High Reared Upon Thy Noble Hill

"Everytime you smile at someone, 

it is an action of love, 

a gift to that person, 

a beautiful thing."

- Mother Teresa

     There are days when I absolutely dread going to Immaculata, like on days when I have a final, or when I have to give a huge presentation. But even on those days, walking across back campus can always remind my face to smile. Maybe someone said hello, someone gave me a hug, or I just happened to look up at the dome but regardless, even on those days I dread the most, IU always reminds me why I choose it: it's all around absolute beauty. Yesterday, however, wasn't a day that I was dreading traveling to IU. In fact, I was more than excited to be going home to the dome, even if only it was for a visit. It always seems on days like that, when I am more than excited to be going home to the dome, I drive faster there and slower on my drive back to Croydon.

     Right after Mass at my parish, I jumped in the car to begin the journey back to the Noble Hill of IU. I found myself belting out country music songs at the top of my lungs with the windows down all the way to school. You could easily say I was in my happy place. This was especially true when my favorite station started playing some Zac Brown Band. As I cruised down the turnpike visions of my friends and cookouts danced in my head. Of course, I couldn't wait to visit some of my favorite Sisters. 

    I parked my car and immediately went to check in with Sister Cathy...but she was a nun missing in action. So I left her a package and went on my way to the Motherhouse. I left some presents in various mailboxes and had such beautiful conversations with my Sisters there. We talked about everything from Peru to coming back to school. Without a doubt, they always know how to put a smile on my face. I may dread going to work for the amount of homework I have to get done, but without a doubt, they always make it worth it for me. Whether they come just to chat or they come in for business, when I am beyond that desk at work, I'm smiling because they make it worth it for me. If I ever need a pick me up, I go to visit the nuns and the Motherhouse Sisters definitely set the beautiful precedent to a wonderful day yesterday for me. I spent a little over an hour there in the office conversing and hugging and catching up with "My Girls." I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

    After my adventures there, I headed back over to school for our NSO BBQ. It was so great to see a good amount of my friends just to eat, kick back and chat. We laughed, joked around and had the good eats but before we knew it, we were breaking up the party. Some were starting vacations, others had long drives home and still others had good plans for the weekend. As for me, I still had a lot of visiting to do. 

     When we finished our get together, I found myself walking down the familiar road to another familiar place: Camilla Hall. I had a mission and that was to sneak in some brownies and cookies to Sister Marie. Of course, Lord knows she probably shouldn't eat them, but she was going to. I knew that if she was at home, she would eat the brownies I made for the Sisters in her house anyway. And so, I successfully snuck in her treats and found myself chatting away with this dearheart for almost two hours. Sister Marie had been such a mentor to my little sister, Lizzie, during her first year at her new school. I definitely accredit this woman with all of Lizzie's success in adjusting to St. Charles and I don't think she will ever know how grateful I am to her. Whenever I would see her at school, she would always be so excited and welcoming to see me. I couldn't help but feel right at home with her. And now that she has moved, I can't hide my excitement that I might get to see her a little more than usual.

     While we were talking, so much of my personal philosophy was reiterated. Camilla is a place I love so much, perhaps as much as I love the Motherhouse, but maybe a little more. Whenever I step foot in the front door, I am greeted with a smile and there are just so many Sisters there who have hugs ready. The Sisters there definitely remind me why I want to do what I want to do, that is, what God is calling me to do. In these Sisters, especially in Sister Marie, I see a life so ecstatic even now after they have served in so many various ways. They are still smiling, they are still completely in love with God and they are, beyond all other things, one hundred percent human. I simply love them all so much and I cannot wait to be one hundred percent a part of their joy. 

    I could hardly believe I spent almost two hours just talking with Sister Marie. We brought up so many topics and it was so easy to talk with her.Of course, toward the end of our conversation, I found myself almost in tears as we talked about the dignity of human life. So often, when we think of Pro-Life issues within our church, immediately our minds go toward the dignity of the unborn child. Believe me, I am such an advocate for the sanctity of that life, I also truly believe that our elderly are forgotten. As I told Sister Marie, I feel that our elderly, especially our older Sisters, are forgotten by the outside world, especially if they can no longer communicate as well as they used to or are bedridden. Yet for me, those are the Sisters I feel so connected with; I have a soft spot in my heart for them. I love stopping in their rooms, just to say a prayer or two for them or with them, or just to sit and hold their hands. That, for me, is life-giving. They have given so much, and through them, I am encouraged to plow through, to persist this religious life. They give me hope. As I was speaking this to Sister Marie, I found my eyes welling with tears because of the truth. I promised her I would visit often once I got back to school and we could engage in many more heart to hearts. Oh what a joy it is to have such a friend in a Camilla Sister. 

