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My name is Mary Lou Howard. I am an Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Kindred Spirit Group of London, Ontario. I have been an Associate since it’s inception over 10 years ago. We were the first group of 11 in the Southwest Region. I am a widow with three married children and 10 grandchildren. I was a Health Planner for 20 years with a District Health Council. After my husband died and my children made their own lives, I decided to make some changes in my life. My spiritual life has always been an important and integral part of my being. For that reason, I have been involved in various volunteer activities in the Church since I was a teenager. As my relationship with God became deeper, so did my longing for a deeper spirituality. When a friend to be a founding member of the London Associates approached me, I was delighted. All my life my faith has been nurtured by the Sisters of St. Joseph as teachers and friends. So the attraction of being an Associate and carrying on the Charism of the Sisters was a natural progression. While a member of the Associates, I joined Scarborough Lay Missioners and lived in China for three years, teaching and doing community development. I taught in a poor subdivision of Guiyang City, Guizhou, China and helped to bring potable water to a small town and two hamlets of 3,000 people in the mountains in Zhenning County. As a small cog in a big wheel, I felt privileged to have been given the opportunity to contribute to poverty alleviation in that part of the world. Upon my return from China, I continued my commitment to the Associates. The monthly reflections, twice a year retreats, opportunities for spiritual direction and the joyful, fun-filled gatherings with the Associates and Sisters provides me with the tools I need to fulfill God’s will in my daily life. My involvement with the Associates has deepened my relationship with God and neighbour. It has given purpose to my work overseas and at home. Perhaps the biggest difference it has made in my life is that it has enabled me to open myself in my relationships with others and respond in ways I could never have dreamed of. It is a wonderful gift from God and “the wind beneath my feet” for which I am truly grateful.
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