Spring and summer are good times for gardening. In early Spring, I planted flowers. I also grew vegetable seeds in small pots. Every day, I searched for a bit of green showing up, then gradually, I saw young leaves. Later, I saw some of their roots at the bottom of the pots; I knew that these plants needed more space and soil to grow. When removing them from the tiny jars, I saw roots curling around the pot wall, which signifies that these little plants in small pots need more space to expand, grow, and bear fruit. I stirred the soil in my garden and put fertilizer in. Then, I transferred these plants to this soil and watered them. I hope that my garden this year will have a lot of garden veggies.

Gardening reminds me of my vocation call. When I was young, God planted a vocation seed into this small pot of a girl. This small pot helped germinate this call. With the basic faith foundation, the root of this call began to curl and form according to the shape of the small pot. Then, at a particular time, God invited me to consider joining a religious order. I heard the voice saying, “it is time for your encircled roots to expand and time for your call to grow and bear fruit.” Through a discernment process, I said “Yes” to let God transfer me from this small pot to the soil of the Dominican Sisters of Peace to fulfil what God said.

The fertile soil of the Dominican Sisters of Peace has given me space to grow. My roots begin to uncurl, daring to step out of my comfort zone to stretch out as far as possible. My leaves grow and absorb air, water, and elements from earth, allowing me to dance with the life around me.

Yes, this religious life opens my heart and mind, allowing me to touch the absolute love of God, both at personal and communal levels, helping me to be deeply rooted in my faith foundation and heritages. My community helps me to expand my knowledge and passion on mission and understanding in spirituality as I pursue higher education, which is important in my ministry.  In community, I also have opportunities to build different friendships and to be exposed to various ways of life through these connections and sharing.

Religious life teaches me how to use my time to reflect, to be mindful, and to integrate what I have received, shared, and been exposed to for the mission. Being touched by the interconnectedness of God’s creations on various levels, this life encourages me to trust in God’s providence, envision and embrace a future full of hope. Hope gives me the energy I need for the mission of God on earth.  I see religious life as a call to live a prophetic life. Within this lifestyle, we grow to know ourselves better, are encouraged to expand our roots in many directions and to see our interconnections with each other and God’s creations. We share life’s realities with love and compassion for one another and seek to be united in God with our mind, heart, and spirit. All that we do is done for the glory of God on earth and for God’s mission.

Religious life is beautiful and is worth exploring to see what might sprout, especially within the soil of the community of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. If you feel a call to expand your life or are curious about this life and want to explore this life, I invite you to participate in our Mission for Peace event on June 22-27 in Kansas. Please contact the vocation team for more information about religious life or this event.