Forget Kevin Bacon!!

In 1994, around the same time that actor Kevin Bacon commented in an interview that he had worked with everyone in Hollywood or someone who had worked with them, the Kevin Bacon Factor surfaced on the internet.

The theory follows the premise that because of his diverse acting background, it is possible to link Kevin Bacon with any other actor in a small number of steps. Kevin Bacon himself has a Bacon number of 0. Any actor who has appeared with Bacon in a movie has a Bacon number of 1. For example, Elvis Presley has a Bacon number of 2 (Elvis was in Harum Scarum (1965) with Suzanne Covington, Covington was in Beauty Shop (2005) with Bacon).


So Kevin Bacon may have worked with every actor possible but sometimes, it seems in my life, like it’s "6 degrees of Meg"!  The last few days have been especially telling in relation to this concept.
I don’t know why I still get surprised by these connections.  They happen so often anymore! Please allow me to share with you the six degrees of Meg that have occurred in just the last week.

1. Last night, for example, I realized as I was falling asleep that my friend, Jim, is seeing the daughter of some church friends!  When I first found out they were dating, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it as to why she seemed familiar to me.  When I realized she knew some of my sister-in-law’s mommy friends from my niece’s school through work, I thought that was why.  Yet, when I saw a picture of Jim with his new beau, it dawned on me that she resembled others I knew.  He confirmed my hunch when he said that Frank and Deb were indeed her parents.  The funny part is…the thought had crossed my mind to try to set them up when I first heard of their daughter.  You see, I had been attending IHM every other week during my weeks of babysitting here in the summers in 2008, 2009, and 2010.  Then, in Summer 2010, while in the process of moving down here for school, I started getting to know folks at church.  It wasn’t until this past year that I really got to know Frank & Deb since he is an usher and she is a Eucharistic Minister most Saturday nights when we go to mass.  I remember several months ago handing a business card to Deb with my contact information and being excited that I might have a new 5k walking buddy and looking forward to meeting this gal.  Jim is an awesome guy and would make a loyal, fun, and loving boyfriend and future spouse so I’m beyond thrilled that he’s so happy with this girl and am glad they found their way to each other!

2.  When in Santa Fe, NM last week for work, I met some of the NLCSD Fellows in person.  The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities is the program I applied to in January 2010 to try to become a Fellow but was denied.  I can’t be sad over that circumstance because had I not attempted to be a Fellow, I would never have been offered the Assistantship nor learned of University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Anyhow, due to a study we conducted the first year, I learned of some of the Fellows via participation in the online discussion boards but was never officially introduced to them face to face.  So, last week, it was nice to put names with faces as I met some of the individuals.  These folks come from all over the country and even Canada so I never dreamt in a million years that I would have connections to not one but TWO of the Fellows outside our field of deafness.  One was Christina from Arizona…it turns out she knows a friend from my undergraduate program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Melissa!  Melissa is currently in Abu Dhabi where I introduced her to a friend from my hometown (so this is really 2 different connections I suppose!!).  Additionally, I met Natalie from Colorado, another Fellow.  She also happens to be friends with a friend in NC whom I met through church.  How do Christina in NC and Natalie in CO know one another?  Well, they served in the Peace Corps in Kenya a couple years ago.  Wow!!

Melissa and Meg at a party for Clinicals at IUP in 2001, 2002?

 
3. This next connection reminds me of last year’s conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  Before the conference, an email had been sent out on the list serv asking if any of us doc students wanted to be roommates for the conference.  My colleague, Stef (who also happens to be from Schuylkill County!!), and I said yes to being roommates with this gal from Colorado for the conference.  However, she had already found someone.  We forgot about this email exchange until we accidentally met Sharon at the conference.  It wasn’t until a few days into the conference after spending time together before we realized, oh, we had corresponded via email!  Sharon is an awesomely positive asset to our field and I look forward to possible future projects with her!  On the last day of the conference, after bidding each other goodbye earlier in the day, Natalie, Sharon, and I bumped into one another at Chimayo, a place that was about 30 minutes from Santa Fe when I was out and about with hometown friends who were showing me around and they were on their way back to Colorado to try to beat the snowstorm.  

2 Schuylkill County girls presenting in Jacksonville, Florida at last year's conference.  ;)

Sharon, Margo, Meg, Dr. Compton at Atomic Grill for a last minute lunch between conference sessions

El Santuario de Chimayo run-in with Natalie!

