More Discerning Women

I started this blog eight years ago this month, believe it or not.  At the time I was just starting the journey of considering religious life and discerning with my religious community.  As I said in my first post:

I've searched the blogsphere myself, looking for the "What should Susan do with her life website" to no avail. I have, however, been lucky enough to stumble upon the stories of others who have been able to stop and listen to what God might be calling them too. I've benefitted from the struggles, the sharing, the hopes, the fears of complete strangers. And so, I figured it was worth the risk to start documenting my own journey in the hopes that it strikes a chord with someone else. Gives someone else the thought that it's not so crazy to listen to that voice deep down inside that won't go away, the idea that maybe there's something more to this life thing. 

Readers of the blog followed along on my journey through inquirer, pre-candidate, candidate, novice, and temporary professed Sister. Now of course, I'm a boring perpetually professed Sister and graduate theology student. The discernment journey is all there in the archives for folks who are interested of course.  And I'm still a discerning woman, discerning each day how best to live fully and respond to God's incredible love for me in service of our broken world.  I still try to share my musings from time to time. This blog is part of who I am now and how I relate to the world.

I thought regular readers might be interested in some blogs I've discovered of young women who are discerning religious life.  It seems that more and more women are listening to that still small voice inside and saying yes!  Given the theme of Mary's yes that is such a great source of reflection for me each Advent, I thought I'd point out some of these blogs so you can hear the stories of young women saying yes to religious life.

• My friend Amanda is a postulant with the Daughters of Charity.  She blogs at Drink Deeply my Daughter.
• My friend Juliet recently professed first vows as a Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  She blogs at Communitas et Caritas.
• I've gotten to know Colleen through a mutual friend.  She is a novice with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia and blogs at Wandering in Wonder.
• And just today I discovered the blog of Tracy who is in her first year of formation with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.  She blogs at Diary of a Sister in Training.

Please keep these women and all discerning a religious vocation especially in your prayers this Advent.

If you are someone who has been thinking that maybe, quite possibly, perhaps God might be calling them to a religious vocation, remember that my email box is always open.  There's a link to my email in the side bar.  I'm not a vocation director or anything, but as someone who has followed her heart into religious life and found such joy, I'm happy to share my experience, be a listening ear or support others on their journey in any way I can.

Blessings of Advent Peace
Sister Susan