Childhood dreams

When I was a kid I wanted to be a lot of things. A ballerina, equestrian, astronaut it seemed to change as often as the weather did (and in Chicago, that is saying something).

One of my first aspirations, that I can recall was to be a nun. Yes, a nun. This coming on the heels of a watching a "Sound of Music" a few too many times. Clearly, being a nun would not give me Julie Andrew's singing voice or her incredible wedding dress, but still I wanted to make a habit of the habit.

Although my life has gone a vastly different direction, I still kind of, in some secret part of my soul, wish I had become a nun. For some reason, most of the nun's I know are some of the best people in the whole world. Sister Sharon, is so kind and so patient, Sister Julie is just indescribably amazing....etc.

But going around and saying "I want to be a nun" is not exactly a choice that is considered reasonable these days. Heck, I do not even know where one would begin to enter a convent or what the process is.

Of course, when I begin to chat with a clergy member I get all flustered blushy... what do you say?? I just don't know!

While a nun, is certainly not the path that my life has taken, the gifts that the Sisters in my life have shared with me and my family makes me supremely grateful.
In this vein, today, someone asked me if I would rather my son be a priest or gay..... you could have picked my jaw up from the floor, how to even begin to respond to that....