4.  A recurring theme in connections that occurred while in Santa Fe, revolved around York!
While spending time with friends from my hometown who now live in Albuquerque, I asked Eric about his brother.  It turns out that Eric’s brother lives in Shrewsbury/New Freedom area, which is near York and also happens to be where my former roommate grew up…then on the last day as I rode in the back seat of a cramped shuttle from the resort to the airport, the man sitting next to me and I struck up a conversation.  It turns out he lived in York while in medical school.  Then….come to find out, he and his wife currently live in Ohio where she works with a friend of mine from NC who graduated with her doctorate my first year in the program.  They have dinner parties with my friend and her husband.

LOVE this depiction of York by local artist, Brenda Wintermyer.  Ashley got this for me as a going away present when I moved from York to NC!

5.  After returning back to NC, I received a message from one of my former professors at Kutztown University (where I got my Master’s).  I completely forgot she was from Santa Fe and moved back there after retiring from KU.  Oh, how I wish I had remembered this the day before so I could have seen her for the first time since 2006!

6.  Last, but not least, my 6^th degree of connection is that tomorrow I’m going to go visit my new person at the nursing home for the first time…followed by lunch at a friend’s home.  It turns out Allyson lives right across the street from the nursing home.  Ok, that may be a stretch but seriously..what are the odds that she invites me over on the day I’ll be in her neighborhood?!  Love how small this world gets and how connected we all can be all across the globe through these connections we have with one another!!

A little bit goes a long way!

Affirmation....

A little bit

goes a looooooooooong way!

 

 

Whether it's a smile from a stranger when you're out and about

 

or a gentle nod from a trusted advisor as you're hammering out dissertation plans

 

or better yet, a hug from tiny arms that are attached to a loveable laughing little nephew

 

these little affirmations are helpful no doubt!

 

 

However, this canine has not yet mastered the art of sending me affirming glances, especially as I write, write, write!

Instead, Dusty would rather shoot annoyed looks over his shoulder at me and sigh loudly as I noisily type on the laptop keys.

Yes, I'm sure his practically disappearing into the couch as I frantically try to get the thoughts down on paper make quite a sight!

So beautiful is what Santa Fe is!

I was in Santa Fe, NM for work the last few days.  In the days leading up to the trip, I shared the following tidbits of info. I learned or remembered from history classes about this beautiful city on Facebook: 

• In 1610, Santa Fe was made the capital of the province, which it has almost constantly remained, making it the oldest capital city in what is the modern United States.
• In 1821, Santa Fe, although still officially belonging to Mexico after the fall of Spanish rule, was turned topsy-turvy w/ the opening of the Santa Fe Trail & Western expansionism. Santa Fe became the hub of 2 vital trade routes: El Camino Real to Mexico City & the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri.
• Locally produced poultry, lamb, a variety of goat cheeses, honey, exotic beans, and tender salad greens are the stars of many local menus. Santa Fe was the birthplace of Southwestern cuisine, one that fused traditional New Mexico flavors with contemporary ideas and fresh-off-the-farm ingredients.

It was a terrific trip where it snowed each day, thought-provoking conversations were held regarding issues in my field of Deaf Education/my upcoming dissertation plans, I got in some serious window shopping (never saw so many jewelry pieces that cost so much $), tried delicious Spanish wine, beer, sangria, & margaritas (not all at once), and even squeezed in a quick pilgrimage to Chimayo where I found some "holy dirt". Have you ever been to Santa Fe? It was gorgeous! Being the picture-holic I am, I took over 200 pictures and will post the pictures as I find the time to write about the awesome experiences over the last few days.

My last night in beautiful Santa Fe was a special one where I spent some time alone at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, someone who is close to my heart!  Look at this awesome quote I found while wandering the grounds of the church after mass:

"This Labyrinth's path is like the path of life. There are twists and turns, feelings of being lost, encounters with others on your path, the thrill of accomplishment at the center, and sometimes a flash of insight before returning." - sign I read as I sat under the full moon tonight after mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. This message couldn't be more true at this point in my life. What an amazing day (well, couple of days) while here at my work conference. Yes, Santa Fe, NM is officially one of my all time favorite places and I thank those I was able to experience it with over the last few days. ♥ — at Downtown Santa Fe, NM.

For now, I'll leave you with this as a preview:



Somewhere over SC on the way to Orlando, FL before ending up in Albuquerque, NM.  I loved how you couldn't tell where the ocean ended and the sky began!

