Our life is never something we craft out of thin air. It grows from the seeds God has already planted—quiet desires, holy longings, small awakenings that crack open over time through prayer, self‑awareness, and the slow courage of becoming who we truly are.
And for me, those seeds have been tended in places where grace feels almost tangible—places like Benet Hill Monastery, where my Spiritual Direction formation rooted me again and again in what is true, steady, and life‑giving.
In that sacred landscape, I learned that life is less about discipline and more about alignment. It is the gentle structure that helps me remember who God is, and who I am becoming in God. It is the trellis that lets the vine grow strong. It is the compass that keeps me oriented toward the faithfulness of God even when the path feels uncertain.
Over the years, the seeds in my own heart have cracked open in surprising ways. Through spiritual direction, honest reflection, and the humility of seeing myself more clearly, my perspective has shifted from striving to receiving, from self‑reliance to trust, from fragmentation to belovedness. A little step closer to the wholeness we have in Christ.
And so my life has become a pilgrimage, the way I walk through the world and the stamps I collect in my passport are the moments defined by being awake to grace, grounded in truth, and open to transformation:
- Come into the quiet — because silence is where God’s whisper becomes audible.
- Be still — because stillness reveals what is real.
- Listen with the ear of your heart — because God speaks in the language of love.
- Seek to understand — because compassion grows where curiosity lives.
- Find God in all — because nothing is outside the reach of grace.
- Reverence all creation — because the world is charged with God’s glory.
- Be kind — because kindness is the shape of Christ’s heart.
- Love justice — because God’s dream is wholeness for all.
- See God in all — because every person bears the divine image.
- Go in peace — because peace is both gift and calling.
This is the pilgrimage I am on: learning to embody the greatness and faithfulness of God not as an achievement, but as a response to a life shaped by the One who first shaped me. And what I receive transforms me and I can give it away.
Smitten With Goodness 