Lisa’s funeral was three years, almost to the day, from when she was first diagnosed with stage four colon cancer on March 17, 2020. She was my friend, my colleague, a woman I admired, respected, loved. From the day she was diagnosed, she wrote daily in her Caring Bridge online journal. Throughout the pandemic, her chemo, and the unmentionable discomfort she endured, Lisa wrote. She told us the ugly truth of her experience and the beautiful hope and moments of joy that met her on her journey through life to death.
Posts filed under Faith
Changing Our Minds--Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
Kindness, Clarity, and Insight is a collection of talks that the Tibetan Buddhist Dalai Lama gave in the USA and Canada more than forty years ago. With this and later books, the Dalai Lama brought Tibetan Buddhism and the situation in Tibet into prominent international awareness; he went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
An Audience with the Pope
As a devout Christian I have studied the Bible and one passage that is very present in my heart is 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eyes have seen, no ears have heard, and no minds have imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Faith, and the love of God, is a grace given to us. Since I was a child, I have felt God’s presence and remember having Divine unitive experiences of awe of my existence and God’s creation. I attended an all-girls school and thought I was going to be a nun. However, my vocation to be a mother was stronger and I was married young and had four daughters and a son. Raising them full time was a very fulfilling and holy experience for me.
When my children left for college, my hands were empty, but my energy was very strong. It was a time to recreate myself. Coincidentally, my only sister and best friend Marta, died suddenly at the age of 38. In my profound grief I realized that I needed to create. More than the activities in the garden, more than my creations in the kitchen. Creativity was calling me to heal my soul.
At the same time, I felt I needed to rediscover God, so I enrolled at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation where I earned several degrees and became a Spiritual Director and Group Formation Leader. It took me ten years, some of the best of my life. In Shalem, which is Ecumenical, I had the gift of sharing time and studies with people from different religions. It was a time of searching; I visited several temples, churches, and synagogues as my soul was so ready to soak in the many faiths that enriched mine. I discovered Rumi and Hazif. I studied with Rossi Joan Halifax and attended Mystery school with Jean Houston for a year. My soul was soaring, renewed, and refreshed.
Read related article: Creature Comforts on the Camino
Following graduation, I created Women’s prayer groups in my eagerness to share my discoveries.
During this time, I also discovered an interest in sculpture, and it has been one of my greatest gifts from God. My sculptures have been expressions of grief, healing, realizations, discoveries, and longings. Creating these pieces brought a tremendous amount of empowerment, courage, and lots of joy. As my sculpting skills grew, I created classes for beginners and advanced students to share the healing I had received through creating art.
In 1996, I founded the Windrise Retreat Center in Metamora, Michigan. For almost 30 years we have held retreats of many kinds. My husband Greg and I host people who find peace and serenity in a secluded 100-acre estate surrounded by forest and a softly singing river. We are Ecumenical in spirit—all denominations are welcome at Windrise. Now I mainly host sculpture classes at my Windrise studio, Galeria Mariposa, as my way to explore the soul.
In March 2013, Pope Francis was elected. The fact that he is Argentinian, as I am, and the first Jesuit and Latin American to be ordained brought tears of joy. He chose his name, Francis, to honor his spiritual connection with St. Francis of Assisi who cared for the poor and the underprivileged. He lives in a simple apartment in the Vatican and refuses the Papal palace and all the luxurious apparel. At night he wears simple Priest clothes as a disguise and visits the homeless. We can say he is like Christ, revolutionary (bringing changes where needed), humble, compassionate, and very wise. When he appeared on the balcony after his ordination at Piazza St. Peter, his first words were “Pray for me.” I cried as I experienced the humility in his words. It was those three words that inspired me to start working on a bust of him—the work took a few months.
After two years of applying for an audience to gift the Pope with my sculpture, I was finally accepted for an audience on March 18, 2020. Just as my husband and I were ready to embark on this holy and extraordinary trip, Italy closed, and the Covid-19 pandemic crushed our plans.
The Vatican coordinator for my audience with the Pope assured me that I would be first in line for an audience when the Vatican opened back up. So, as I surrendered to God’s plans, I spent the Covid quarantine time sculpting portraits of other people I admire like Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
In the summer of 2021, the Vatican scheduled another audience. With great excitement, we flew to Rome on the 5th of October for an audience with Pope Francis on the 6th. The bust was professionally packed, and we carried it to Rome with our luggage on Lufthansa Airlines. I had visited Rome and the Vatican several times since Pope Francis was ordained. During one visit I saw him in the balcony—it was an unexpected surprise—but it gave me the chance to take the photo I used to create his bust.
The St. Peters Basilica has always made me marvel at its gilded beauty—from Michelangelo’s magnificent sculpture of The Pietà, to all the beautiful art adorning its walls. Being a sculptor, I have always been touched and inspired by my visits. This visit was different, though. The audience was held in a large auditorium in the Vatican. I have no words to describe my emotion and gratitude. When his Holiness greeted me personally, my heart swelled in his loving presence. Pope Francis told me he liked the piece, and after giving me a hug, as we Argentinians do, he said “Thank you for making me smile.”
I am forever grateful for the grace of this gift. Never would I have imagined that my sculpture would be at The Vatican, in Pope Francis’ collection.
You can visit Estela Monjo Boudreau’s virtual art gallery at galeriamariposa.net. To learn about the Windrise Retreat Center visit windrise.com.
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Wonder-twinning™: Activating Healing Through Faith and Energy
In 2017, Vicky Lovell and Danielle Groth crossed paths for the first time. They met during milestone transitions in both of their lives. Lovell was graduating from seminary and answering her first call into ordained ministry and Groth was recovering from breast cancer and in the midst of her own healing. It was a friendship, built on the foundation of their faith, that took time to grow.
Faith and Doubt
I was recently asked to speak at an event regarding the spiritual life. Several weeks prior to the event, I sat down to collect my thoughts and come up with a topic. Nothing came to me. I felt barren of ideas and inspiration. I tried to will myself to be inspiring. Of course, this didn’t work. I next grabbed books from my library regarding spirituality and began to cram. Some of what I ingested was momentarily inspiring, yet when I put the books down, I lost my excitement. I began to panic when I realized I was supposed to be spiritually uplifting in less than a week and I was so lost. My next strategy was to sleep (a lot)!
Kindness, Clarity, and Insight is a collection of talks that the Tibetan Buddhist Dalai Lama gave in the USA and Canada more than forty years ago. With this and later books, the Dalai Lama brought Tibetan Buddhism and the situation in Tibet into prominent international awareness; he went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.