Beautiful El Santuario de Chimayo!



I've known Eric since 2nd grade....growing up on North Nice Street in Frackville...I don't think either of us would ever have thought that we would be scooping "Holy Dirt", with the help of his precious 2.5 year old son, one day in New Mexico after "growing up" and moving away from PA.



I loved how utterly Catholic this area was!  :)



This was the Loretto Inn and Spa, the location of the ACE-DHH 2013 Conference, this year!

Fullness of Time

I don't usually blog about the Theology on Taps I go to because (1) I go to SO many of them [ I'm not kidding.  I go to them in both PA and NC...lol! ] and (2) all of them are usually moving and powerful in their own way.

However, after recent events (ahem), the message tonight really hit home for me.  I just simply love tonight's speaker.  I did before tonight but after hearing more of her beautiful story, of which I had only heard snippets of before, I grew in my admiration of her.  Allyson shared her personal story of seeing the lightness in the darkness, even if it seems impossibly dark out at the moment.

Here are some of the words I jotted down on my lime green index card as she talked:

While we all live in uncertainty (e.g., jobs, singlehood vs. married life, where should I live?, etc.), we should not worry and trust in God because even though we may not know HOW He will take care of us, we can rest assured that He WILL.  Allison reminded us of the First Annunciation and how we must be open to following and embracing God's will.

She also shared some reflections about waiting for those of us who may be seeking a vocation to marriage, that if we do not feel worthy enough of a spouse or believe in our future spouse, we should make a list of qualities we are looking for in that future spouse, we should trim that list down to 15 important qualities, we should review the list to see if we ourselves possess those traits and to do this we must truly KNOW OURSELVES, we must then create open spaces for our spouses to enter our lives, and that we absolutely do not need to seek or force the process.  God will bring us to whatever/whomever is in store for us when the timing is right...hence the title of my blog posting tonight.  

Let us all more joyfully embrace the fullness of time!  Fiat!!

Let God do the Looking

She still wants to get married, but she’s letting God do the looking, while she looks at God.

I just read this article, that contains the above line, at this link:  http://www.prodigalmagazine.com/celebrate-being-single/

and as a result learned about The Abba Project!  What an awesome movement!

Dating with Intention

Temptations, temptations

Last night, I was asked out to dinner by a gentleman who found me online.  My plans for Saturday night had fallen through 3 times w/ other friends, so I was actually free and said sure, why not.  I had only talked to this guy a few other times, via email, and didn't feel one way or the other about him.  He had initially contacted me with questions about Catholicism so I figured he just wanted to pick my brain about religion based on our previous communication.  I suppose my first sign of things not going well should have been when he didn't show up at the time he said he was going to...later on that night, we agreed to meet up for drinks instead of dinner.

As we sat at a table in one of my favorite Irish pubs, our chat began to feel more like an interrogation in which question after question was posed regarding religion, sports, travel, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I love talking and engaging in conversations but when it's one-sided and consists of me giving all the answers to his questions without his really stopping to listen to the answers or then asking questions like, "Do I look like Vince Vaughn?  I've been told I do" in the next breath...I kind of lose interest in the conversation. 

It was clear we came from completely different backgrounds/life experiences from early on when he posed the question, "You're Roman Catholic correct?  Does that mean you are a nun?" and quickly followed up those questions with, "Are you allowed to watch "R" movies?", and this gem of a line when I was sitting in his car trying to keep warm as he stood outside the driver's side with the door open to smoke a cigarette, "You know, you have the potential to be a really cool girl but you are so limited by...well, your faith."


That last statement was just the final nail in the coffin and I couldn't get home soon enough. 
 
 My responses to the gentleman's questions above were:

1.) "Yes. Um, no...that's like saying "Are you a pastor in your church since you go to the service?" or "You're a law abiding citizen in the community, therefore you're a police officer". (He thought that those 2 examples I gave him were the most preposterous things. However, after the 3rd time of saying, "I keep thinking you're a nun", in a half hour's span, I gave up trying to explain what religious life entails (i.e., taking vows, joining an order, carrying out the calling through work, etc.) 
 
2.) "Yes, but chick flicks and comedies are more my style...not b/c I'm Catholic but b/c those are the genres I enjoy".
 
3.) "Wow." That was the only respectful thing I could think to say in the moment.  
 
