Life is an Adventure
Geri Salazar
Retreat Leader
Certified Catechist
Spiritual Coach
Certified Life Coach
Certified Weight loss Coach
While working as a Finance Director on a Navajo Reservation, I helped a new Substance Abuse Prevention Program for Youth get started.
After hiring the program director, she noticed how I worked with teens and said I had a gift for working with people.
She suggested I look into working with youth and gave me information for a Crisis Shelter for teens. I took her advice and started volunteering at the Shelter in the evenings.
THEN . . . THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENED
I was in a rollover accident that left me unable to walk for a few weeks, with casts and bandages and all that comes with it.
While in recovery from the accident, a position opened up at the Shelter. I was asked if I was interested.
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I had about 6 months of volunteer experience and no official training? It would be a huge cut in salary...
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But, I loved working with youth. I loved helping people. I had found my passion.
So, I applied.
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I WENT TO THE INTERVIEW IN CRUTCHES
I didn't think I was qualified for the position so I didn't think I would be hired. But at least I tried.
A couple of days later, to my surprise, I was offered the position.
I took it, and never looked back.
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That was the beginning of a life time of helping people in various ways.
I worked at the Crisis Shelter for a few years. Before long, I was writing proposals and implementing programs. Some of these programs included: Chronic Runaway Facility; Transitional Living for young adults; Independent Living for young people aging out of State Custody; Street Outreach; Reintegration Programs for Adults coming out of the prison setting; Employment training and assistance for teens and young adults; Reintegration for Adults on Probation or Parole, Served on a national board for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; and more.
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This also involved supervising employees, creating employee positions, developing hiring criteria, supervising multilevel staffing structures and employees, as well as, developing and implementing programs for staff development, training, and retention.
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It was an amazing experience, learning, growing, and implementing programs and ideas.
. . . I FELT CALLED TO DO MORE.
​After years of working in this field, I felt called to do more.
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I started searching.
While attending a retreat at the Spiritual Renewal Center, I was talking with one of the Dominican Sisters who ran the retreat center. She gave me a book listing all the religious orders in the United States.
I researched. I contacted a few of them. I did not feel called to become a religious nun but I did feel compelled to follow the call to take this journey and learn.
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There are so many thoughts and feelings that get stirred up when making life changing decisions. There are so many things to take into consideration. Many times these are thoughts and feelings we didn't know were in there, until we are faced with the questions.
TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH. . .
After a few months of looking into it, I decided to take a leap of faith. I resigned from my position and went all in.
I traveled through 13 states pulling a 5th Wheel RV, and visited various religious communities.
It was an amazing learning experience. There were close calls at times. God was teaching me to depend on Him, more and more.
While at a convent in Indiana, I was introduced to one of the sisters, who was the Mother Superior at a Benedictine Monastery in Morropón, Piura, Peru in South America. After we talked for a while, she invited me to go visit their convent in South America.
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​I told her I would contact her when I returned home in a few weeks.
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Once I returned, I started looking into costs and arrangements, etc.
I applied for a passport.
A month later I was on a flight to Peru.
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​I was in Peru for 2 months. The awareness and experience of living for 2 months in a third world country setting, was life changing.
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I visited people in their homes and hospitals (not like hospitals in the US).
I spent time with many children, young adults and adults. The sisters administered a parochial school. Who would have known right!
Photo by Geri Salazar
I had the privilege of helping with children of all ages in a totally different world from what I knew.
It was interesting interacting with the students, teachers/sisters, parents, and the elderly.
People are people regardless of our backgrounds or culture.
We all have desires and we all have struggles in varying degrees.
BACK IN THE U.S. . . .
After returning home, it took some time to make sense of everything that had happened and to process all the experiences. I knew that it had all happened for a purpose. After a while there was a family crisis that shook us all. I was in a position where I could offer to help and use all my professional experience in a different way.
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All the experience I had with working with youth and adults came into play. It was a honor and a privilege to be able to help my own family through a tough period.
HELPING YOUTH AND ADULTS AGAIN . . .
Once things settled down, I returned home to discover what was next..
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It didn't take long before I was back to working with people.
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I worked with the elderly. Met some amazing people and shared some amazing stories. It was great to spend time with people and help in their journey.
Then I was privileged to work with youth and young adults again in career and employment coaching.
ON THE HOME FRONT
Knowing Dad needed a project, it made me speed things up and pursue a long time dream of building a home built partly underground, with used tires and rammed earth for walls.
Spending time with Dad as he went through his end of life journey was an amazing experience. I learned so much more about life and people and the value of each human person.
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It was such a valuable experience which has lead to helping many people.
Photo by Geri Salazar
A few years later, we learned that my father's heart problems had reached their max. Long story .... here's the short version.
PRICESLESS . . .
The journey of working on the house with my dad as we shared his experience, was amazing, and PRICELESS!
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A few years after Dad died, the call to do something more stirred up again.
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In an effort to spend time with my great niece, I started hiking. She didn't continue, but I did. One thing lead to another and soon I found myself called to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostella.
FEELING THE CALL
To make a long story short...
I prepared to follow the call to go on pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
A 500 mile walking pilgrimage from the foot of the Pyrenees mountains in France, through Spain to the remains of St. James the Apostle in Compostela, then on to Finisterre and Muxia, Spain.
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My daily goal was praying, walking and being open to what God brings. It was amazing. One's whole being changes when we free up our mind to contemplate, process and pray.
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I met amazing people of all ages from all over the world. We enjoyed meals together, shared stories and experiences, and so much more.
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People are amazing.
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We all have our own story. We all have our unique experience.
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Every person matters.
Every human being has a purpose.
Photo by Geri Salazar
RETREATS
After returning from Spain, I knew there had to be a purpose for the journey and I set out to discover what that was.
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After much prayer and discernment, I asked our parish priest if we could host a day retreat for women. He said yes. We have hosted retreats twice a year since then. The retreats have continued to evolve.
Based on feedback from participants, we started including both men and women in the retreats. When both men and women saw the benefits, they asked if we could include youth. Since then, we invite parents to bring their young ones who are able to participate.
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It's amazing what God is doing.
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Another thing that surfaced is the need for Spiritual Direction.
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After some time in discernment, I looked into studying more about spiritual discernment, spent time taking online classes. I also enrolled in classes through the Avila Institute in their Spiritual Direction Certification Program.
BELIZE
Then, God does it again!
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I'm invited to visit Belize by my Spiritual Director, who is a Jesuit Priest sent to minister in Belize.
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By this time my website has been built and I started learning how to use blogs. Oh how we learn and grow when God has a plan!
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The trip to Belize was amazing.
I decided to use my blog to share the experience of Belize. To see the posts with loads of pictures and some videos, follow this link: BELIZE
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God has his reasons for what He does, and we usually don't know until after the fact.
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The trip to Belize was another lesson on perseverance, overcoming adversity, and pushing forward, regardless of obstacles. The conviction to go ALL IN on what God calls us to do is rekindled.
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It's all about stepping outside our comfort zones and being willing to take a leap of faith, and live what we profess.
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Do we trust God or not?
ALL IN!
With all that's going on in the world and the struggles people are going through, people living in fear, the increase in anxiety and suicide rates, the violence, challenges within and without our Catholic faith, people being un-catechized, etc., we need to discern, pray and be willing to use the gifts that God gives us to do our part.
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There is definitely a war going on. We are created to be warriors. We all have gifts and talents that were given to us for a reason.
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My goal is to light a fire under us to rise to our calling.
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We are created to live life in true love, joy and peace.
Let's do this!
