I have a peculiar gift... Every time I hold Judah, he falls asleep. I don't try to make him fall asleep, nor am I sure that he needs a nap every time I pick him up. But a goo-ing and gaa-ing baby becomes a zonked and sleeping infant in a manner of minutes.
Step 1: Sit with Judah
Step 2: Perhaps at some point I offer him a binky
Step 3: Rock or pat Judah Step 4: Get the sneaking suspicion that Judah's Sleeping... AGAIN
Step 5: Judah is asleep and I don't understand how.
DISCLAIMER: METHOD DOES NOT WORK WHEN JUDAH IS HUNGRY.
During my first Eagle Eye experience, WAAAY back when I was 16, I do believe that I had to have been one of the most annoying teens there. Fr. Nathan says that he still remembers when I showed up with my dad, I was wearing a camouflage t-shirt. I'll wear it once in a while still, just so he'll have the pleasure of exclaiming "That's the shirt!" Father's impressions of little Miss Mary Ann were at first that I might be a punk... his other thought was "What have I started???" His reason being that he had intended this camp to be a one-time adventure and all of a sudden a random girl from Iowa shows up. Aside from me, all the people at the camp kind of knew each other and were friends with the brothers... I was the awkward duck from Iowa who couldn't even figure out how she'd gotten there in the first place. To add to the duck imagery, I also proclaimed myself to be a duck the entire week, since 2 whole days of hiking produced a definite waddle in my stride from sore muscles. (Ha! Oh 16-year-old Mar...)
Somewhere between causing Fr. Nathan to have a slight heart attack at my arrival and now, 6 years later, both Eagle Eye and I have matured. Eagle Eye is now in 5 or 6 different states in the US, and I believe several other countries. It has developed into a year-long institute that forms young people into the men and women God made them to be. Little Miss Mary Ann still has her annoying moments, but Eagle Eye has opened the door to a deepening of faith and understanding that I never thought would be possible.
Through Eagle Eye I have discovered more profoundly what it means to be a friend. According to Aristotle, you're never truly friends with a person until the two of you have consumed a bag of salt together... Exactly how many meals does that include??? Aside from a ridiculous amount of salt-intake, I have discovered that true friendship is supposed to enable the other to more fully be themselves. By accepting the other for who they are and encouraging them down the path of life, you also discover who it is that you were created to be.
... And who am I exactly? GOOD QUESTION! Sure, I learn a little more each year about chains, sacrifice, and what it means to pick up the Cross Christ intended for me to bear and walk with him... but what do I really know about who He created me to be? Sure, I know that I love my family a latte, that I love to serve others, that I'm organized and professional, and that I enjoy some of the most profound and endearing friendships known to civilization... but what does that say about Mary Ann Pometto? Most importantly, what does that say about what it is God is calling Mary Ann Pometto to do with her life?
Questions, are good things, and Eagle Eye opens the doors to many questions. I'm still sort of a wayward traveler at times. I do know that my path would be a whole lot less defined if I hadn't attended that first Eagle Eye when I was 16... and all of the subsequent Eagle Eyes.
This is why my most recent counseling experience at the Teen Eagle Eye has made me that much more excited for the Eagle Eye Institute. I don't know what I will discover there, but there is something to be said for walking forward in faith. To give Christ this year of my life so that he can draw me into the wilderness and show me what it means to walk down the path he's chosen for me, and to endeavor to say YES to my Cross every day: what gift and challenge at the same time.
One thing I do know for sure, is that me and St. Paul are going to become a whole lot better acquainted so he can teach me more about being a Slave of Christ... CHAINS.... SACRIFICE.... CROSS and all.
I just returned from a week of counseling a Teen Eagle Eye.
I feel like that one sentence should say it all, and to me it does, but it cannot do justice to the people and experiences I had in the last week. The fact that I've been going to Eagle Eye Summer Camps since I was 16 has nothing to do with it. Each year the experience is entirely new and changes me in a new way.
This year we had almost an entire crew of new participants. That in itself is such a blessing. To be able to watch as they discover what it is to truly live the week of Eagle Eye and encourage them along the way is a gift. Here are some of the things that happened this week:
On Sunday, the first day of our 2-day hike, I led my group in circles all day and NEVER found a path! (I learned the next day that I'd been looking at an inferior map and all I needed was Br. Malachi to assist me and we were all good) On this day, I was able to watch the girls I was counseling as they continued on, uncomplaining, laughing and enjoying the day together, even though it didn't feel like we went anywhere productive.
