Together

Everyone has different opinions on the ideal vacation. There are those who ache to get out and discover nature “roughing it” in a tent in the woods, and there are those who dream only of a single lounge chair at the edge of a great blue sea. Some desire to fill this time with projects never completed, books never quite finished, or destinations to arrive at…on foot. Others prefer to just pass the time; less objectives, the better. One may crave the silence of chosen solitude while another thrives when immersed in the chaos of a loud and crowded room. However, most would agree that joy grows when shared while very few can honestly describe their heart as happy if their stories reach only deaf ears and their photos fall under no gaze but their own.

In the end that which counts is not the number of hikes one does or how late one manages to sleep in each morning. It is not even all that important if the weather is sunny or in a constant downpour. Certainly these elements make a difference that can even be notable but there is really only one thing necessary: being together.

This becomes quite evident living for a month in a house in the mountains with 20 other women each with their own preferences, opinions, and ways of doing things. How often I have had to renounce my favorite game or desired activity, and how many times I’ve delighted in something that others participated in but would have never chosen on their own! Perhaps one would think we would all be happy and agree on a moment of prayer but there are preferences and different styles even when it comes to speaking with the Lord!

What makes it worth it then? This can be answered with only one word: “us.”

This summer is my first in which I come to the mountains having lived both in the States and in Italy, and I’m finally starting to fully appreciate the aspect of community we have here. It is not just a time of “vacation” or one in which we are able to rest and restore ourselves for the new year. It is also not a time to only have meetings to discuss, plan, and share even if it is the only time we are all together in the year. This is a time to simply be and to be together.

It is a time to re-find old friends for a chat; a time to marvel at the richness and miracle of such diverse people finding a home in each other; a time to grow in virtue under the demands of the dynamic of a full house; a time to be spent laughing, crying, sharing, “fighting”, growing, praying, learning…together. It is a time for us to be us. I mean, how much time do we actually give ourselves to just be ourselves? Ideally we would always be ourselves but so often commitments, work, obligations, and daily life get in the way.

But not here. Here, we are together. No matter how divided in preferences or opinions, we are us...and this is beautiful and makes my heart very happy.

My brave companions on the road to holiness!