Cause you gotta have faith…
Faith. This small word is a three dimensional figure that was given to me by a family friend before I came to orientation for this AV year. It now sits on my nightstand beside my bed on top of my journal so every morning and every night I see it. Coming into this year of service, I knew that my faith life and spirituality were present but I never knew how much it could grow during my year of service. Over the past five months, my spirituality is something that I am very proud of and live each day by with a deeper level than ever before. One of the ways that my faith life is grown is through prayer. Every morning as I sit down at my desk to start my job, I pray a prayer that was left for me by past volunteers. Each day I do this I am reminded of why I am here and who I am serving: God, my community, my clients, and myself. Faith has become a defining factor of who I am and how I live my life as an Augustinian Volunteer.
Working at a Catholic organization and being part of a Catholic based volunteer program has been both a challenge and a blessing for me. Merrimack College taught me the ways of Augustine and reminded us to live our lives for other people and for God. Community was a word that you couldn’t go a day without hearing and my life now is no different. The community of Catholic Charities is extremely diverse, welcoming, and spiritual. My coworkers have taught me what it means to be faithful and how to live a life that is devoted to praising God and everyone around us. Ms. Tyson, the Case Manager that sits in the cubicle behind me,
always says that she is blessed to her client’s on the phone which always made me smile but until a couple weeks ago, I was never able to fully understand it and live by it. Ms. Parker is another Case Manager that sits near me and is always listening to Inspirational 1390 radio as she works and helps clients. Both of these coworkers have showed me how powerful faith can be and how it can be a part of our everyday life through the smallest of words and actions. One of my favorite memories of this year was when I went to a home visit before Christmas to visit a client and her daughter and give them Christmas presents for the family. As I walked into the door with a big black bag filled with Christmas goodies, I was greeted by two little boys who ran up to me, stopped because they didn’t recognize me, but then walk right at my feet into the living
room. Throughout the whole conversation the boys were watching me and “showing off” by jumping around the room. After my client told them to stop, they sat on the couch patiently waiting for our conversation to be over. Right before I was about to leave the house, the little boy asked, “What’s in the bag?” I said, “Presents for you, from Santa.” With huge eyes, he asked, “You know Santa??” My client then said, “Yes she does. He was at her work and gave her the gifts to bring to us.” Then the little boy ran over and gave me a big hug saying, “Thank you! Thank you!” The other little boy came over and did the same thing while Mom just sat there and smiled. As I was walking towards the door to leave, the boys waved and hugged me goodbye as if I was the lost family member they never knew. I then told my client Merry Christmas, she gave me a hug and said thank you for the gifts and then said, “Ms. Moretti, I hope you have a blessed holiday and a blessed day.” At first I was overwhelmed with emotion that I didn’t know what to say but after a few seconds I found myself saying, “You too. I hope you have a blessed day.” For the first time in my life, I truly felt blessed to be alive, healthy, and where I am today. Each day is a challenge and a blessing but I know that my faith is stronger than it has ever been and I know that is because God is with me at all times.
I honestly never thought that one year of service was going to change me so much but it has. I am truly blessed to say that faith is a part of who I am today and will continue to be for the rest of my life. My year as an AV has been full of ups and downs already but I know that one thing is consistently inspiring me each day: my faith. I want to share with you a quote I found as I was browsing the internet on Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday that I think is quite fitting. He said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Life is not about planning out your every move and knowing everything that is going to happen. Life is about taking a chance and having faith in yourself, God, and others to know that you will continue to be blessed by every miracle God has given you. This is what I have learned about my faith this year and I hope all of you will take a chance to remember how blessed you are and know that faith will always be your guiding grace.
Chicago Fact: I will surely miss a lot of things about Chicago but one of the big things I'll miss is Monday prayers at Catholic Charities. I have never worked at a place that was so open about praying in the middle of the day and I have come to really appreciate it. So thank you Ms. Perry for inviting me to prayer and praying with us during our good days and bad.
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