By the profession of the evangelical counsels

we intend to live our Baptism more fully.

Thus we unite ourselves, freely and lovingly,

to Christ’s saving mission.

(Rule of Life I.10)

Yesterday was a big day for me... Not only was it my 36th birthday (3 DOZEN YEARS OLD! When did that happen?!)... But I also renewed my vows yesterday in our Dayton community... and we celebrated both of those along with the completion of the M.A.... It was a "trifecta celebration!" A few close friends who are Marianist brothers joined our community for evening prayer followed by a social, casual dinner and conversation. It was a fantastic day!

Yesterday morning during my time of private prayer I was filled with gratitude for the year gone by... It was a full year, to say the least! Let me share with you a few of the highlights (in chronological order, of course)...

• Last summer I joined the Marianist brothers in Louisville, Kentucky for a gathering of those of us who were temporary professed at the time... followed by their assembly at which I was a panelist in one of their discussions. I blogged about it at the time. It was such a grace-filled gathering!
• I completed my ministry with the Marianist LIFE South program last summer and handed over the coordinator role to my friend Kristin. I worked with the LIFE program for 10 years... and they were blessed years...
• Marianist brothers Bob Jones and Andy Kosmowski professed final vows in St. Louis in October. Sr. Laura and our two contacts made a road trip down for the celebrations... It was a weekend I will not soon forget! Beautiful! And the four of us had a great time in the car and at the retreat center where we stayed...
• El Salvador in January... wow. What a eye-opening and graced trip...
• LA Religious Ed Congress in March... always a blessing!
• Marianist Women's Summit in March in San Antonio. I never blogged about that... it was the weekend before my comprehensive exams, so I wasn't doing much on line those days. We had over 50 Marianist women gathered in San Antonio - both lay and vowed, ages 20 through 82... from several states and Canada... That weekend was filled with the Spirit of God. That's the best way to describe it. Here's a link to a slide show from that weekend... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxKin-QpqZg
• PASSED MY COMPS in March! WOO HOO!
• Celebrated the first profession of two novices and good friends - Bro. Jose Julian and Bro. Joe....
• Spent 2 weeks in Cape May, New Jersey in May... followed by a week in Texas...

And here I am. While you might not be able to tell... each of the above bullet points was a time of great grace and a moment/event for which I am extremely grateful. There are others, of course, but these are "representative sample." :)

It has been a whirlwind, blessed year. I pray that all who read this might also take the time to make a list of events/moments for which you are grateful.... It's a wonderful way to begin the day.

Many blessings to all who read this!

Sr. N