Nun Fun
Be Cheerful...Have all the fun you can. -Mother Emily, OP (1888)
I drove to Milwaukee over the weekend and stayed at Emily’s Inn. This is one of our congregation’s houses of hospitality in New Berlin, Wisconsin, that was established almost a year ago. Sisters Nicole (43), Patty (76) and Janet (89 years) make this house a home and every visit is an absolute joy. I wanted to share a snippet of my Saturday morning with Patty and Janet since it reflects nun life at its best and as I experience it.
Nicole doesn’t get up until mid-morning on her days off while Patty and Janet arise around 5am pretty much every day…what my beloved father called the ass-crack of dawn. Living in community is better for everyone involved when there’s a basic acceptance of different in circadian rhythms. On Saturday, I woke up at 7:30 and joined them for a casual morning coffee.
A general “How’s it going” was all it took to start the ball rolling: Patty and Janet talked about how great living at the Emily’s Inn community has been and how their and Nicole’s different gifts complement one-another so well in daily life. They pointed to the new decal on the wall by the front door—an 1888 quote from one of our earliest Sisters, Mother Emily. They make a point of living by her words…
Patty gave me an update on the Congregation of the Great Spirit, the Native American Catholic Church in Milwaukee where I attended mass with them a few months ago. They go every Sunday—a 45 minute trip by bus1—and they volunteer twice a week at the Great Spirit food pantry. Here are a couple of delightful stories that they shared about their time there:
When I learned about their plans to do yard work I offered to help and we all went to get dressed. Imagine my delight to find them ready to roll, in spite of gale force winds!
The three of us spent the next hour or so cleaning out the drainage ditch under their driveway. It was 30 mph windy conditions and we worked like a well-oiled machine: I raked and coordinated with Patty to hold the leaves with the snow shovel, Janet held the bag open, guided the debris in and packed it down. I was tickled by the thought of their neighbors who, no doubt, were watching our teamwork…likely inspiring a mixture of amusement and Catholic guilt.2
After handling the leaves, it was time to gather sticks and break them into kindling to beef up their fire pit cache for the spring and summer. You can get a taste of the wind and the fun here:
Upon completing our jobs, we went back inside to visit some more and they introduced me to Wisconsin Cheese flavored Kettle Chips (YUM!). Patty shared a story about her dad, which started us talking about education, family and how much a little community support can change a person’s life. I eat up conversations like these! At the end of this recording, you can hear how much they both hope that the Mound will become a place of support for those who need it most. I share those hopes….
These are feelgood exchanges that feed my soul. I am so lucky to have encounters like this at my fingertips, so I’m sharing a taste of it with the hope of feeding your soul, too.
A year ago, when our insurance company strongly encouraged the congregation to lessen the number of very old drivers we had on the road, Patty and Janet both graciously gave up their drivers licenses and opted to go everywhere via the bus, Go-Go-Grandparents, or hitching a ride with Nicole. Every time I see them they have new, wonderful stories about folks they know from their bus trips: there are the bus friends and the bus encounters. They absolutely love the experience and consider riding the bus to be one of their ministries.
I met some of the New Berlin neighbors last Halloween at the neighborhood block party. While there were only a few neighbors who donned costumes, we decided to go balls-to-the-wall with Nicole’s family, who was in visiting. Emily’s Inn made quite a splash for their debut. I have no doubt that the community and its visitors have become a regular topic of conversation among the folks that live nearby.
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This gives me so much joy!! And perhaps inspiration for a tattoo?? Can I have a nun quote tattooed on my body? 😂