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My family has always been involved in
volunteer service of one type or another; it was one of
those things that you did as a member of the Atkinson
family. We had a sense of being "blessed" or
"just plain lucky" and therefore, it was
important to reach out to others who were less fortunate.
Growing up with this type of
involvement, I had a desire to do or be something out of
the ordinary; to help make this world different. I loved
teaching and wanted to be a teacher whose classroom made
an impact on my students' life. My family had been
involved in politics and government service for
generations, so it also seemed natural for me to do that
too. I was active in College Student Government, College
Republicans, and set a goal that by the age of 25, I would
run for the legislature. The summer before my senior year
in college I went to Washington, DC as a senate intern and
it was there that I felt something was missing with this
type of involvement. The missing difference for me was the
spiritual dimension.
I returned to college and began to
be open to some feelings I had known earlier; an interest
and attraction to the life of the Sisters. As I watched
from a "safe distance" I found women committed to many of
the same ideals as I; women committed to a community that
shared a dream; a community that prayed together as the
framework for their involvement in a variety of works; a
community flexible enough to respond to the needs of
modern times, yet rooted in a deep and long history. I
realized that I needed to give religious life a try to
find out if it was right for me.
To enter Annunciation Monastery
was not an easy decision. I feared rejection. I feared I
would become really limited in the things I could do, the
clothes I could wear, and the way I could act. I also
feared making a commitment toward an unknown future with a
group who was yet quite unknown, but I wanted to be open
to all options and living as a Benedictine Sister was an
option I wanted to explore.
I lived within the community,
exploring the option for nine years before feeling ready
to commit myself for life. I made life vows in 1985. I
believe I have found my home and challenge in life. I look
to the future with a deep sense of excitement; knowing
that there will be changes in our community life and
ministry; changes in our world and changes in me. I know
that it is within this community and lifestyle that I wish
to be a shaper of the future.
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