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.
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My brave companions on the road to holiness!
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