Conversion of Life (or Sarah faces her flaws), Part 3.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and follow me.” – Matthew 16:24 (ESV) Parts One and Two. Click it. Come on. At a recent retreat at my other home church, my priest said something (paraphrased) that will stick with my forever: “I’m a Franciscan because the … Continue reading →

Stability in Motion: Part 1

Benedictines make three vows for the service of the Lord Jesus: Stability, Obedience, and Conversion of Life. I’m taking a three-part journey into what this means for me as a third-order Benedictine postulant. Part 1 Carey Family History 101 #1: It’s Memorial Day weekend. If your family is like mine (small) and lives in a … Continue reading →

Life after.

I woke up at 8 a.m. Nothing to signal a drastic change, since this is my first Monday as an adult with a BA in English from Georgetown College. I woke up in my parents’ house. I woke up in my old bed, across from my brother on the other side of the hall. I … Continue reading →

Why patterns matter.

In the months before I decided to become a postulant in the Benedictine charism, I was talking to a college employee about the kitsch associated with monastic life. Let’s face it: the word monasticism has become vogue in some Christian circles (and in contrast, in other circles, the word is foreign). There are now lots … Continue reading →

Nothing will make you happy.

Tonight (4/7), I attended my first Easter Vigil. After standing and sitting for ten readings out of the Old Testament, singing songs, and opening my palm (the closest I’ll ever get to raising hands during a service), the pastor delivered the sermon. In short, he informed the congregation that we were all sinners. Every last … Continue reading →

Fulbright ETA update.

As many of you atimeandaseason-ers know, I have many options for after graduation, including overseas teaching with the Fulbright program. At 5:00 p.m. on March 27th, 2012, I received word that I have been offered a Fulbright ETA (English Teaching Assistant) Grant to South Korea for the 2012-2013 academic year. Two other individuals from my … Continue reading →

In the defense of the English major.

I’m a self-proclaimed bibliophile. My earliest memories are of my mother reading to me out of Dr. Seuss or the Bible. Often, people tell me I have the “look” of a person that loves books. Maybe it’s the thick glasses or the limited wardrobe. When I was in high school, I knew I was meant … Continue reading →

A Prayer for Lent

Dear Lord, I know in the gospel of Matthew, you said that we’re not supposed to talk about our fasts. We’re not to parade our righteousness around for everyone to admire, because in the end, earthly admiration is all we’ll get. However Lord, I need to get this out of my system: Lent is hard. … Continue reading →

Seventeen Forty-Four: A Life in Thirteen Tales. An Introduction.

My life is quite normal. Thankfully, I’ve been spared the tumultuous childhood and other tragedies that mark some individuals’ lives. However, my life has been marked by quirk, pure unadulterated quirk. With that being said, over the 2011-2012 Christmas break, I read Haven Kimmel’s memoir A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Moreland, Indiana. I … Continue reading →

College things I was supposed to do.

Before I moved away to college, there was this unwritten, unspoken list of things I was supposed to do while in college. However, the books became more interesting, and somewhere, life didn’t quite happen like I thought it would. Here are some things I was supposed to do, but never got around to doing: 1. … Continue reading →