24 years on

A cake for a new candidate!
~ topped by a chocolate & icing nun
(January 1994)

Twenty-four years ago today I arrived at our house in Forest Gate at the start of my candidacy with the Society. It's an anniversary I remember fondly each year, but even more so today, as only two days ago another young woman began her journey with us. Between our two New Year new beginnings almost a quarter of a century amazingly, incredibly stretches and has simultaneously flown by. My hair is now greying and my youth has meandered into middle age, though I hope my inner zest and passion remain undiminished, albeit undoubtedly mellowed.

What has not changed - except to deepen - has been the quality of the love of my sisters, expressed in so many ways, small and large, in good times and bad. And God, of course, has been steadfast: unstinting and unchanging in his infinite love; though what has altered over the years is how I have grown in my understanding of it, and my mission to make that love known.

What brought me here? What caused me to remain? So much of call and response is mystery. But today, in my Twitter feed, I saw a tweet from Pope Francis, a little anniversary gift which somehow supplied at least part of the answer...

God walks along the dusty paths of our lives and responds to our longing for love and happiness by calling us to joy.

And that, my friends, captures much of how it has been and continues to be, summed up in less than 140 characters.