Last week, I spent the weekend at Mt. Irenaeus, which was kicked off on Friday by the women’s overnight.
As a Mountain Community Leader one of my roles is to help the team (other MCLs and Natalie, our ministry coordinator) with planning for the upcoming event. The best part of this event was all of the girls in MCLs were present! This never happens where everyone is able to attend and even though Audney had to leave early, all of us were there!
One of the activities we did was writing on a paper with a drawing of a mirror how we view ourselves. On the reverse side, the other women wrote kind notes about us.
This exercise was intended to show us the qualities we don’t always recognize in ourselves. I was having a particularly positive emotional day, and I found myself writing kind notes to myself about my strengths, the quiet ones and the ones that bring new people in.
On the side where others wrote about me, some of the notes were more general, with statements like “inspirational”, “compassionate and powerful” and “friendly”. Others rang more true, closer to my heart.
One person wrote that I’m a pseudo big sister, a role I once attributed to Claire Fisher. I aspire to be a big sister for others, to be a guiding light and a friend who loves deeply, never making you ask if she still cares. I always do, I promise.
Another kind woman said I’m passionate, a quality I’d say I’ve always had, but only recently would confidently call my own. I’m wildly passionate about many issues, social and political.
I care deeply about my faith life, and I try to help others to see me as an approachable person to ask questions to. In a recent college democrats meeting, I spoke about the Pope and was asked how Catholics feel about him. I forgot I was no longer in a Catholic-dominated space, and I had to sit back for a moment to smile. I was never outspoken about my faith before SBU and I wouldn’t say everyone knows I’m a cradle Catholic, but it’s certainly one of the first things that comes up when getting to know me deeper.
This brings me to the next compliment I was awarded—“I like the way you show your love of your faith”. This comment made me pause when I first read it. I’m perceived as loving my faith? Of course, I am. It’s in every interaction I have if you look closer. I am passionate about showing everyone how my faith strengthens my identities.
I’m proud to say I love my faith and even prouder to know others see it as well. In high school, I once had a friend approach me, surprised to find out I was Catholic all along. I attended public school K-12 and was unable to truly share anything about my faith without fear of detention, but I had hoped at least someone recognized it in me. It was so core to who I was that I couldn’t even separate my love of people from my faith.
The note that made me tear up was a very simple “brave”. I know who this one was from. I am incredibly loved by this person. She is one of my greatest cheerleaders and my favorite person to share a feel-good story with.
It’s mind blowing for me to see myself as brave, to recognize my bravery is not just my own but rather fueled by the strength of the women around me. I am no one without women.