Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,

so that in all things, always having all you need,

you may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

I'm back in the blogging world! I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last post... life has been moving pretty quickly since I last wrote! But in all things, the truth of the above quote has been very evident to me... sometimes only in retrospect, but evident nonetheless.

Last time I wrote, I had been in Rome for a week and we had only just begun our meetings there. The days that followed brought us into conversation about our charism, Mary as a model, Chaminade's method of prayer and virtue, and our future together. We also traveled from Rome to France to visit the places of our foundation...

Our time in France was... surreal. It was a lot packed into 4 days... And it wasn't just sightseeing, but experiencing important places in our history - the birthplace of Mother Adele, the convent in which she lived (and where her tomb is), the chapel where the Marianist family was born, the room where Fr. Chaminade died, Chaminade's tomb... We also renewed our vows together in a small chapel where Adele would go for her annual retreat - it was exactly 194 years after Adele and the first FMIs professed final vows! Oh.. so much in just 4 days! To tell you the truth, it all happened so quickly, I'm not sure that I've fully processed everything. There was little time for reflection built into the trip to France.

Upon our return to Rome, we only had about 3 1/2 days left together. And in those days we completed a document that was sent to all of our sisters about our experiences together. We had a fun evening of sharing the culture of our countries and a beautiful prayer service in which we expressed our commitment for the future.

In looking back on the experience, it is clear that God's grace was made abundant. Those of you who read my post prior to leaving for Rome, may recall a little anxiety on my part about coordinating such a gathering. What comes to mind now is, "Why did you doubt, oh you of little faith?" Indeed.

And now... Back in Dayton for a little over a week... and I'm in full teacher prep mode! Working on syllabus and lesson plans... trying to outline the semester etc. You may recall that it's been 7 years since I last taught, so I'm a little rusty on all of those kinds of details. But, I'm really excited anyway. Since I'm only teaching two sections, I am also getting a grasp on the rest of my new job - Office of Academics Assistant Director and a few projects for the Office of Ministry and Service. It'll be a full year, to say the least!! But, creative juices are flowing... and God's grace will be made abundant.

Many blessings to all who read this!

Sr. N