I’m going to be real honest; I don’t love writing these blog posts. Whenever it comes to my turn I think “what am I even supposed to write about?” or “what do people want to read about?” I don’t think that my life is all that interesting at times. So, I’ve decided that this blog is just a compilation of my random thoughts and some little stories from the last month in Dublin.
Our community did such a good job at getting each other Christmas gifts that were meaningful and unique to each other. On December 23rd we were all hanging out at home and at one point I walked into the living room and suggested that since “we are all adults” that we could just open all our Christmas gifts that night instead of waiting until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I was so excited when Shane and Maddie agreed to an early Christmas celebration. (It ended up working out perfectly because most of our time on the 24th and 25th was spent at University Church.) Last month we did a podcast (Talk Bhride) where we each talked extensively about our Confirmation saints, their stories, and why we chose them. We were all joking around as we opened our Christmas gifts because a lot of them related to our Confirmation saints. Someone remarked, “So I guess we were all listening to each other during that podcast?”
I caught a glimpse of heaven a couple weeks ago. During Christmas Eve mass as the choir was singing “O Come All Ye Faithful” for the Entrance Hymn I couldn’t help but tear up. The choir was singing full force, the instruments were blaring, and the congregation was (actually) singing! As we all sang “O Come Let Us Adore Him” over and over again the thought of all of us worshipping God in sweet harmony overwhelmed me with emotion. Moments like that are the reason that I sing. Worshipping God through music is why I fell in love with music as a child and it’s why I continue to love music ministry today.
I didn’t go home to California for my Christmas holiday. Instead I had three wonderful friends who I attended Saint Mary’s with come visit me in Dublin! It was a joy to have them here and spend many hours talking and laughing together. We rented a car and visited Newgrange, Knock, Kylemore Abbey, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Wexford, and more! As we drove through County Galway we listened to Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” more times than I care to admit. It was fun to show them around Dublin and University Church as well. One of them even remarked that they finally sort of know what I’m doing over here.
Last week all the House of Brigid fellows spent three days in Ballyvaloo in Wexford on retreat! It was so lovely to see everyone after the long holiday. I am excited to get back to University Church on Sunday. I have missed seeing all the other staff at the church and all our wonderful parishioners. Even though I don’t always love writing these blogs it is nice to have a place to reflect on my time in Ireland and share with others some of what I am experiencing. I love being here, working for the Catholic church, and getting to use my life to love and serve God.
