On the phone today with a 92 year old retired nun--(is that possible?)—she said—“you have no idea how important these conversations are to me. You give me the courage to keep on going.” WOW! I immediately got up from my desk and proclaimed—“It’s time to go home cuz it can’t get any better than that.”
We have been having “conversations” with this wonderfully unique public servant for nearly 20 years.
Suffice it to say that cloistered nuns don’t have much reason to understand money. Service to the community, spiritual presence, refreshing naiveté—you know all those things money can’t buy--they do know. Over the years she and I have had money business to take care of but most times we end up in a conversation about how she can live her values (of which one was poverty while in the cloister) while confronting the realities of the world.
Some people pay us in money others pay us with the sheer joy of just knowing WE are the lucky ones to be in this “conversation”. For her 80th birthday she invited a small group of friends to a local restaurant and proceeded to buy us lunch AND give us each a gift of something she perceived she did not need any more. I still have my light blue crocheted pot holders. What a beautiful thing it was to see her treating us and to see her picture in a white dress when she married the church at age 18.
This lady is unique in such an obvious way and a blessing to me over the years. I am inspired by her to attempt to see the uniqueness in everyone and ESPECIALLY for me, the ones I have the hardest time with. 2014 is off to a great start!
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