A Gift of Faith

Consider yourself warned, I am about to talk faith and spirituality.

Because I teach in a Catholic School Board, all of my interviews ask how my own personal journey in Catholicism have prepared me for teaching in a Catholic School. I always link this question to my 2 very devoute Catholic grandmothers. Some of my favourite memories of my paternal grandmother (Gram) are of all of us (6 kids, 7 adults) staying in the original family cottage which often found us (the kids) sleeping in the same room as my grandmother. (There were several sets of bunkbeds and some of us crashed together as we were little and quite young) As we would begin to drift off the only sounds to be heard were that of the water lapping on the shore, the pendulum on big clock in the living room tic-tocking away, and Gram whispering her prayers. She would kneel all curled up in a little ball with her head just about on the bed in front of her and away she would go. To this day, I have no idea what prayers she was saying or if she was just chatting with God, nor for how long she would pray because I always fell asleep before she was done.
On the other hand, my Nana was much less demonstrative. She attended mass weekly (with the occasional weekday mass thrown in for good measure) and we would say Grace before meals but that was kind of where it ended. I don't think I ever truly understood the strength of her relationship with God until my grandfather passed away. Yes she was sad, but there was a peacefulness about her that I simply didn't understand at the time. I saw that peacefulness again when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had already made up her mind long before her official diagnosis, whatever would be would be...that was God's plan for her.
Over the years, as I have gotten older, I have tried to embrace this Faith that was so prominently displayed for me over the years. In the very recent past, as I have attended more interviews and applied for more positions I have tried to put it in God's hands and simply let whatever will be, be. I want that same sort of relationship that my grandmothers' had. Each night before I go to sleep I have a conversation with God and thank him for all of the wonderful things he has given me throughout the years and I ask him to guide me and help me to discover that path that he has planned for me. I try to attend mass on a weekly basis (although this has not been my forte as of late) and I have even begun to read and meditate on the daily mass readings on a semi-regular basis. I do not, as of yet, have my own regular seat as my Nana did but I hope to one day find that wonderful place of Trust, Respect and Faith that both she and Gram so beautifully showed me.
Thank you Nana and Gram! I am so Blessed to have had you both to show me what true Faith looks like. I hope that I can follow in your footsteps and enjoy the same sort of beautiful relationship with God that you both enjoyed.
God Bless!
Steph