Sometimes the best plans are thwarted by things out of our control. And if you know me, you know I hate being bested by technology! I will exhaust myself, exploring every work-around solution and praying to every patron saint of any category remotely close to my dilemma— technology, communication, impossible causes, computers, phones, electricity, lost passwords, WiFi problems. (Now, that's a saint I need... the patron saint of problems connecting to WiFi!)
Perhaps God is teaching me a little lesson in connectivity. By making it seemingly impossible to connect to the Internet to share our WINE & Shrine travels, He just might be bringing me back to the roots of WINE, reminding me of some key aspects that blend together to make WINE... well, WINE: Women In the New Evangelization.
WINE is about building relationships with women with the ultimate goal of growing deeper in relationship with the Lord. WINE is about supporting, nurturing and encouraging women on their journey. WINE is about elevating women in their gifts to build up the body of Christ... and WINE is about not reinventing the wheel!
Thus, I believe the lesson in this virtual aspect of our journey is three-fold. First, beautiful relationships have sprung forth from this journey—relationships I truly believe will continue to grow long after our plane lands back in the states. Second, the nurturing, encouraging and supporting of one another is, to use a biblical wine term, over flowing! And third, and most important for this night as I struggle not to scream each time the WiFi bumps me off the network, I can build up the beautiful giftedness of my sisters in Christ and at the same time pat myself on the back for not re-inventing the wheel!
Therefore, if you've missed journeying with us these past few days, I want to encourage you to read the following blogs by my very gifted and extremely awesome co-hosts, Teresa Tomeo and Joan Lewis. These women truly capture the spirit of the pilgrimage we have been on, and Praise God, they have been able to use the WiFi in their Vatican office to do so!
(I'd love to post more pictures with this blog, but I've been bumped off the WiFi so many times trying to post this blog, that I fear one more time and I may have to go to confession.)
June 22: by Teresa Tomeo Tuscany: God's Country
June 22: by Joan Lewis: WOMEN SEEKING HOLINESS MEET SAINT RITA, WIFE, MOTHER, NUN
June 23: by Joan Lewis ST. CATHERINE, WINE COUNTRY AND MANGIAR DI VINO: THIS WAS THE DAY THE LORD MADE