by Sr. Helen Aherne MMM           Ireland             22.06.2022

Have you ever thought you were younger than you really are and feel?
Just lately I was browsing through the recent MMM internal newsletter and saw my name and the date – 3 OCT 2022. It was a list of all the Sisters who were celebrating their Diamond Jubilee this year. Diamond – that means sixty years since I made my First Profession of Vows.

No, that can’t be me, I thought. They have made a mistake. I must write to them. Then I looked at the other names. Oh, my God, I knew them all. They were all my contemporaries. I re-read all the names again and it slowly dawned on me that the editor of the newsletter was correct. Sixty years have passed.

What a great reminder it has been to take stock of all these years. The memories flood in of the people I knew, the places I have been, the exciting things I have done! I have developed life-long friendships.

There was Resti, who was like a blood sister to me. John Bosco, who in his wheelchair could do wonders in organising, was excellent in teaching others life skills that will stay with them and help them to be more self-sustaining.

Herbert, with his drug habit and failure in everything he tried to do, was one for whom I had a special fondness. He has now managed to stay clean and has a degree in Engineering.
Annette, who spent 2 years in prison for stealing a chicken, is another friend. And then there was the mother who lost her tiny baby from tetanus just because the medicine was not available. Lydia who is still serving a Life Sentence and for whom I pray every day and she for me…. as far as I know…. after all this time.

Memories brought back more memories that stretched back into my childhood. I thought of all my family, and friends. The list seems endless. But over all I have a deep sense of Gratitude. I want to stop and just say “thanks”. Thank you, each one, for being a part of my life. Thank you for everything you have taught me. If this is my “diamond” years, you are the “sparkle” in my life.

Thank you, and let us continue our life’s journey, holding one another in prayer.