On Monday, the second day of the hike, we said mass outside as pictured above. There is something peacefully heart-wrenching about celebrating the sacrifice of the Mass in such a setting.
On Tuesday I was asked to lead the choir for the rest of the week. This last minute addition, while entailing that I run back and forth from one place to another for the rest of the week, was a beautiful lesson in humility. I was blessed to lead a group of exceptionally skilled singers. And even though we quickly discovered that the songs that I picked were songs that most of them had never heard before, by the end of the week we found a healthy balance. I also found so much support from the other leaders of the camp. Whether it was Br. Gabriel Maria who would drop everything an offer to play guitar for us, or Shane who would help out when the kids didn't know a song as well as singing the Mass Parts with the basses. It was in the poverty of starting from scratch and still experiencing the generosity of others with their time and talents that I was humbled to be heading up a group of such beautiful souls.
On Wednesday I was stuck in a stairwell with the entire contingent of teens during a tornado drill. Through the overwhelming raucous noise of all of them together in that small space I was able to discover the joy with which they approached life. They could have all been sullen and complaining, but together we discovered what it was to find joy in life.
On Thursday we gathered for adoration in the evening with the sisters. As the sisters were in charge of the music that night I was able to relax and exalt in being in the presence of Christ. The peace of offering Him everything you have and allowing him to touch your heart brought me so much joy. I also was able to experience this blessed holy hour with my DEAR friend, Sarah Burke who came for Alumni Night... and to ask me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. My joy was multiplied at the thought of sharing that day with her in that way.
Friday we walked the stations of the cross. The teens took turns carrying a cross through the woodlands near the monastery. I was asked to lead the meditative songs as we walked together. I had to rely on Erin Mone, to lead me as we walked (as I had to look at the words) and so rejoiced in the trust I had in her. I also experienced a sacrifice of my own that night. Every time Erin would click on the flashlight so that I could see the words, all manner of insects and bugs began flocking to my arms. I ate several insects as well as blew a few out of my nose later. It was the sacrifice God was calling me to at that moment and while several times the sensations of them on my arms got the best of me, it was good to try to offer that in the spirit of the Stations.
Saturday I was dumped into a pool by the loving campers. :D I know that sounds like it should have made me mad, but quite honestly I could feel their fun-loving affection for me in that moment. I also met a very young girl named Sarah, who prayed Vespers with us, asking every other minute "is it over?... Is that the last one?" SUCH JOY!!!
Sunday was maybe the most powerful day for me. I'd spent the entire week pouring myself out for these campers and praying that their hearts would be touched and their lives changed. I made them a slideshow (as I've done several years in a row now) and as we watched it together, with their families, was blown away. About half way through the slide show, the beautiful voices of these young people joined in with the songs in the slideshow. I couldn't help the tears that slid down my face.
This week I was able to deepen friendships as well as discover anew the joy and zeal I have for this program. It makes me so excited to give a year of my life to the Community and to Eagle Eye.
Pray that God prepares my heart for this new adventure!
I am probably one of the luckiest girls on the PLANET. Every day I am reminded in new and different ways just how blessed I was to grow up with my family and to be raised by such outstanding parents.
Aside from the fact that I have assumed the responsibility of carrying on my dad's catch phrases since my parents moved to South Carolina... ("Live and Unrehearsed" "41" "What's the Matter with your Face?" "Hey, how'd you get here?") He's given me a firm foundation on which my faith has blossomed.
My dad knows the strength that comes from holding fast to the truth. To stand tall, even when the wind buffets all around you, and to find peace in knowing that the Lord has a plan. My dad understands that every word that comes from scripture, travels through time to touch his heart in any situation. My dad joins the choirs of angels in rejoicing during the words of consecration, which bring him into the heavenly court to stand before Christ. My dad wakes up early to challenge his mind and read the doctors of the Church.
He has shown me what it looks like to wake up every morning and say YES to God's plan in your life. He has given me an example of a holy man of God who serves his wife and his family, bringing them closer to heaven each day.