For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm open to being friends with all sorts of people and folks from all walks of life.  I'm not the type of person who is only friends with a certain sort of personality, ethnicity, religion, culture, or work style.  It takes all different kinds of people to make this beautiful world go round but after experiences like last night's, I have to wonder if's easier to socialize/date within one's own religion, whatever that may be.  Last night's interaction was exhausting as it took a whole lot of extra work to just have a conversation with this gentleman...I'm definitely looking forward to a gathering of like-minded friends this afternoon where our fundamental beliefs are just understood amongst each other.  Are we all carbon copies of one another who have the same interests and views on everything?  No, and I'm glad we don't because that would be boring.  However, there's a whole other set of stress that accompanies interacting with a person, at least in my experience, when dealing with such opposition to something that is so intrinsically you.  I have no idea if any of my ramblings are making sense as I'm just typing from the heart here but hopefully some of it is coherent.

So, after a restless night, I woke up to a wall full of posts from my friends/some family on Facebook after posting a bit of frustration on there when I came home last night.  What truly blew me away though was the message this 36 year old gentleman proceeded to send to me at 1:30am:  "Y dont u answer my question u fat nun" when I didn't respond to a text in which he asked if I liked him 20 minutes after we said goodbye.  Yes, the 2 "free" Malibu Bay Breezes from tonight were so not worth this hassle. Clearly, the part in our conversation tonight in which we talked about levels of respect and whatnot were not authentic as his true colors shone through or rather I suppose his colors are just dismally bleak. 

I was too riled up to go to bed after that text so being the nun that I am according to this gentleman, I decided to get caught up on the day's Bible Reading challenge and stumbled upon this in one of my peers' posts: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).....Ok, I heard that message loud and clear at 3am!  ;)

In spite of last night not having been a date and my thinking it was clear from the start that it wasn't, I'm just blown away by the lack of manners/respect shown to women I've seen not only personally but in hearing stories from others (both guys and gals) in the last few weeks.  I just wonder where a guy learns that it's okay to be so blatantly disrespectful, regardless of the circumstances, to others.  All I could think of when these things were happening last night, "...and you're a geriatric nurse....I sure hope you don't treat your patients in this manner."  

Oh well....two of my friends brought up an excellent points regarding posting on Facebook and dating within own religion.  Thinking about last night's readings and gospel, the desert temptations (over the 40 days) must have been temptations Jesus faced everyday. If they are, one could say how like us He is: tempted to give up under our daily burdens, tempted to compromise and follow the crowd, tempted to seek some extraordinary power rather than the quiet power found in ordinary life.  So, maybe I shouldn't have gone online and vented to my Fb friends/fam.  ;)  Maybe that's a temptation I need to work on...venting my so-called annoyances/grievances to my support system.  Or maybe getting together with that guy was, even though I wasn't really feeling the friendship connection to start with, a temptation for me that I should have not faced.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'd rather be alone (with my puppy) than with the wrong person for me.

So, I'm glad it's another day, the sun is shining, I've got my adorable little puppy cuddled at my feet, and a fun afternoon is planned so life's good!  Onward and upward!  

My Hot Date This Morning

This morning I had a hot date with a handsome blond boy.  His smile lights up the room with dimples in both cheeks and his sparkling dark chocolate brown eyes have a way of getting you to say yes to his requests. 

We started our day by dropping off Mason's forgotten backpack/lunch at her school.  He was more than understanding about running this errand we needed to complete before starting our day.  He was happy to hold my hand as we walked around IHM and found Mason's teacher.  Next up, we headed over to Greensboro to enjoy inflatable fun and to play like kids!  My guy couldn't get enough of the climbing, tumbling, running, spinning in the air, and giggling.  What a carefree time we had!

Just before it was time to leave, I had one more surprise...much to his delight, he was able to pick out a treat from the ice cream freezer!  He was so excited he talked about how he would eat his treat just as soon as he got home and had lunch the whole way back to High Point.

Yep, today was Clark's Special Day! 

After taking Clark home, I hit the road to meet up with a friend in a small town in Virginia that was the halfway point for us.  It was fun spending time in a Tastie Freez since I hadn't done that since high school and the coffeeshop we stumbled upon after lunch was a real gem!  Before crossing the street to go to the Uptown Cafe Coffeehouse, we swung by the Ammo and Gun Shop (!!).  I was more excited by the prospect of seeing the "guard dogs" that the signs on the front door warned the potential customer  about...and was surprised to see that the ferocious guard dogs were not German Shepherds or Black Labs but were tiny under 5 lb. Yorkies!  I enjoyed cuddling one of them as Tim browsed the weaponry in the shop.

