St. Anne's

I desperately needed to get to confession today. Unfortunately there was no confession at my parish due to a mandatory work furlough. So my sister and I had to go elsewhere. We ended up going to the newly constructed St. Mary Magdalene. The outside of the building was beautiful and the inside was just as elegant. As I sat inside praying however I couldn't help but think about St. Anne's. The picture I took on my phone yesterday evening as I waited in the narthex for more parishioners to come in for mass came to my mind. I thought about how beautiful my home parish is. It isn't just cosmetic either. It's beautiful because it's home. The moment I first understood and knew where I belonged happened inside this building. I am a lector, an extraordinary minister, a core member and an usher in this community. There is no church on earth that could give me the same feeling as the one I get when I step foot merely on the property. It's as though my whole heart is inside that golden tabernacle on the altar. In fact, I think it is.

When it comes to marriage I'm as girly as it gets. The idea of a wedding is always somewhere in the back of my head. At times at the forefront. It isn't a thought or desire I can shut off. I've always wanted to be loved by someone. I've always wanted to be in love and live that perhaps unrealistic version of happily ever after. A wedding dress is the one dress that I've ever wanted to wear. I dream about what everything will look like, who will be there, and how I'll feel. But my dream has never been so clear and complete as it is right now. But it's more than me knowing who I want to marry. It's knowing that I only want to be married at St. Anne's. There is no other place in the whole world I rather be joined in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

As I continued to sit and think the realization that one day I'll have to leave this parish hurt me. I may not ever work there. My children will probably not be baptized there. One day I'll have to pack my bags and leave Gilbert, AZ and the St. Anne Roman Catholic Community right along with it. But I doubt I'll ever love this place any less. It will always be home.