Sister Mary Carla Flood – Sobering Thoughts

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Sister Mary Carla Flood – Sobering Thoughts

BY SISTER MARY CARLA FLOOD, OSB, MSW, LGSWThe Rule of Benedict says we are to keep our own death always before our eyes.  It’s sobering to try to sum up your life in a few sentences and to think of and list all the people who have had an impact on your life.  But I did write all of these things down to have on file with the Community, knowing that it could be necessary at any time.I had written my own obituary before, twice.  Once was when I was an undergraduate student going for my psychology degree and was taking a class on grief and loss.  The second time was when I was a Postulant with my Community and was taking a Christian Theology class.  It’s difficult in a way to envision my own funeral.  But in another way it’s a healthy exercise when I think of it as a way to look at what and who matters most to me.I realize that after I die, very few people—if anyone—will care about my academic honors themselves, but I hope things like that show through the kind of person I tried to be while I lived.  It’s not about achievement; it’s about setting an example.  It’s not about the job title I have or have had before.  It’s about how I worked and how I conducted business.Then again, we don’t always really know how much influence we have or how much of a difference we have made, but we do what we do, not for the notoriety, but because it’s the best thing to do.

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“Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.”
–Henri Nouwen