A Little Band of Women Who Are Still Here and Not Done

Up until this weekend, I was in the throes of ramrodding a retreat in Tulsa for my beloved Sister Marie Pierre – now age 90. In this case, “ramrodding” meant connecting with many women who had attended one of her 40 years of retreats. Obviously, while I was going through the list, I found many who had gone on to be with the Lord, others who are dealing with a debilitating illness or have had recent surgeries, and others who are caring for very ill loved ones. My, oh my, how time changes the complexion of “The Way We Were and The Way We Are” today!

For as long as I can remember, this group of women is likened to the Bible sisters, Martha and Mary. We have been “doers AND lovers”. We DO love Jesus and others with all our hearts (they sure loved me in some of my toughest times) and we are women who are relentless in our faith AND faithfulness (serving in word and deed). But, this retreat reunion weekend was about being “Marys at the feet of Jesus and Sister Pierre.” Unquestionably, the expectations for our hearts and souls to be touched went way beyond what we had expected.

Sister Pierre, a living saint in our eyes, is a mentor, a brilliant Bible scholar, a stand-up comedian (she won’t admit to that one, but those of us in her realm of influence would tell you most comedians couldn’t hold a candle to her wit) and held an annual retreat in an off-the-beaten-path location for 40 years. She retired in 2013 which meant the retirement of our annual retreats. Just a little chat about our retreats sparked her to say: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a retreat reunion?” That was all we needed to say “GAME ON!” We needed this refreshing. We needed the rekindling of who we are and who God intended us to be. We needed a “refresher” of God’s goodness and mercy and to remember how much we are loved, and in Sister Pierre’s words – how “unique and irreplaceable” we are.

This sweet, precious woman is hunched over as she pushes her walker up and down the halls of St. Joseph’s Monastery. Though her precious body bears the marks of age and osteoporosis, her mind is so sharp. I am always taken back in her presence – back to what an ultimate sacrifice, devotion, and commitment to Christ look like. How can anyone give up family, marriage, having children, enjoying the excitement of the world and all it affords to be such a fully committed, devoted follower of Christ? She did just that – as a young girl to this day. She incredibly models what sitting at the feet of Jesus looks like, but then getting up and going about telling others about Jesus as Mary Magdalene did.

We had the opportunity to share “retreat” memories. We remembered her “talks” that always encouraged and challenged us and then she’d send us outdoors by the lake and God’s creation to reflect on what she had spoken to us about. Of course, God met us in his creation and we’d come back in and share what we heard Him say to us. Being away from the hustle and bustle at home – to BEING present with God and each other. We felt loved and secure in our Father’s love.

I'm sure the women who followed Jesus felt the same way. If only our world used the example of Jesus and how He loved and respected women. In Luke 8 we see there was a band of women followers who traveled with Him and His disciples. Those women came from all walks of life and some had questionable backgrounds, but here’s the common thread – each of them experienced healing through their encounter with Christ.

The women that Jesus touched and loved is a mighty indicator of His love for us. The women at the foot of the cross and at the tomb held a tiny flame of faith. That flame of faith may have burned high, and it may have burned low, but the flame never went out, and their faith was rewarded. Our little band of retreat women celebrated that love He has for us. Our flame of faith, too, may burn high and it may burn low, but our flame never goes out because we have faith in His Word that “nothing is impossible with Him".

What BAND do you belong to? If you don’t have a group that lifts you higher, that is willing to run to the finish line with you, that encourages you to go the distance, that makes you better and gives you a good kick-in-the-place-you-sit-on every now and again, I urge you to find a BAND too. Being a little band of women or men….can certainly keep you going….especially when the going gets tough.

Being an Influencer

Okay....this is longer than my usual "long", but it describes major influencers in my life. When I come to Tulsa, I squeeze in as much as possible because there are so many precious friends and family here. Yesterday was no exception. First was attending mass at my home parish and sitting beside my Tulsa “family” who mean the world to me. My godson brought us all together when he was a very sick newborn. My husband and I fell in love with this family long before his birth, but it was his little precious and vulnerable life that cemented us all together. Isn’t it amazing how what seems to be the worst of times, brings out the best in people and the best of times? Owen is 13 now so it’s been 13 years of watching God perform miracle after miracle in his life. Since my husband passed away, Owen has taken his place beside me in church and he still holds my hand and wraps his arms around me with abandon. Be still my heart! I was thrilled to have lunch with them and seeing the two youngest in their costumes for Trunk or Treat that followed. This family has been amazing influencers in my life.

After church and before lunch, I made a couple of quick visits to see two amazing “older” women. My first visit was to see Margaret, the mother of my brother-in-law, She lives in a skilled nursing facility, If you need a pick-me-up, go see her. I walked in her room and she was beaming from ear-to-ear and excited to tell me “I’m 96 years old now! Just look at these paintings on my walls. I painted them all!” Margaret is a dear, optimistic, light-hearted friend that as long as I’ve known her, her outgoing, and warm personality made me feel loved. She influenced me.

