Ahuv Sheli

"We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can  - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us." ~St. Teresa of Avila When first asked by my friend   Vishnu   to write about the second phase of my life (transition from convent life to the world outside), I was a bit hesitant to share. I needed to find ‘peace’ within me in order to do that.  If you read my journey to the religious life previously, Unveiled: My Life and Lessons as a Nun , you know my faith journey and spiritual life lessons . Today, I want to share with you why I left my old life as a “nun.” Why I entered I received my dispensation of vows from Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Nobody dared ask me this personally but relatives, friends and neighbours went to talk to my mom when   they   all saw me ‘without’ the habit. To explain why I left, you must know why I entered the convent in the first place. I was filled with idealism and concepts of God, vocation

Download: "Stigma: A Major Barrier to Suicide Prevention 2013" Brochure I wr i te this on behalf of friends who, for years, have waited for me to break my silence over  depression (my own, several years ago) and the suicide and death of a friend whom I cared for so much.  April 2012, Holy Thursday, while the Last Supper and Washing of the Feet was being re-enacted, I looked at the altar of our church. Four years before that, a man shot himself in front of that altar ~ the church was desecrated and was closed for several weeks. I was in N. Africa when that incident happened and most of the stories in our place were recounted by my mother. I 'knew' how my mom 'felt' when I asked her about it. That very night, I received several calls from India, but every time I took them, they dropped instantly that I had to wait early the next day to find out what happened. I knew it was an emergency call. I opened my FB and was greeted by severa