by Nadia Ramoutar      Communications Coordinator           Ireland        01.08.2022

It is summer here in our part of the world, though in Ireland that is a vague term.  While it is certainly warmer, the sky today looks more like October.  Someone recently asked me when I felt most free.  I am reminded of being a little girl growing up in Dublin and my grandfather driving me to the beach to see my aunt.  She lived directly across from the sea in a place called Skerries, not far from where my office is now.

The smell of seaweed always transports me to that time. I was young and carefree exploring the rocks at the beach and looking at crabs hiding in the sand. It was a glorious place away from the bustle of Dublin and the chaos of my large family.

As the Communication Coordinator for the MMMs, I have a lovely office in Drogheda on the second floor of the peaceful Convent known as Beechgrove. It brings me joy to work here – usually.

Today, in my office I am also reminded of this peaceful scene by the lively sound of the seagulls outside my window. The window is slightly open in my second-floor office because of the summer heat. The seagulls seem to be in a frenzy and are almost “shouting” over one another at the same time.  It is like the seagull stock exchange with multiple voices getting louder and faster.

I know there were seagulls being lively when I was a child in Skerries and I thought they were funny and interesting.  My older self at her desk with a long list of things to do and Zoom calls to attend is far from interested.  I would probably say “annoyed” would be a more honest description and go as far as to say “irritated”.

I like to think of myself as an eco-leader who is very concerned with our climate crisis.  I write and read about it often.  My annoyance and the volume and voracity of the live wild birds outside my window belies this claim I make.

Are the seagulls not God’s beloveds too?

Somehow, I am reminded of my need to be more fun, playful, and patient as my younger self, full of wonder on the Irish seashore and make room in my day for any inconvenience that occurs – especially my lively friends the seagulls who are clearly as busy as I am and just as important to our Creator.