Then I headed over to spend time with my mother-in-law. I took her dinner the night before and we caught up then, but yesterday I savored our time together once again. She's gone through a lot physically, but now that she lives with Karen, my husband’s sister, she's become stronger and filled with so much vitality. She boasted “I’ve gained five pounds!” And that says a lot! I can’t begin to tell you how much she has influenced my life -- the most of which are her prayers for us. I asked her “What are you going to do today?” She quickly responded, “I’ve got lots of calls to make!” She has a list of people she calls to encourage. She is sure not done yet. She’ll be 96 on Wednesday.

Lastly, I made my way to another dear friend and mentor. Oh, how I love this precious saint, Sister Marie Pierre. After 50+ years of ministry, she retired and lives in a small space at St. Joseph's Monastery but it is everything she hoped for in this season of her life. A few months ago she had a pretty bad fall and had to have hip surgery. I was shocked to see that she was waiting at the door with her walker for me when I arrived. She wasn’t setting any records, but she was up and moving. Another nun waited with her and she asked: “Are you a teacher?” I replied, “Yes, I am, but I’m also one of Sister Pierre’s children.” We made each other cry as we shared sweet memories, and about our future....getting to graduate to heaven. We talked about how our loved ones and the saints and Jesus are cheering us on to the finish line. I could tell she is longing for the day when she'll go home, but in the meantime, sitting at her feet, feeling God's presence and His peace all around her, is the place to be. God continues to use her to touch our lives. She has MANY children -- of course, not biologically, but she sure had a hand in raising many of us in the ways we should go.

Why do I go into so much detail about my life and share it on social media? One, it will be forever an archive to remind me of those people who passed my way. I’m quite sure they were all a part of God’s Master Plan for my life. Placing value on those people and acknowledging them as precious and valuable makes them matter in the grand scheme of God’s almighty handiwork. I love to give credit where credit is due. Each teacher, mentor, encourager, family member, friend, and even casual acquaintance are strategic in God’s wisdom to co-partner with Him. I am so grateful for those who helped “make” me.

The point is to embrace God’s plan AND people that come into our lives – there’s a reason for them all. I’m so thankful that mine has made me purposeful in my mission and determination to finish strong. Perhaps you’re thinking of your own life and those who have contributed to who you are today. Maybe phone them or pay them a visit to let them know how thankful you are for them. Why do I go into so much detail about my life and share it on social media? One, it will be archived to remind me of those people who partnered with God to fulfill His Master Plan in my life. Acknowledging them is giving credit where credit is due. Each teacher, mentor, encourager, family member, friend, and even casual acquaintance are strategically placed in our lives by God. I am so grateful for those who helped “make” me.

The point is to embrace God’s plan AND people that come into our lives. There is a reason for them all. I’m so thankful that mine has made me purposeful in my mission and determination to finish strong. Perhaps you’re thinking of your own life and those who have contributed to who you are today. Maybe phone them or pay them a visit to let them know how thankful you are for them.

Sister Marie Pierre -- God's Messenger of Love and Joy

Day 38 of Photo Inspirations - Sister Marie Pierre
I was so thrilled to see this precious lady at a luncheon on Tuesday -- I just knew she would be my photo inspiration for today.  She retired to St. Joseph's Monastery a year or so ago -- after being over Pastoral Care at Church of the Madalene for many years.  She'll be celebrating her 60th year as a Benedictine nun later this year. Sister Pierre is the epitome of deep devotion and commitment for God, His Church and His people, and at the same time -- she is so real and down to earth.  She is delightful and hilariously funny, yet exudes her love for God and His people in such a practical way. She moves slower these days, but her charm and wit have never ceased.

I'll never forget hearing her tell her personal story.  She said, "I made my first public appearance on December 17, 1928.  When the news of my birth reached the party lines the whole country fell into a depression."  Her own critic, she said,  "I had the kind of hair that belonged under a veil.  My cousin said it looked like the first rays of the morning sun reflected in a pan of cold dishwater.  I struggled with it until the day it was shorn and I had no regrets over that. There was a movie star that had her hair around her head and I thought it was so pretty and I worked and worked to try to get my hair like that.  I still can't figure out how she did it.  But the movie star I looked like was Mickey Rooney."

While teaching at Marquette she had this experience.  "I was on the playground with Cora Jackworth one time.  She was the 4th Grade Teacher.  One of her kids got in a fight and she sent him in to write about which commandment he had violated.  They were learning the Ten Commandments.  After a while she brought me his paper and he had written ten times, "Thou shall not commit adultery in vain."

I just wanted to share how much she has meant to me.  She was relentless in her visits to the hospital and to our home when my sweet husband was so ill....and after he went to heaven, she continued to check on me to be sure I was okay.   This precious woman of God, no doubt, will one day have a royal homegoing and I'm quite sure the red carpet will roll out, the bands will be playing, and choirs singing.....but most importantly, there will be lines upon lines of peope there giving her a standing ovation because of how she impacted their lives with God's love.  Whether here, or up there with her, I'll be among those singing her praises and celebrating the gift God gave us in her.