I honestly don’t know how it started, but lately, I’ve watched every documentary or video about the ocean that I’m able to. I just feel called to it. And I am not getting tired; the more I watch, the more I want to continue watching. I feel the need to be embraced by the most refreshing sensation of being surrounded by the water, even if, ironically, it’s through the screen. Transparent, cloudy, green, blue, still, furious, cold, warm… the variety of expressions is fascinating.

Coincidentally (or not), I have been engaged in a discernment program during the past two weeks. I’ve had two zoom sessions, and I have resources to pray and reflect with during the week. The invitation is to be aware of the insights, emotions, sensations, thoughts, and questions… and keep going deeper. As I continue watching my ocean videos, it is clear that I am being called to go deeper into my spiritual journey, and the ocean is the perfect symbol for it. It’s symbolic because of the depth that it represents, but beyond this, it is also a real sign of the connection I am called to have with nature. I am experiencing the call to communion with everything that surrounds me.

Exercise, crafts, arts are different resources or activities that we can turn to when looking to move away from stress, anxiety, fatigue, etc. Nature is another genuinely effective. Sitting to contemplate a plant or a flower, petting an animal, taking a walk outdoors, listening to water, taking a deep breath, and allowing it to renew our interior. I don’t need to describe the difficult times we live through; confusion and fear surround us, uncertainty, and mistrust. There is an urge to clear our minds, bodies, and spirits… Allow ourselves to go back to our inner desire to be in relationship to the life springing forth from the earth. The healing touch, the healing breathe, the healing mother earth care for us.

Moreover, the more we enter into a relationship with her, the more we will want to show our care for her. Unpaid debt that cannot wait any longer. Having said so, I can only express how grateful I am with my sisters. After discerning together, we took the decision to sign a conservation easement to preserve in perpetuity the sacred lands where our mission has been sent forth from for more than 100 years. There is no ocean in the sanctuary, but it is the home for the Blue Hole Spring, the San Antonio River’s source. I can only imagine the life flowing over the years, and that will continue to flow from where I can proudly call home! This is a massive step in my desire to be in communion: we don’t take care of the land by ourselves. It is a community effort. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the healing beauty of this place.