     After my visit to Camilla, I headed on through the grotto as I anticipated the arrival of my long lost Peruvian Sister, Lauren. We hadn't seen each other since the day we arrived back in the States from our lovely excursion to South America and it was long past time to catch up. We headed down the Noble Hill to a little place called Mi Pais which specializes in South American dishes. Of course, we sat down and immediately wanted empanadas. We sat in our little booth, surrounded by Peruvian artifacts and art, for almost two hours (two is the magic number today) and enjoyed all the food we ate. Oh wow was it perfect. We looked through the pictures, we reminisced and laughed so hard. We proposed a trip back next Summer and you can bet your bottom dollar, it will happen. 

    We had one final stop while at the Noble Hill and that was to beckon Sister Cathy down from her room for a visit. The dear lady obliged and we continued our stories of Peru. But oh, is there so much more to tel her. But we showed her the pictures and laughed even more as we shared our adventure with her. Laughing with Sister Cathy could easily be one of my most favorite things to do in all the world. I find myself, each time, wanting to stay and laugh or share some more. She has, in the past three years, become more than a mentor to me. It seems so ironic to me that we live life so fully without knowing which people will touch our lives and then when a person, like Sister Cathy, touches our life in such a way, we wonder how we ever lived so fully without them. That's how I feel with Sister Cathy; how could I have ever lived life without her. And yet, I know God truly had a plan when He blessed me with her. 

     Our hug goodbye was bittersweet and I found myself wishing I told her one thing or another about Peru or about life in general. I am so used to seeing her every day during school that during the summer time, I find myself often wishing I could run across Back Campus to her office to share whatever it is I need to. Sometimes I feel like she is my open diary, but alas, God always has a plan and we are always exactly where we need to be at every moment in time. Oh gosh, I miss her already. She sent us off on our way after inspecting our nun cars and before I knew it, I was on my way back home. However, in the rear view mirror was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in awhile. As if I couldn't tell at any moment during my day, my adventure at the Noble Hill was certainly a blessed one. 

    I can honestly say that on any given day at the Noble Hill, one of the greatest reminders of why I choose that place for school, is because of the Sisters. Without them, Immaculata would just be any other school for me. But with them, they make it perfect. They keep me on track, they keep me smiling, they keep me in prayer and they give me the encouragement to keep on keeping on. Even on the roughest days, when I think that I could easily just give up on this discernment, they are right there beyond me, especially my dear Sister Cathy, subtly reminding me that there is more to this life than that which meets the eye. There is more to this religious life that outweighs any heartache or trouble within. Yes, that's the truth. Because without their very human example, I would probably have thrown in the towel. Yes, I think I am beginning to know the reason behind why God wanted me at Immaculata. It is here that I have met some of the strongest people I know and I am so blessed. Oh yes, so blessed being high upon this noble hill. 

     

Just Call Me Sister Stud - My Week In New Orleans Take Two

"You got a gypsy soul to blame and you were born for living."

- Zac Brown Band, Colder Weather

     You can just call me Sister Stud (no, not muffin) from now on. WHAT?! Ok, for those of you who have ever worked in construction, you already know what a Sister Stud is. For those of you (most of you) who have not, a Sister Stud is this...ok, wait...first I should tell you what a Stud is: A stud is a piece of wood, used to frame a house or any other type of building. A Sister Stud is another piece of wood, nailed or screwed, to the original stud to help reinforce the original. I learned about Sister Studs on my last day at our worksite in New Orleans while putting up dry wall (least favorite job ever..) on the ceiling. At first I thought Alex, our supervisor, was just cracking a joke at our CATHOLIC school group when he said Sister Stud...and then after us laughing at him, he said, "Seriously, that's what it's called." And then I realized the beautiful allegory (if you've been following me long enough, you've realized by now that EVERYTHING is an allegory) of the Sister Stud. 

     Ok so a Sister Stud reinforces any already established Stud. All this time I've been Sister Studding walls like it was no big deal. The studs that we had been Sister Studding were, as you can imagine, water logged from all the water damage from Hurricane Katrina. While a bit damaged, they were still standing; they just needed some help. After I had thought this all out on our last work day I realized that I, Becca Gutherman, am a Sister Stud and the people of New Orleans are the original Studs. These original studs have been a little bit damaged by the hurricane waters and just need a little help from some Sister Studs. And so, there I was putting in literal Sister Studs all the while being a figurative Sister Stud, myself. 

