examen of the week

so the last i wrote, we were on our way back to the city from new york. that night, we had my sister's last dinner here in new york, before she got on a plane to move to hawaii! that's right, the sister moved to hawaii on saturday afternoon. off to her place in brooklyn we went at 8am, me, her friend janet, my best friend ryan (also, her roommate for the past 4 months), and her doggy alecs. we rented a car, took a trip to the aeropuerto, and off she went. crazy how that is, that she has made that leap of faith, but how beautiful it is at the same time. to be able to go where you feel you should be, while it is risky, maybe scary, there is the peace that comes with it too. it is like a deep stirring within, and if anything, i think it is wonderful that she has decided to make the move to go where she feels she should be. :)

now, that leaves one catalan in new york. now, while that is quite unfortunate, as i was processing it with my spiritual director on tuesday, it is also as if she really helped in my transition here to new york. we were able to spend some time together, and what a gift that is, that we made it tradition to meet up with each other at least once a week. while that seems like nothing, especially for sisters, with our busy schedules, it was what we were able to manage, and we did a great job doing it! so the rest of saturday was somewhat of a lull, and i got started on my christmas cards. love it!

sunday was a very church filled day. sang at the 930 mass with beautiful music...gotta love the beginning of advent!! yay! then headed over to meet up for lunch with mary and michelle, then attended filipino mass at pompeii, then called 911 for an emergency...someone passed out :(...homie was brought to the hospital, but he seems to be ok now. then headed over to meet mary and michelle at mass with some GSV ladies and then we got dollar pizza. so classy. i love it! so it was a beautiful faith-filled day. one of the best things of that day was that i saw people lugging around their suitcases...it is definitely travelling season...and with the crazy subway stations (all the stairs and ups and downs), i saw many people giving people a hand and offering their help. it was just lovely! and they say new yorkers are mean, angry people. shoot. haha, welp!

monday was wonderful! i have been in contact with a carmelite who is in charge of the carmelite NGO out here in new york with the united nations, and we got to have a meeting with her at her office...find out more about the work they are doing, and specifically on human trafficking and climate change (relating to the millennium goals). she gave us different things to read, and a lot of wisdom...it was wonderful to have conversation about these social problems and try to dive into them a little bit more...sure there is a ministry of being with those who are suffering, and who are facing injustices, but i also see the importance of getting to the root of the problem, and seeing how i can play my part in stopping it from continuing...the prevention. it's so important. oh, it was so great! even though it was raining...to be able to see that she attends all of these conferences that i have researched in college...it was just remarkable. such a blessing!

tuesday, we had our sophomore retreat, and i loved it. we had it yesterday too...the skits were awesome, and we talked about relationships - not just romantic relationships, but relationships in general...it was great to share some of my experiences, not necessarily acknowledging them as my own, but being able to provide them with wisdom...if i can call it that! :)...from what i know. there's a level of maturity that has to go in it, of course, and it was just wonderful to have discussion about these real life issues that these ladies are facing. i learned lots, that's for sure. i think in a great, beautiful way, they also put me at ease in a lot of ways.


tuesday night, me, michelle, and mary saw the blind side, and it was so great! so inspiring...beautiful story! wednesday, me and michelle hung out at the girls' basketball game...we won!! woohooo! it's crazy how into it i get, but it was just so awesome to watch the girls do their thing on the court! they are great! AND they won. :) haha did i already say that? so proud of them! and then we went to novena/mass at pompeii...sure enough, the bishop of samar, and a couple of other priests from jersey were in town, and so we had some delicious food. thank you for feeding us :) haha.

it's been such a whirlwind of things happening after one another, but in such a good way. yes, i'm busy, but busy for me is good. i still get time to process at the end of my day, and i think that that is really important. my 19th annotation is awesome, and while challenging, it is something that is truly helping me live out my "spiritual component" in full mode. :)

i go home sooonnnn and i am looking forward to it, that's for sure!! the sun is out today. be happy for me and new yorkers. :)

i will leave you with this (thank you to Gina and Sr. Grace!)
To the true servant of God, every place is the right place and every time is the right time. - St. Catherine of Siena