How do you pack your whole life into a suitcase?

[DesiringMore]

I have been trying to prepare myself to enter the convent for almost a year now...yet, the closer the time gets the more i realize how hard it is to fit your whole life into a couple of suitcases...any advice?? for 23 years i've saved everything i've ever had for the future...for one day of owning my own house....now, I have all these things and trying to sort through everything to try and save the most important....but any suggestions?? It is so hard!!!

and with this, if it is so hard to detach myself and figure out what to bring, does this mean i'm not ready? or is this normal to be like this at first??

please share!!!

[jgirl]

I visited my Sisters this weekend, and there was another girl visiting who asked the young Sisters about detachment. It really put things into perspective for me, because I actually lived in my own place for the past two years and had everything you would need to fill a townhouse. I've been also been keeping random artifacts from my life since I was little. My mom didn't want me to get rid of anything, but after hearing what the Sisters had to say about it, I'm probably going to get rid of most of my stuff. One of them was talking about pictures. She said they are allowed to bring a photo album, but as she was looking at the pictures after she entered, she realized that they are reminders of the old life (and in some ways, tempting). Before she entered, she stripped her room bare, and if there was something she really cared about, she gave it to somebody that she knew would take care of it.

I sturggled with this at first, too, and I will probably still struggle with it. Even though I am not entering for another 9 and a half months, I've started purging my stuff. I gave a ton of clothes that I was going to sell at a garage sale to Catholic Charities. When I was packing up my condo before I moved back home, I gave some stuff to the teenagers in the youth group I helped out with (and they have claimed other stuff, too). When it comes to my more cherished stuff, I don't know what I will do with it, but I know that I don't want to leave a trail. It would be tempting for me to come back home if I know that my stuff isn't gone.

Not sure if that helped...but know that you aren't alone.

[jgirl]

I would like to add that most of the young Sister Servants said that it was so freeing to enter with all that you would need for the rest of your life in one suitcase.

[Totus Tuus]

You know, I've thought a LOT about this. As entrance day grows closer (about two and a half months), I've been more and more detached from my "stuff". I remind myself that it's just stuff, and that my happiness has never been attached to it. It's so freeing to know that the King of Love is the only source of happiness. Knowing that, it's not so hard to leave everything behind, or to decide what to keep.

Actually, my "stuff" has been a source of stress for me at times. Trying to organize everything and fretting over clothes that got too small or something... it's wonderful to know I'll never have that stress again! I've traveled a lot over my high school years, and packing for trips was always stressful for me, too. Really I'm very excited about leaving everything here.

For me, I'm kind of fortunate, because I'm just going to leave my room as it is (since I still live at home), and let my family do whatever they want with my stuff. They can give it away and my mom will have my clothes (we're almost the same size).

I don't know yet what I'll be allowed to bring to the convent, besides a statue for my cell. I'm looking forward to receiving that list, though!

Lauren

[Philothea2000]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' date='Sep 26 2005, 04:28 PM']You know, I've thought  a LOT about this. As entrance day grows closer (about two and a half months), I've been more and more detached from my "stuff". I remind myself that it's just stuff, and that my happiness has never been attached to it. It's so freeing to know that the King of Love is the only source of happiness. Knowing that, it's not so hard to leave everything behind, or to decide what to keep.

Actually, my "stuff" has been a source of stress for me at times. Trying to organize everything and fretting over clothes that got too small or something... it's wonderful  to know I'll never have that stress again! I've traveled a lot over my high school years, and packing for trips was always stressful for me, too. Really I'm very excited about leaving everything here.

For me, I'm kind of fortunate, because I'm just going to leave my room as it is (since I still live at home), and let my family do whatever they want with my stuff. They can give it away and my mom will have my clothes (we're almost the same size).

I don't know yet what I'll be allowed to bring to the convent, besides a statue for my cell. I'm looking forward to receiving that list, though!

Lauren
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Just a curiosity question maybe a bit off topic. How did you first come in contact with the PCPA sisters? If you have answered this somewhere else please let me know.
Thanks

[dspen2005]

just as a practical question -- did the order send you a list of things that you would need? what I did when I entered the Mercedarians, was take what i could... then my aunt sent me the rest of my stuff -- not all of it, b/c i kept some things at home for when i visit....... that's my suggestion. take what you can, and then you can have the other stuff sent up later on.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Philothea2000' date='Sep 26 2005, 08:27 PM']Just a curiosity question maybe a bit off topic. How did you first come in contact with the PCPA sisters?  If you have answered this somewhere else please let me know.
Thanks
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I visited EWTN a few times before high school (they lived there until 1999), but I never felt a "spark" then. It wasn't untl last August when a friend drove me up to the Shrine for a day visit (so that I could see the Shrine, not the sisters), that I fell in love with them. I was even planning on probably entering a different Order!

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

In my aunt's convent, one of the sister's died. They went into her room after nobody had else had been in there, and found junk piled up to the cieling.
One of the older priests today mentioned how he is packaging a lot of goodies to give to his family when he visits over christmas time.

I myself brought my computer, my books, my music, and my clothes. And my room still feel so awfully empty. But those are things i feel will help me in some way with my vocation, spirituality, or with my person.

SHALOM

[catholicflower]

[quote]I don't know yet what I'll be allowed to bring to the convent, besides a statue for my cell. I'm looking forward to receiving that list, though! [/quote]

Are you allowed to bring a statue? That would be awsome! I have a really pretty statue of our Our Lady of Guadelope (about a foot tall) that I got shortly after my conversion. I have had it for over 7 years and I take her when ever I stay a place for more than a week. If I enter into religious life I would love to bring her either to put her in a common room/ chapel of my cell.

Jackie

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='catholicflower' date='Sep 27 2005, 07:01 PM']Are you allowed to bring a statue? That would be awsome! I have a really pretty statue of our Our Lady of Guadelope (about a foot tall) that I got shortly after my conversion. I have had it for over 7 years and I take her when ever I stay a place for more than a week. If I enter into religious life I would love to bring her either to put her in a common room/ chapel of my cell.

Jackie
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Yes, I can bring a statue. One of the sisters grew up in the Ukranian rite, so Mother gave her permission to bring Icons instead (since they do not use statues as part of their tradition).
I can't remember if I saw a crucifix in the cell that was shown to me, so if there isn't one (which I highly doubt), I will definitely bring my crucifix. But I also have a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, about 1 1/2 feet tall, which I will probably bring if there is already a crucifix.

Lauren

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

unless you feel called to absolute poverty, i would not worry about it to much. Just ask what will help you be lead closer to God.

SHALOM

[benedictaj]

I can't wait to "pack my whole life into a suitcase" : :
I have way too much junk (and I've been progressively getting rid of it since June - unfortunately a lot of my stuff is school related, like text books, notes, folders etc ) Hehehehe.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' date='Sep 29 2005, 04:21 PM']unless you feel called to absolute poverty, i would not worry about it to much.  Just ask what will help you be lead closer to God.

SHALOM
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Ha ha... that's going to be me... absolute poverty sounds like my boat, but I have sooo much junk to get rid of...

[FutureSoror]

That was one of the first things I started thinking about when I decided I was going to become a sister. "What can I start getting rid of?" I'm still fuzzy on a lot of stuff, like how many books I could bring, how much school stuff, my choir music... It will be really great when I get the list of things to bring!