GSR Today - After a week of experiencing the frenetic pace of Beirut, a day spent in the Beqaa Valley offers the opportunity for a bit of respite: mountainous landscapes, green valleys, crisp air free of the humidity common to the capital city's coastal climate.

"In the container of community life, I experience the stability my free spirit needs in order to be vibrant."

My village visits were part of an exposure program that Guwahati archdiocese has organized for seminarians and nuns in training since 2007. Archbishop Menamparampil, who started the program, explained that the exposure would give young missionaries a taste of village life. "It would help them come out of the four walls of secured seminaries and convents and see for themselves the challenges faced by the people in the world," the Salesian prelate used to say.

While at work the other week, I took a break to run the Boston Marathon with a friend, Kelly. I managed to get through the entire event without spilling my coffee or breaking a sweat.

Appreciation - Margaret Brennan's life meant much to many. What she did moved mountains few actually realized at the moment of their turning but which, before the process was over, we all felt.

Sr. Meena Barwa has forgiven the men who attacked her nearly eight years ago. The gang rape was a horrifying experience, but the aftermath was more painful, she says. Barwa, 34, is a member of the Handmaids of Mary, an indigenous congregation of Odisha, an eastern Indian state. She was among the victims of the worst anti-Christian violence in India's modern history, which began Aug. 24, 2008.

Sr. Annie Credidio has transformed a neglected state-run hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, into a model of care, love and dignity for patients with Hansen's disease (also called leprosy). Now known as Damien House (Fundación Padre Damian), this sanctuary symbolizes hope for the people with Hansen's disease and is celebrating close to 30 years of transforming the lives of its patients.

Communities — even contemplative and cloistered communities — are increasingly taking to social media as a form of outreach, helping them reach hundreds or even thousands of people they otherwise would never come in contact with.

"Decrees of church and society seem to say the right things, but a connection to the reality of people is too often lost."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - Susan Sink wrote three volumes of lectio divina meditations on the illuminated St. John's Bible.