At the Uptown Cafe Coffeehouse, I enjoyed a Snickers Latte, that was soooo delicious!!  Several hours passed by in the blink of an eye as the atmosphere, service, decor, and the live music that started at 7pm were wonderful!  Hearing some of Tim's stories about the military made me even more grateful for what our brave service men and women do for us every day.  If any of you are currently serving, are related to someone who is, or are vets, like my Dad so proudly is of the Air Force, please know we appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts for the sacrifices and loyalty!

Anyhow, the staff, owners, and entertainment at the Uptown Cafe Coffeehouse were superb.  While live music is provided every Friday night, on the last Friday of the month, they do praise and worship music and on some Saturday nights, they show movies for free.  Tomorrow night, Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron, was the main feature.  If you ever find yourself in downtown Victoria, VA, do yourself a favor and check out this charming coffeehouse! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mason & Clark had fun making Valentine Cards last night!  Yes, my LIU girls, these stickers came from my binder of stickers.  ;-)  

St. Valentine's Story

 (taken from http://isabelperez.com/St%20ValentineStory.htm)

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!
 
Huh, who knew THAT was how the custom of exchanging Valentine cards/notes/surprises came about eh?  Regardless of whether or not you'll be spending today with a sweetheart, friends, a furry companion, or it's more like just another day....Let's all do a random act of kindness for someone today!  Today also marks 14 years, as my Aunt Maureen so eloquently stated in Grandma's eulogy, since my Grandmother joined her hubby in Heaven.  

Below is my own special Valentine I read this morning...even though it wasn't written in February, I still treasure my Grandma's handwriting and love I can see and feel as I read her words from so many years ago.

 
 So, yes, I think Grandma would get a kick out of a random act of kindness chain!!  I would love to hear what you've done in the Comments section!!      

My little Valentines

 

This is my 2nd oldest NC nephew.  He will be 2 years old in April and loves anything that involves throwing, jumping, or anything else related to being a daredevil! 

Braden Brien seems to be enjoying his newfound status as big brother as of December 17th and has also started doing something with me recently that makes my heart melt. 

When I leave the room and come back, he comes running over and greets me with a hug and a "HIIII!"...even if I had just seen him moments before...he doesn't do it every time but has been doing it often over the last few days. 

I love when he does this as the image of him doing this is much like this one I snapped at Mason's birthday party in early December.  His arms are usually open like in the above picture as he comes running toward me and then he gingerly wraps them around my legs, puts his head to the side, and says, "Awww" before carrying on with whatever he had been doing prior to my entering the room.

Yes, this little guy is my Valentine as are my other precious niece and nephews in PA and NC and how blessed am I to love them every day of the year!?


I am not related to the one with the big red mouth.  My brother, Patrick, might be though. 

The other special guy who has my heart this year is little more hairy but hopefully over Spring Break he'll finally get a hair cut.

Have you had YOUR fasnacht today??

I didn't know until I moved to NC for school that not everyone celebrates Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras by eating donuts.  I didn't realize this was mainly a Pennyslvania Dutch tradition until I left my beloved state.

Fortunately, the first year down here, my family and a friend and I went to IHM for a Mardi Gras celebration where there was a feast of King Cake (my first one) and all sorts of yummy food.  I honestly can't recall if there were donuts there or not!

Then, last year, Theology on Tap fell on Mardi Gras so a friend picked up some donuts from Krispy Kreme for me on the way to the Irish pub where ToT was being held.  However, we were told we couldn't bring in our delicious donuts for the folks to snack on after dinner.  So on the way out, Kevin distributed donuts from his car.  By the time I made it out to the parking lot, everyone had left and I had not had my traditional donut.  So, what's a Pennsylvania gal to do when no donuts are to be found...??

I went to Krispy Kreme on the way home and bought donuts for my brother, sister-in-law, and me to feast on before Lent started the next day.  ;)


Soooo, inquiring minds wanna know...have you had your fasnacht today?  If IHM doesn't have donuts at the Mardi Gras celebration tonight, I just might have to do a Krispy Kreme drive-by on the way home!

Not Alone Ministry Twists!

