As a person who treasures creation, I have a love for the environment, the land, and the beauty that surrounds us. Coming from the barren land of my home state after the Dust Bowl to the green landscape I now call home, 70 years of life in community have been a series of calls and responses, transforming, growing, and always filled with gratitude.
In the earliest years of my ministry, I was assigned to teach in the Catholic schools, where parish life and parent support created thriving communities. Night school afforded me the opportunity to become credentialed and respond to a call from a private special education school during the middle part of my ministry, serving as both an instructor and program director.
A highlight of that time was being funded and sent to Maine and Albuquerque for specialized training in a particular reading system. Once credentialed, I responded to a call from our province regarding the retirement fund need, and for over two decades, I was a private reading tutor after my teaching day.
In my later ministry years, I was called to serve a district school in need of a reading coach to support students of diverse cultural backgrounds. Throughout my years in religious life and in the education field, transformation and growth were constant companions.
Remaining grounded in an inner call to serve has brought forth a life of purpose. I am deeply grateful to our international congregation, the School Sisters of St. Francis, for their leadership and support throughout my 70 years in community.
Quoting from the Principal IV image in Response in Faith, Rule of Life: “Our growth is earth rooted. Earth symbolizes the ground of our being and all our roots, shoots, and leaves. The most delicate structure must draw life from the earth.”