     So why New Orleans (which will now be shortened to NOLA)? Well, why not? One of my favorite songs from the Zac Brown Band is Colder Weather (as quoted above) for that very line  of possessing a gypsy soul. From our multitude of fairy tales and history lessons we know that the gypsies are a nomadic people, always on the move and so am I. From a very young age, I've always wanted to do missionary work. Whether it's rebuilding houses or villages, or running orphanages in foreign countries or teaching adults in a classroom or even just performing music for heavy souls, I've always, always wanted to travel the world to help people. At first my idea was to get right on a plane and fly to Uganda, Africa, a place that's still on my bucket list. However, that opportunity never arose. So, I decided to start small and headed to NOLA in May 2011 with a small group from Campus Ministry. This May, I couldn't help my eagerness in volunteering again. 

     NOLA has a place in my heart that I can't really describe with words. When I think of what I love most about NOLA it's the spirit of the people. Regardless of whether you are helping them specifically or just someone from their huge city, they are grateful. They sit on their front porches and wave to you, smile at you and if you're walking down the street, they might come over to you and give you a great big hug. When you go to Mass with them, they will take your hand during the Our Father and hold it straight through to the Sign of Peace where they will proceed to hug you and say, "Peace be with you, babygirl/sugar/sweetheart/etc." When you're on your break from stuffing insulation or dry walling or painting, and stop to talk to the people walking down the street, they will ask your name (because names are so important), hug you, thank you over and over and over, hug you again, and go on their merry way. When you hold their hand as you listen to their story at the Homeless Mission, they will smile so big when you call them sweetheart, and you know you've made their day, week or even month. When you ask them to dance with you instead of packing boxes of food at the Food Bank, they will turn off the conveyor belt and join you for a few minutes before suggesting you get back to work. When you're walking down the streets of NOLA, in the French Quarter, in Gentilly, in the 7th Ward, in the 9th Ward, by Lake Pontchartrain, by the Wetlands, by the Mississippi River and the levee, the people of NOLA will show you their love, their appreciation but most importantly, their hope. These people of NOLA are my type of people, a people I could easily blend with because I am so alike them in my smiles, my waves and my hope. These people are a people I would live with for years and years if I could. 

       The moment I stepped off the plane in the airport, I felt at home. That feeling of home continued all throughout the week we insulated bathrooms, attics and ceilings, dry walled ceilings and walls, painted a house's exterior for days, fed the homeless at the homeless mission and organized food at the Food Bank. Everything we did last week, felt so right, so perfect, so me. And the fact that my Daddy was right there with me supporting me and getting right into the dirty work right next to me, made my week. We did so much work last week as a group and I know I can easily speak for everyone, when I say it was a week of summer well spent. It felt like I was home again, like I had a purpose in changing the world, like I was finally doing what I am meant to do with my life!!!

       Before I end this blog post, I must share with you one of many moments that brought me to tears this week. Among those moments were seeing the HUGE about of homeless men and women still present in NOLA, having TJ propose to me twice, having my dad reflect time and time again on his experience in NOLA, having him change all the "loves" in "Perhaps Love" to "Jesus" (do it, I promise you, you will cry), welcoming home Miss Courtenay to her home. While all of these will leave a lasting impression on my heart, one of the most rewarding experiences was driving by Miss Ora Joseph's house, a house I worked on last May. The house was literally just a frame when we started. We put down floor boards our first day and then bricked the whole exterior. However, there was still a ton of work left to do when we left that week. Driving by her FINISHED house literally brought tears to my eyes. I can't even explain how amazing it felt to see a front porch, and two cars in her driveway. Literally, I felt so blessed. Now, while I didn't get to see Miss Ora, I knew that she must have been so happy in her new and finished home after waiting seven years. I couldn't thank God enough!

        My week in NOLA is another week I will never forget. I am so blessed to be given a missionary heart and a gypsy soul. And I am more than blessed to have met and been remembered by the people of NOLA. I am blessed to feel so at home in a city full of studs. And I am so blessed to have become a Sister Stud!! I can honestly say, I see myself going back time and time again...maybe even for a longer period of time!!

       Thanks for all your prayers during my week there and please, please continue to pray for those who are still suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and those who are volunteering. 

Les Belles Femmes Francaises I met at Preservation Hall

The Back End of the St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter

The view of downtown New Orleans from the Algiers Ferry

 

The Sun/Son coming in the Stained Glass windows of Chapel.

The St. Louis Cathedral

Fluerish: 'nuff said.

Can't wait to do the Nuns' Build ;)

Daddy and Me with Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

Daddy and Me at Lake Pontchartrain

Just me in my natural domain: the kitchen

Thank God for the Wawa boy who made us coffee every morning :)

The Wawa boy, also known as one of my best friends, MIKE, insulating the attic with me post-battle wound

Daddy and Me on the  Ferry; we're so cute

I got the Praline Pot leftovers at the cooking class!

The French Market in the French Quarter where I met the most inspirational poet

The inside of the St. Louis Cathedral where we attended Mass on Saturday night.