What did you do before entering the convent?
Before entering the convent I graduated from UNL with a degree in Business Administration and worked at First National Bank in Lincoln for eight years.

What was the hardest thing you had to give up when entering?
Surprisingly to me, most of the big things that I thought would be difficult to give up were really quite easy to relinquish: career, home, friends, one day starting a family, travel, and independence according to the ideas of the world. In fact, the most difficult thing to give up was my season ticket to the University of Nebraska football games! Also, during initial formation we do not read the newspaper, and that, too, was very difficult.

When did the idea of being a Sister first come to mind?
When I was very young the idea of being a sister would occasionally and briefly come and go, but it was something that was a little scary and that I did not want. During my junior year of high school there was a hint of a call to religious life, but it was easily put aside. That was it until one Sunday afternoon as I was watching the 1980 Winter Olympics and it very suddenly and clearly struck me that it was my destiny to be a nun. I thought: “This is crazy!” and tried to dismiss the idea, but the next week at the bank I received a phone call from the sister who had taught me in seventh and eighth grade CCD, and whom I had not seen nor talked to in the fifteen years since. She invited me to a retreat, and although I did not go, the call to be a sister did not go away, but became stronger and stronger. I began to pray more and go to daily Mass, and as I got to know Jesus better, I fell deeply in love with Him. Over time, I went from not wanting a religious vocation to hoping that He was, in fact, calling me to religious life.

What is one memory you have of your postulancy?
The first thing that comes to mind is the peace that I experienced, even during challenging times. There was a huge lifestyle change, but God was always there with His grace if I would just let go and be open to His love.

Please share a memory about your final vows.
I remember the joy and gratitude that I experienced upon making final vows. I also remember that my heart was so full I thought that it was going to jump out of my chest, and that every around me must have heard it beating.

What would you recommend to those discerning their vocation?
One thing, among many, that I am grateful for is the grace to realize that even though at the time I was called to religious life I was very happy with literally every aspect of my life, I realized that if God was calling me to be a sister and I refused His call, I would never be as happy as I could have been. Since that time it has been my experience that no matter how good my own plan seems, God has a better one. Often one recognizes that only in hindsight, but it has been unfailingly true in my life. As Scripture says time and again, and as Pope John Paul II used to say to young people repeatedly: “Be not afraid.” Trust in God, pray to know His will for you, and be certain that His will, whatever it is, will bring you fulfillment, peace, and the greatest happiness possible.