Jump!

[homeschoolmom]

I was thinking about something yesterday...

About three years ago, our previous church started a church plant-- a "daughter church" as it were... All of us members were asked to pray about going to help get it started. HSdad and I thought about it for about 20 minutes and rejected it. We didn't want to leave our friends (although many of our aquantences were going), pull our children out, or leave our comfortable programs (even though members from the church plant came back to enroll their children in the AWANA program and VBS)... So, in fact, it wouldn't have been much of a big difference actually... RussianGirl even left to join the new church.

Then a year ago when we were being drawn to the Church, the thought of leaving our church again presented itself, we sadly said goodbye but didn't really question it. We joined a parish where we knew no one... joined programs that we really didn't know much about and practiced rituals that were somewhat unfamiliar to us...

And while we still look back fondly at our memories there, we don't miss it. We miss the people, but it's been so worth it.

[Sojourner]

It is SO worth it. Sometimes I get bogged down and frustrated with how much things have and are changing ... but I've never regretted making the jump.

I'm glad you did it too.

[Mickey's_Girl]

Huh. You know, I did the same thing: started going to a parish where I literally knew NO ONE, and just "got involved". RCIA helped me feel like I knew my priest more, but I volunteered for the Parish Festival (where everyone kept asking me if I had kids at the parish school, as if no one ever volunteered for anything if their kids weren't involved, but then again, perhaps that's the case) and buy SCRIP for the school (again, get asked about non-existent children) and donate money...At first I even got a REBEL THRILL about tithing to my parish, although now I just get a happy glow, thinking about how much I love my parish and how much I love being Catholic.

(LOL! Apparently I'm feeling very gooey right now.)

I feel inordinately attached to the school (the school where I have no children). An RCIA friend and I went to see their play a few weeks ago. (She has no kids there, either.)

I feel like I want to do EVERYTHING that comes up (I can't, of course; we have a pretty active parish, and my job is fairly demanding). I just get excited. But before I became Catholic, I was very reluctant to do most things. I always felt guilty that I didn't want to be more "involved". And I'd been at my previous church for 12 years, so I knew many, many people.

I still don't know very many people. But it doesn't matter. And I love to do things at/for/with my church. I still can't figure it out, but I've just decided to ride the wave. It must be the love of God; this is what I always thought I was *supposed* to feel, but never really did.

Wow. Convert honeymoon.

MG