I have been reflecting on the life of a dear friend Peta from the A Nun's Life online community.
Peta has been a great light to me and to our community for a long time, and we are so sad that she died, yet celebrate that she is home with God, "dwelling now in light, yet ever near."
It's hard to know what to think or say or sometimes even feel when someone you love dies. With Peta, I know I miss her terribly.
As I've been sitting with my thoughts of Peta, this scripture image found me.
She is a VALIANT woman: her roots are firmly planted. The kingdom is within; her heart, treasure-filled.
She is a JOYFUL woman for whom laughter is not stranger; a song to sing, a smile to give, a hand clasp or embrace.
She is a STRONG woman whose heart and arms withstand the pressures and the worries that each day unfolds.
She is a PATIENT woman waiting through storm and night for new life, new growth, rich harvest.
She is a LOVING woman ever giving and forgiving, ever caring and concerned.
She is a SHARING woman who with arms outstretched gives her gifts and treasures to those both near and far.
~ Proverbs 31 (Image from Ministry of the Arts)
Valiant is such a noble word, yet there is such true grit in its meaning. It means "possessing or acting with bravery or boldness: courageous" and "marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination: heroic." (Merriam-Webster) The other words of this scripture passage -- joyful, strong, patient, loving, sharing -- give a fuller context of what it means to be valiant.
I see a valiant woman in Peta, someone that I will continue to look up to and to talk to! Thank God for the gift of the Communion of Saints! I ask you to please keep in your prayers Peta, her family and loved ones, and the online communities that she was part of. And I ask you to think of the valiant women and men in your own life -- please share them with us here!
-- Sister J
