RCIA

The time to start classes was near and I knew I needed a sponsor to help me through the program. I knew a few people, but none of them seemed like the right fit. One morning, during daily mass, I notice this amazing lady sitting in a pew on the other side of the church. I watched her as she prayed with tears, sung the hymns from her heart, and was moved by how deep her spirituality seemed to change the atmosphere of the whole room. I prayed to God that I wanted to meet her, that I needed to meet her.
After mass, the door I usually used was locked for some odd reason and I had to use the exit right by her. As I started down the hall, she blocked my path. She pointed at me and said, "I wanna meet you!" I told her with a smile that I had been wanting to meet her too. This was the day I met Mary Ann Haley. Mary Ann is to this day one of the most amazing child of God I've ever met and truly and angel here on earth. Even though sponsors don't technically have to come until November, she was there on day one and never failed to be with me through it all.
The process of RCIA is intense and is designed so that people who have never even picked up a bible can keep up. This is the way it should be, but it was very frustrating to someone who had been memorizing scriptures since she was two! The first few weeks were about who God was and who Jesus was and I felt like someone who wanted steak and was being served an IV bag! But it did start to pick up and I learned to not be so confident that I knew everything. Going back to the basics is very good every now and then because when you think about it,... how much do I really know about who God is? I had to get my ego in check FAST.
Mary Ann left this earth the fall after I became catholic. She was like family to me and I will always miss her. There is a song in the play list at the bottom which always makes me think of her called "More than you'll ever know". Give it a listen and think about someone who has inspired you spiritually in a way you never knew possible.