I was 27 when I first learned how to swim. The program at the YMCA was called “Scared Silly”… and yes… I was. But I had a great motivating factor – my two small children. I wanted to be able to save them if they ever fell in a pool. I am not a strong swimmer, but I can swim. What I never did learn, and absolutely refused to do, was to jump into the deep end. Now, that really scared me.
Let’s fast track to 2020. Has there been something this year that I’ve been afraid to jump into? During a Pandemic, I can name a few things but let me just focus on one – providing a retreat-like experience for associates, through Zoom. Before the Pandemic, I had never used Zoom, and neither had our other Animators. We were scared silly, afraid to use this new technology, yet somehow, we mustered up the courage and jumped in.
“...faith to believe that no matter what life brings, God is there to see us through...”
We had great teachers, our beloved Sisters of St. Joseph, who throughout our lives, have shown us courage to go out into the unknown, adaptability to use new tools available to us, ingenuity to create something new, and faith to believe that no matter what life brings, God is there to see us through… It also helped that they were all using Zoom!
We are not strong Zoomers, but we can Zoom. We have practiced, encouraged one another, and grown more confident each step of the way. We, along with Mary Shamley from the Spiritual Ministries Network and Sr. Ann Marshall, our keynote speaker, are putting together what we believe to be an amazing program. We will have three sessions titled, “My Name is Hope.” They will focus on Hope and the Pandemic, Faith Sharing and Contemplative Prayer.
We are so looking forward to this new adventure. And, if you are ever given the opportunity to join in a virtual program that feeds your spirit, please, don’t be afraid to jump in.
- Fernanda Estoesta, Animating Circle Member – London Neighbourhood, Associates of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada