Ma: I've always been curious about my Aunt Carol and wondered what it would be like to dedicate my life to prayer and contemplation. Just 16 when she took her vows, she had to say goodbye to everything outside the walls of her convent- all of the sensations of the physical world including the touch of her family and friends- and commit to a life long relationship with god. We talked about commitment and how some of her fellow sisters had given up their calling as nuns to embark on new lives outside of the church. My aunt, ever devoted and firm in her commitment, has not only maintained her happiness all these years, but she has grown and changed as an individual throughout her long relationship with God and at 75 is a vibrant, interesting, funny, loving and very holy lady. Today we had a lot of time to just talk and get to know each other and as we fell into the routines of the day it was fun to interact with the other sisters living here and get a sense of how they lived. There are 14 sisters living here and they are an amazing example of living in community, not only sharing the daily responsibilities of cooking and cleaning, but also managing and operating an elaborate greeting card printing business. These sisters are creative and resourceful providing all of the original artwork for the cards that are all beautifully done with meaningful verses for the various seasons and blank cards for anything else. Generous grants provided the funding for much of the modern printing and production equipment, but even so, this time of year the sisters still have scramble to meet the demand. On a tour of the facility we saw beautiful original artwork created by sister Sa Ra and my Aunt Carol, a musical work station for Sister Claire who is a composer and cellist, (we heard her practice in the chapel last night), gardens and memorials to loved ones passed and we heard Sister Cecilia practicing her haegum, a traditional Korean instrument that she played while singing ancient korean songs before her Skype music lesson from Korea. The peace and love held within these walls was a vibration I gladly breathed into.
Lu: What an amazing experience to meet my Mom's aunt (my Grandpa's sister) Carol. To be precise, Sister Carol. She's a nun that lives in place that feels somewhat like an all women's college dorm for older ladies that focuses on studying peace and laughter and community. It was so great to feel welcome and appreciated among these divine women. My mom and I had our own quarters in this building that they lived in. After my great aunt Carol gave us the tour the second day I couldn't help but feel guilty about the amount of space I was given and the abundance of comfort. These progressive nuns all live in a tiny room just large enough for a single bed, a bookshelf, and a chair to contemplate in. I was in awe of the happiness they shared, but don't be fooled, though I was extremely comfortable in their lovely community, I wouldn't consider becoming a nun. For older women, their lifestyle is quite appealing though. My Mom's aunt is a very sweet lady. We watched a movie with her on our last night, The Kings Speech. It was s nice to get to know her and the other Sisters. If I ever get the chance, I will most definitely travel back to Reno to stay with them and their beautiful community which happens to be such a great example of just that: community.
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