In October 2010, I started volunteering with the Not Alone Ministry through my church.  This program matches volunteers with individuals in local nursing homes who might not have family in the area or at all to visit them.   

 

I have been privileged to have the opportunity to visit with two different people since starting 2+ years ago.  My last person, Miss Claire, passed in March.  When I learned of this news, I let the coordinator at my church know that I was in need of a new person.   

However, with a busy summer of babysitting and working on my portfolio as well as working multiple jobs, I was not as proactive as I should have been in being reassigned to a new person.  Both the coordinator and I dropped the ball on this task but in December, just before Christmas, I received a call from the coordinator asking if I needed a Walmart gift card to buy some Christmas gifts for my person.  He had not realized that I was never assigned to a new person.  Through that phone call, we resumed conversation and got back on track with finding me a new person to visit.   

The facility in which I volunteered for both of my people in the past, was under new management and had new protocols to follow so I was told I needed to submit a volunteer application packet, have clearances be done, and get a TB shot.  To be honest, I was a bit irritated with what I deemed as unnecessary since I had already volunteered for over 2 years in this facility and am not a criminal.  Ah, how I need to grow in humility!!

However, I understood why this procedure is in place and respected the fact that the new supervisor was implementing these (or perhaps reinforcing?) changes. 

 

So, upon returning to NC in January, I filled out the application packet that was sitting in my pile of mail from when I had been out of the state.  I provided the basic information but did not elaborate on my responses.  So, you can imagine my surprise when this next little twist in fate occurred.  

I received an email from the supervisor saying that she took note of my willingness to volunteer “in-house” versus “out-house”.  This means that I am willing to visit my person in the facility rather than only communicate via phone or cards.  She excitedly shared with me in her email that she has a potential match for me.  The gentleman’s son lives out of state and has only one request……

Hold on, hold on, I’m going to be assigned to a male patient??  My other two people I was paired up with were women so I had naturally assumed that I would be matched with female patients…

                                                          

Time out….before I tell you the rest of this story, I need to tell you about my New Year’s resolution for 2013.  I don’t do resolutions, especially New Year’s ones because I NEVER keep them.  However, in October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared Oct. 2012 to Nov. 2013 to be the Year of Faith.  During this time, us Catholics are encouraged to renew & further grow in our faith whether it be through committing more random acts of kindness, attending mass more often, reading the Bible, learning more about our Catechism via faith formation classes, etc.  

Well, for quite some time, I had been wanting to try to increase my bible reading since I tend to devote time to it during Lent and not throughout the rest of the year.  So, over Christmas, when home for the holidays, I was elated to be invited to participate in a 90 Day Bible ReadingChallenge that makes finding the time to read the bible much more attainable (especially when time is so limited)…the reading passages come straight to your email (assignments are usually 4 or 5 chapters per day) with a reading reflection question to ponder as you read.  Finally, there is an online discussion forum in which people can share their responses to the reflection and/or share other thoughts that came up for them as they read the daily chapters.  I love participating in this 90 Day Bible Reading Challenge that began on January 1^st and will end at Easter and am even finding that at times, I’m learning more from the online discussion postings!!  

Ok, time in (back to my nursing home story)!

So, this man’s son, who lives out of state, has ONE request for his father…..he would like for someone to read Scripture to him.  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is not a religious nursing home.  I don’t know if the patient is a Catholic (but it doesn’t matter if he isn’t b/c I can still read from his bible).  I’m not sure the supervisor knows I’m volunteering through  a program at my church since this email was sent as a response to my generic only the basics were given application that I mailed in a month after it was sent to me (due to being away for the holidays).  

As if that were not enough of a coincidence….in further email communication with the supervisor, it was revealed that this patient is DEAF.  !!!!!!!!!!!!!  He does not use sign language to communicate so I’m not sure if he lost his hearing with advanced age or not.  Regardless, the supervisor, again did not know of my connection with hearing loss.  She was flabbergasted to learn that I taught students with hearing loss for 8 years and am currently working on my PhD with Professions in Deafness as my concentration in Specialized Education Services…what are the odds?!  

How funny that it’s been 11 months since I first sought a new person to be assigned to but for whatever reason, events didn’t pan out until now…I hope this experience helps me to increase in humility & walk through more doors as I grow in faith.  I am so  excited to meet my new person this week and to learn more about him!

"The 'door of faith' (Acts14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church."   ---   Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei for the Indiction of the Year of Faith.