Today was quiet, as the nocturnal orange overlord and I slept in and I finished a book of over five hundred pages written by a woman who entered a religious order in the early fifties as teenager, matured and attained a teaching degree, eventually took final vows and left the order after fifteen years. Her life in between and during all of these events makes interesting reading since it involves her experiences, modern Church and secular history in America and a heart-wrenching decision to surrender what had been a dream since childhood.
Having known several nuns and former nuns, first as a young teen and later in adulthood. they were all smart, dedicated to service and to the discipline of a God-centered religious life. Those who eventually left did so for a variety of reasons, which like the author, they and their superiors found compelling. No-one who makes final vows after years does so lightly nor is the ultimate parting always easy. After such a lengthy book, I was left wishing the author had provided a bit more about her adjustment to the outside. She did marry and work in a more fruitful path and she continued to have some contact with her former order. This book left me thinking of my time as a young teen volunteering in an orthopedic hospital in Colombia served by the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence. That is a story for another day, but I had my first real taste of serving others at age fourteen working with toddlers and babies there. That, and the nuns who made it possible, I've never forgotten. I see now that throughout my life, service in various forms has been a theme.
What about you??
8 comments:
Can you share the book title and author?
My parents told us that we have an obligation to contribute to our community - and I have taken it too heart.
Lonesome Calling by Angela Tougas Pihlman. The Jewish tradition emphasizes the obligation to be of service and "repair" the world.
Thank you. Only one of my parents was Jewish but they both emphasised the importance of community contribution.
Interesting thinking about the main thread of our lives. I have to think more about that.
I actually don't know what the thread of my life has been. I did work in my youth caring for the elderly, but I can't say I had a calling to service. I will give this some thought.
I like that you wanted to know more by the end of the book. To me, this is the one of the jobs of a writer. Better than getting to the end and thinking, my gosh, that was too many words.
Sounds like a very interesting book! Decisions like this are not easy to make. I've always enjoyed serving in one way or another. My first volunteer position was in my teens. I've had several since then.
One of my writers in my workshop is an ex nun. She fell in love with the convent handyman and is trying to write about it. She has a lot of shame around it though we are all encouraging her to put it out there.
I will tell her about this book today.
I hadn't thought about service in terms of myself but I do work with addicts and have worked with abused women and the homeless and I was quite astonished to review my life in those terms. both my parents emphasized service. Volunteering of course. Among other things I advocate for the elderly, particularly old women.
I'd love to hear of your experiences in Columbia.
XO
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