Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect…” (Matt 5:48)   I’ve never liked this passage.  Perfection??  That’s not a message a perfectionist like me needs to hear!  Luke’s version uses “merciful,” and scholars tell us that a better translation of Matthew’s version would be “whole.”  Let me tell you about my friend Sharon.   Sharon has an easy laugh, the gift of gab, and a slight southern drawl.   She is loving and maternal, and gives great hugs.   She also has a cerebral palsy and a mild intellectual disability.   Sharon struggles with her weight, so over the course of a year I accompanied her to weekly Weight Watchers meetings.   We would arrive early and walk for 15 minutes before the meeting.   Sharon walks with leg braces and a walker, which can make walking a slow endeavor.   On the days Sharon felt sad or angry, she struggled to motivate herself to walk, so I would make up songs and silly rhymes...

I boarded a flight to Mexico this past Saturday.   As I buckled my seatbelt, I realized I had two empty seats next to me.   Woo hoo, I thought to myself. Then I heard a flight attendant ask a man in the next aisle if he could move to the aisle seat and let a little girl have the window seat.   The girl looked afraid and was traveling alone.    I asked the attendant if the girl wanted to sit with me.    The attendant was elated and said yes.   She was appreciative I could accompany Stephanie on the four hour flight.   Stephanie, 7 years old, spoke Spanish.    I was thankful God placed me on Stephanie’s journey to help her. We soon became compa~neras (companions) on a journey to Mexico.   We shared snacks, talked about flying, the clouds and shared about family.   She couldn’t wait to hug her mami (mother) and see her abuelita (grandmother).    I was on my way to Mexico to study Spanish for a few month...