On Magnets and Joy

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Today over lunch a Sister asked me why I joined the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.  I responded as I always do: the Sisters here laughed and hugged more than anyone I’d ever met.  They were so down to earth, so human, and so joyful.  Being around them made me feel at home, brought out my own joy, and left me wanting to be a part of their life and mission.

The Sister I was with listened knowingly, because like many around here it was the joy that first drew her, too.  She then shared a fresh way of understanding an individual’s attraction to the charism (or spirit) of a community.

Charisms are like magnets, she said, and individuals as well as communities have them.  Vocation happens when my little charism magnet and the big charism magnet of the community are attracted to each other.  It might be a mystery, and it’s different for each person, but somehow we just know the attraction is there.

I continue to discover if and how my little magnet is pulled toward being Dominican and being Sister.  If that attraction continues to be affirmed, maybe someday I’ll find myself at lunch with a young novice, sharing the wisdom of magnets and joy.

Christin Tomy, Candidate

Sinsinawa, WI

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