped on the tv and watched the images of swirling clouds flash on the screen accompanied by a man's calm voice. It seemed like such a contradiction; the whirling, chaotic, screaming winds overlaid by an meteorologist's annoyingly calm voice announcing a play-by-play of the tornado's actions.

I sat with the two other postulants who also trekked down the basement and watched and listened.
As I sat, I knew we weren't going to die because of this tornado...but I realized that if I was going to die somewhere, I was happy with where I was. Our life might not be glamorous or glitzy, but it is beautiful and full of so many graces. Everyday, I thank God for having called me here. That's not to say that this life doesn't have it's challenges and trials, but it's through those trying times that we learn to grow and trust so much more. I am happy where He has placed me and there's no where else I'd rather be...

It's amazing what a tornado at obscene hours of the morning can show you! :)

However, I would prefer to reflect on my life a little later in the day and without the blaring of tornado sirens... ;)


Have a blessed day!
-Chelsea

Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus: A Beer with Jeff Bethke

Some of you may have seen this video entitled "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" making the rounds on Facebook. Lots of people are responding with angst and intellectual put downs. I suggest a different approach. 72% of the millenial generation describes themselves as "spiritual but not religious."  Maybe we should take this more seriously? I would love to have a beer with Jeff and have a real dialogue.

Here's a link to my personal response to this video if anyone is interested!


Peace,

Theresa

You Might Be a Nun (or a Postulant) If.....

1. Your favorite celebrity  is 84 years old, wears red shoes and speaks seven languages.

2. When you actually find a sweater in navy blue, (the Holy Grail of sweaters), you spike it on the floor and do a touchdown dance in the middle of the store.

3. Twenty dollars a month goes a LONG way in your world.

4. You get a lint roller in your Christmas stocking and don't think it's lame.

5. Your freezer is bigger than the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia.

6. You use words like "chasuble" and "thurible" in everyday conversation and do not miss a beat.

7. You don't think it is pointless to clean surfaces that already look clean, (and you actually get some kind of sick pleasure out of it).

8. Inside jokes involving such ordinary things as corn can become an obsession and a communal source of entertainment for months at a time.

9. You have friends who are more than 60 years older than you (or vice versa) and you dig it.

10. Your idea of a rockin' New Year's Eve is a silent retreat and four hours of adoration leading up to midnight. Rock out.

___________________

I began this top ten list as my New Year's Eve retreat began. I just couldn't help myself. God didn't mind. The guy has a sense of humor. He's funnier than Will Ferrell. No joke. 

In all seriousness though, I had a wonderful retreat. I thoroughly enjoyed myself talking to no one but Jesus for 24 hours and ringing in the New Year in the quiet. I have to say, there are many things I miss in the convent but New Year's Eve parties are not one of them. There is honestly no other place I would rather be on New Year's Eve than in chapel with my sisters smiling in silence as the clock strikes 12. I hope your New Year's was as awesome as ours. We prayed for all of you, and will continue to pray for you in this new year.

In Jesus,

Theresa