ing a “little general”—was genuine
gratitude that I was willing to take
on a leadership role. In their eyes
the title of “Sister” was an asset for
our neighborhood, a tool I should
use on behalf of the people I served
whenever it seemed appropriate.
Disarming adventure
A while ago, I had one of those
inner-city adventures that seemed to
perfectly illustrate the odd, unpre-
dictable way that love can disarm
negative intent. As I was bending
over my truck one sunny afternoon
to unload groceries, I heard footsteps
running up behind me. I assumed it
was one of the neighborhood kids
coming to give me a hug, as they
often do. So when a young man
came up close and said, “Give me
your purse; I have a gun,” I made
the positive (although incorrect) as-
sumption that it was one of my teen-
agers playing with me. I turned with
a big grin and said, “I don’t think so,
honey . . . ”
I don’t know who was more
surprised when we looked at each
other face to face! My affectionate
response so confused him that he
forgot trying to get my purse and
decided to try for keys to my truck
by shoving his hands into my coat
pockets, where luckily the keys hap-
pened to be. While he was trying to
get the truck door open I was head-
ing for my house (with my purse!).
As I opened the door to my house
I heard him shout, “Keep your
truck. It’s a stick!” and he
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threw my keys back to me over the
fence!
As I reflected on this experi-
ence, I realized once again that I
had been protected not by my own
“street smarts” but by that hover-
ing cloud of positive energy. Do
only sisters have access to that kind
of grace? Absolutely not. But I do
believe that when a religious com-
mitment is lived communally at
the service of a population in great
need, it can be a powerful tool for
good. =
RELATED ARTICLE:
VocationNetwork.org, “ 12 steps to sis-
terhood (if you’re thinking too hard!)”
