Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Never Too Late To Do What You Always Wanted to Do.

Mother Martina Roy died

I never knew her though friends of mine did.

There were a lot of things important in her life--like her marriage and her four children.

There were things that wentwrong in her life--the marriage didn't work out and one child pre-deceased her.

But here's the part I find the most interesting: her earliest dream-career was to be a nun. Her family was against that, and real life intervened. After her divorce, she was the sole support of all of her children.

Once her children were grown, she took positions as housemother at various fraternities. At age 72, when she decided to once again pursue that dream of becoming a nun, she not only knew how to handle rowdy college boys, but thanks to them, she was up on all the latest technology.

She was the United States' (and maybe the world's) oldest postulant both when she entered the convent at age 72 and when she took her final vows at age 84.

She was in her mid-ninties and had suffered from dementia for the past few years before she recently died. Her last years were spent among the nuns on Shaw Island, WA.

Those that knew her described her as funny, social, physically active, and a true delight.

There's definitely a lesson here--and not just for Catholics.

8 comments:

Out My window said...

i always wanted to be a nun. I still have hope. She sounds like a wonderful woman and she lived a great life!

Maureen said...

A very valuable lesson, thanks for this post.....

Jane said...

What a wonderfully fulfilled life she lived! Great story, thanks! I look forward to achieving more and more as I get older and older:)

Arkansas Patti said...

What an amazing woman proving it is never too late to find your dream.

Sammyleia said...

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story about an amazing woman. It has spurred me on to keep my dream alive.

Sharon said...

LOVE this post Grace. Thanks for the lesson!

Louise said...

what a wonderful story, thanks for sharing this

Jerry said...

This is a beautiful story and everyone should be able to get something out of it. In this youth-obsessed society, if you haven't 'made it' but 25, you're a has-been. It's very destructive and leads to many people wanting to give up. There's no insurance that we'll be millionaires or famous but we can try and do what we love.