Blessed Everyday

As I sit here writing to you all from my home across the country, I can’t help but reflect on this irreplaceable year and all of the extraordinary insights and experiences I had during my time in Syracuse. While I feel that I could go on for pages about everything I have learned (don’t worry, I think I’ll save it for a book), I want to share what this year’s learning boils down to, and that is a quote from Sr. Krista Mote, OSF, “I am blessed every day.” Now I know this sounds very cliche and cheesy, but truly, when I reflect on this year—on the days of caregiving, the moments of tedious administrative work, the prayers prayed, the tears shed, the jokes laughed, the food cooked and consumed, the friends and family made, and the journey walked—in every moment, there was a blessing from God happening. According to my quick research, the Old English etymology for “blessing” means “a state of spiritual well-being or joy.” Each day I collected a new fingerprint of a blessing on my life and it slowly, and some days more rapidly, culminated into a consistent state of spiritual well-being and joy. It was surprising for me to know that I knew this, and was influenced to learn this so heavily by this year of service, that I can’t help but quote Sr. Krista every time someone asks me “How are you?” or “How was your year?” It’s simple. I am blessed every day. I was blessed everyday.

I have believed for a long time in this idea that we are what we eat and who we eat it with (essentially, the idea that we are formed by our interactions). But this year, it’s developed more; we are what we bless, who we are blessed by, and Whom through all these blessings flow. Now I know this isn’t original. Helloooo, Francis was quite a proponent of this and a major inspiration for me as well in this experience. But truly this wasn’t a spiritual, professional, or personal insight I thought about regularly. Simplicity begets blessings. That’s what I learned this year. So I know the next time I am making a bed for someone, having a nerf war, sharing a cup of tea, or sitting in stillness, I am simply blessed.

I am called to take these blessings in all their glorious, tedious, simple, extravagant, and loving forms, and bring them to my community on the west coast. I have traveled home to Tacoma, WA where I am thrilled to be starting a new chapter of life. I am embarking into the world of graduate school at the University of Puget Sound where I will be earning my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. I am very excited to take everything I learned and kept close to my heart this year at Francis House and in the FrancisCorps community to the classroom and life as a whole.

Pace e bene,
Claire

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