Thank You Louise ❤

The day I put on the St. Louise de Marillac costume was the day a little spark of hope happened inside of me. At first, I was nervous to play her because I knew I was going to goof off in it, not take it seriously enough, and plus who would imagine me playing Louise?! But I did it. People thought I was actually a nun! After playing Louise for over a year now, every time I played her I learned more and more about her. I found out she was married, she started the Daughters of Charity, and overall she was just a spectacular person.

It was not until I took Father Ed’s class when I realized that Louise and I had so much in common. From her depression to her relationship with God to her leadership, I felt connected to her.

Going to St. Nicholas Church in Paris truly made me feel complete. Walking in the footsteps of where my personal hero had her lumiere made me think of mine. It also made me think, “when do the people around me have their lumiere?”

My lumiere took place at Lake Guatavita in Bogota, Colombia. I felt like I had walked up a hill for four days before reaching the top. As soon as I seen this beautiful lake….it was like my soul left my body. I instantly began to sob and I knew all the pain in my life would be taken away.

Norma, who was a social justice leader and amazing woman in Bogota, did a ritual where we threw all of our demons into the lake and collected the positive energy from the lake back to us. In this moment, I had my lumiere.

Having this experience and being in the same footsteps that Louise had her lumiere made me hope everyone finds their lumiere. I feel lumiere helps us realize our purpose in life, and when we know what we want we can ultimately become better people. Making the question, “What must be done,” easier for people to answer.

After walking out of St. Nicholas church, I began to reflect on how I can keep the feeling and passion of my lumiere. I decided to write a note about my experience and my purpose to myself and keep it with me wherever I go; just like Louise did so long ago.

So, my hope to anybody is that they have their lumiere experience, write it down, and bring that inner peace you experience to the world. It may take time but when it happens you will feel it.