Blessed

Another installment of our summer series to help you get to know our teams better. This one is from an awesome member of our Home Team, Betsy Good:

Each year, our summer officially kicks off with our annual family reunion. I'm one of 5 girls, and there are 15 cousins in the next generation (and counting, since the youngest sister has yet to contribute!) My mother lives in northeast FL, in the same neighborhood as one of my sisters. So that's our gathering spot - we all descend at once, from MN, MD, and NC, filling up empty bedrooms, air mattresses, and sometimes a hotel room or two. This year, we started summer a little early, celebrating my youngest son Tim's graduation from Loyola Blakefield high school. Lots of family members joined us for the momentous occasion to celebrate with Tim (and make sure I didn't fall apart!). Loyola does such a beautiful job making this a special event, opening with a Baccalaureate Mass the night before, to put things in perspective and highlight the importance of God in this wonderful event. The following morning, the boys walked through "the hollow" on campus and took their places to accept their diplomas. It was an incredibly moving and exciting day. Soon we'll head to SC to watch one of my neices graduate from boot camp, where we'll meet up with much of the family again for a few days. This weekend, my twins , Dan and Katlyn, turn 24, so another reason to celebrate and gather. I'm holding on to these precious events and the opportunities to be together as a family.

In reflecting on my summer, I'm reminded how blessed we are. We have food, fresh water and shelter readily available. We're fortunate to be able to vacation with family and travel to be together. My children were blessed with the opportunity to attend wonderful schools, and we travel easily and comfortably throughout our community to take care of our daily needs and entertain ourselves. Our NATIVITY: NIGERIA team will soon visit with orphaned children, who don't have families to take care of them. They'll visit a hospital, where patients face serious and terminal illness and worry about the fate of their families if they don't survive. We have so much that we sometimes take for granted. It helps to put it all in perspective. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with the NATIVITY:NIGERIA team this summer. I am moved by the faith of Dr. Chris and Sister Orsesoa, who dedicate their lives to serving others. In light of such giving, my efforts pale in comparison, but being part of this mission as a member of "the home team", has really inspired me. It's a small start, but one that has deeply impacted my Faith and relationship with God, and inspired me to keep trying to do better.

Summer will end early for me this year. On August 19th, the car will be packed with Tim's things and we'll head west to Miami University of Ohio, where he'll begin his college experience. Two days later I'll be on my way back to MD. I'm excited for his new adventure, and to hear about his successes and challenges, but I'll be counting the days until Parents' Weekend! In the interim, there's lots of summer left to enjoy and I very much look forward to hearing all about this year's NATIVITY:NIGERIA trip.