one door closes, another door smacks you in the face

Do you watch How I Met Your Mother? If you don't, 1) you should, and 2) it's the motivation for this post... which is about 'mystery'. Yes, mystery. Have you ever looked back on an event in your life, and thought... How did that particular event affect or even change my life? Then, all the 'what ifs' start popping up in your mind?

Again, if you haven't seen How I Met Your Mother, it is about a father explaining to his kids how he met his wife, their mother, and all the little things that happened before meeting her. Every event in his life (and hers too... probably) led them to find one another. Ted, the father, calls it destiny. Marshall, his friend, might proclaim it a miracle. Robin, another friend, would probably just consider it chance. I call it mystery, and right now, I am in awe of the mystery in my life.

Every decision I make and every event for which I am a part (or not) affects my life and prepares me for the next. When I recently heard the story of how my parents met, it got me thinking: What if that had gone a little differently? And, by golly, it totally could have. Now, like Ted, I'm starting to think about how every event in my life has prepared me and led me to this moment in my life. Lent is over--desserts and music are legal! The sun is finally shining and the days are getting brighter. School has just hit the fast track to Graduation. Summer will soon arrive, and with that will come the biggest adventure of my life-- moving to San Francisco.

In the fall, during my time in Belfast wrapped up in my duvet sneezing and coughing, I meticulously put together my application for Dominican Volunteers. Being a part of this program has been my dream for years--ever since I first heard about it at the Dominican Preaching in Action Conference when I was only a sophomore. Dominican Volunteers (DV) was established by Dominican sisters and priests to respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers, especially those who are poor and marginalized.

Side note: Not sure what I mean when I say "Dominican"? No worries, not many people do. The Dominicans are an order of priests, nuns, and sisters in the Catholic faith, similar to the Benedictines or Franciscans. The mission of the Dominicans, founded by St. Dominic, is to "share with others the truth about the God whom we contemplate in our hearts"-- hence, they are named the Order of Preachers. The Dominican Charism-- to study, reflect, and act-- is integrated into everything the Dominicans do from the colleges like Edgewood they sponsor to the organizations they run like an NGO at the United Nations. Throughout my years at Edgewood, learning more about this wonderful way of life, I have really fallen in love with this philosophy which is why I was so drawn to the Dominican Volunteers program. (Need more info?) 

The DVs have quite a few placement sites and select about 20 volunteers from around the US to volunteer for a year. After submitting my application and going through 3 rounds of interviews, I was selected to be a Dominican Volunteer for 2013-2014 and was placed in San Francisco at Immaculate Conception Academy!

This adventure, 'the biggest adventure of my life,' has not come easily. The discernment process was incredibly difficult-- Is this what I want to do? Is this where I want to go? Is this where I'm being called? Doubts arose, questions were contemplated, and there has definitely been a lot of prayer to get me through.

Somehow, though, the spirit moved me and has prepared me for the moment when I'll be packing my bags and moving to San Francisco for a year. Call it destiny, proclaim it a miracle, just consider it chance, or join me in revering the mystery in all of this as I begin yet another adventure.

Stay tuned :)