‘The Spirit isn’t done with me yet’

Dianne Nisita embraces aging with faith, energy and the Holy Spirit’s nudge

Dianne Nisita, left, and sister, Margo Guerinot, share a quiet moment together—bound by love, laughter and a lifetime of memories. (Courtesy Photo/Dcn. Scott Pearhill)

By MARY HERSLEY-KAINEG

Facing changing circumstances is one of the realities of senior living.

These changes often occur at a time when an older person is the least adaptable. In the words of Benedictine nun, theologian and author Joan Chittister, they find themselves “in a period of great dislocation” when they should be their most settled.

In today’s mobile society, older parents and their children can be separated by great distances. Wishing to be closer to their children and growing families, many seniors decide to move “closer to the kids.”

This means moving out of homes with many memories and leaving behind neighborhoods where they have lived for many years. As they begin to settle in their new place, they begin to confront a jarring reality: they no longer have a social network; they have said goodbye to their church community and special friends; and, perhaps, have had to leave a pet behind. In her essay on aging, Chittister writes, “discontinuity may be one of the defining factors” of this transition period.

Dianne Nisita, 85, experienced many emotions when she recently moved to Boise. Having lived many years in Pocatello, Idaho, she left behind a well-established church community. For 13 years, she had been active in ministry programs at Holy Spirit Church in Pocatello, where she volunteered with the prison ministry and was a hospital minister. She also represented the Catholic Church on the Pocatello Interfaith Council. For two and a half years, she hosted the local Cable TV program “Catholic Discovery,” for which she taped forty episodes.

“I loved meeting different members of our Catholic Diocese and interviewing them about their faith walk,” said Dianne. “One of the highlights of this series was my interview with Bishop Michael Driscoll. He had such an interesting life story. He had wanted to be a priest from early childhood, and here he was … a Bishop”

While Dianne is quick to give her son, Deacon Scott Pearhill, credit for her spiritual growth and involvement in the ministry life, she came to Pocatello with many years of education and international travel on her resume. With a chuckle, she told the story of her early life.

“I was always a little different,” Dianne explained. “I was born in a little town near Buffalo, New York. My father was a brilliant man, but not very settled. One of our many moves was to a 200-acre farm where he would ‘get rich’ raising horses for Western movies.”

Dianne and her three sisters were all gifted musically, “so my father decided we should be on the stage,” she continued. “Even though we never became famous, we were given musical training, and I was immersed in the vocal classics. I learned to sing and appreciate the music of the great operas.”

Dianne received training in the Montessori early education model and studied the Carl Orff method that integrates music, movement and drama into early learning. In addition, she earned a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University in New York City.

When she graduated from Columbia, Dianne, who inherited her father’s wanderlust, spent many years in international pursuits. After getting married, she lived in England, where her husband was employed, and where her two sons, Mark and Scott, were born. Nearly two decades later, her marriage ended, and both boys were in college. Dianne heard the East call her name. She accepted a teaching position at the St. Maur International School in Japan.

Dianne Nisita, reflecting on the journey of aging with a cherished book by Joan Chittister—an author whose words have deeply shaped Nisita’s perspective on life’s last chapters. (Courtesy Photo/Mary Hersley-Kaineg)

After ten years in Japan, she received an offer to teach at the American School in Switzerland. This was followed by two years in the Peace Corps in Africa. Her final international adventure was two years spent in China.

“With my son Mark in the military and Scott in ministry in Pocatello, I realized my grandchildren were growing up, and I wanted to get back to spend more time with them,” Dianne explained.

However, there were changes to be met after so many years away from American culture.

“With so many years lived in Eastern cultures, I had come to appreciate praying in the lotus position, and I missed the calm it afforded me. Scott suggested I consider Centering Prayer, a Catholic form of contemplative prayer. It was perfect for me,” she said.

It opened many opportunities for Dianne to grow in her faith and serve in the numerous ministries mentioned earlier.

“When Scott was called to serve in Boise, I was determined to stay in Pocatello,” she chuckled. “I was tough and had lived in foreign countries. I could surely live on my own in Pocatello, Idaho!” 

But then, Dianne experienced a mini-stroke.

“I was frightened, and changed my mind about the move to Boise,” she said. 

Once in Boise, Dianne experienced many of the emotions outlined by Chittister in her book, The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully.

“I joined Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where Scott was assigned to serve as deacon, but I missed my friends. I felt rudderless without serving in the ministries I had spent so much time doing while I lived in Pocatello,” she reflected.

She joined the choir but found her vocal cords had aged. So, she made a Pilgrimage with the Legion of Mary and attended a Cursillo weekend.

“These were all wonderful events with very nice people, but I still felt ‘adrift,’” Dianne said. She asked her new Cursillo sisters and the Legion of Mary to pray for her. “I could feel the driving wind of the Holy Spirit pushing me. In fact, I think He almost blew me over!”

She discerned the Holy Spirit was moving her to reach out to other seniors to pray and discuss what each is doing to prepare spiritually for the coming of the “Big Adventure”—going home to the Father in heaven. 

“I realized there were other seniors like me, in their later years, who know they no longer have a ‘career plan.’ I’m pretty sure there are more than a few people in the Diocese just like me, with oodles of energy, thinking of and preparing for their final journey,” she said.

Based on the military expression used when soldiers are soon to be released from service, Dianne formed a group called the “Short Timers.” Open to both women and men, it meets every Monday at 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church.

Dianne said, however, that it’s not a social club. The group’s mission is to prepare through books, prayer, and psychological influences—things left undone. Chittister’s book, The Gift of Years, is their current discussion topic.

Dianne Nisita may have left a long and active life ‘in her wake,’ but this octogenarian, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is still very actively pursuing the work she is called to do.

For more information about Short Timers ministry, call Sacred Heart parish at (208) 344-8311.