Live This Life

Trying to live in the present and plan for the unknown.

As I send out resumes and try to see which interview requests contain God's call, I'm forced to look 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months, and even 5 years ahead to see where I might be and where I think I want to be. As I'm sure all my fellow volunteers know, it's hard to be in more than one place at a time. So, this is just a quick note to you all to try to remind everyone, especially me, to be here, in this life, right now, and not off in 'planning the future' world. I hope it helps any of you who are feeling the same.

In a recent interview, I was asked to explain what has been most rewarding about my year at St. Leonard's and my past internship experiences...I said it was working with people - real people. The people who know God's voice and want to do right by God and right by their families and friends and society, but mostly people who want to follow God's will for them. Working with the most venerable people of our human community has been the most gratifying and rewarding aspect of any job or internship position I've had in the past and especially present in my current ministry. I'm going to miss the people who come into my office daily to update me on their latest grade on a test, or ask me to help them check their e-mail, or tell me a story about the hardships they've been through before coming to St. Leonard's and the battles they've won since they've completed certain programs. I hope God can continue to direct me to experiences where I can work with and serve God's people.

I hope God calls me somewhere I'm needed in the future, but for now...I'm needed here. So here's to keeping an eye on the future and my heart and hands in the now.

Peace,

Emily

p.s...talk about living in the now...I'm running a 10 mile race (The Broad Street Run) this Sunday in Philadelphia in memory of my boyfriend's late uncle Dean Caponi. Please keep myself and my team - Team Dino - in your prayers.
Thanks & God Bless!!

Over the Hump

Sometimes things just never get into my thick skull no matter how many times I hear them. Things like "the more you give the more you get", "let go and let God" and "this too will pass". No matter how many times I hear these things and experience them to be true, I somehow forget again. And again I have experienced the miracle of what I know is true coming to pass with my community. Just before our mid-year retreat I felt alone, frustrated and just plain fed up with living in community. Yet, this was the storm that always comes before the calm in life.

In a recent conversation a friend asked me how my community life was going and it was then I realized the frustration and loneliness had passed. So many times I have experienced hard times in life, but these times always let way to calmness and joy. I should have known this was coming all along! Although I don't feel extreme joy everyday and sometimes I still feel frustration, I no longer allow these feelings to linger. I'm finding my way back to enjoying the things happening around me and making the most of the unique experience I have living in New York. Even though I'm ready to go back to familiar faces, I'm no longer itching to get out of here ASAP. I hope I can look back on these past months to remind myself "this too shall pass"...and maybe this time I'll actually get it.

Also, I'd like to share some photos of various happenings from NY!


Kira, Jen and I celebrated Jen's birthday at South Seaport in NYC! We went to a great bar and enjoyed homemade cake. Candles, knife, plates and birthday serenade courtesy of the bar ;-)


Kira's friend from CA, Rachel, came for a surprise visit!!! She spent some time up in the Bronx with Jenny from the block and then she, Kira and I spent a day in the city enjoying the sites.

My ministry site, OPening Word, had one of its annual fundraisers. Here I am with some of the wonderful women we teach helping to support a great cause :-)!