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Tag Archives: travel

Sturdy Shelters

01 Friday Mar 2019

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Arizona, Cynthia Bourgeault, experiences, faithful friend, Ordinary Time, Peru, return, shelter, Sirach, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, Wisdom School

Here I sit, finally home again and happy to be. As I often think and sometimes say, I believe travel to be one of the best means of education. I’m sure it will take a long time for me to understand exactly how much I have learned from the people and the environments of Peru and Arizona over the past six weeks. How amazing that both of those experiences happened in such a short period of time and how wonderfully expressive of today’s first lectionary reading they both were.

In the Book of Sirach, chapter 6, we find that a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; the one who finds one finds a treasure...and, as I read it this morning, faces flooded through my consciousness. The welcome of our Sisters in Lima and the joy of my longtime friend and traveling companion, Maryjean, created a virtually seamless and delightful dive into a very different culture in Peru. Several familiar faces from past Wisdom Schools became a comfort zone in the desert during this past week and the sharing with many seekers of deep spiritual truths whom I met for the first time bolstered my confidence that the world will indeed endure. To share such an experience under the tutelage of the extraordinarily gifted Cynthia Bourgeault is always a privilege – never more than in this experience.

Not the least notable were the moments of return, sitting in our living room with photos and attempts at recounting all the happenings as well as hearing what had happened in my absence. And there will be phone calls and meetings in the days ahead with the others who share the “ordinary time” of my life. In knowing all of this, I know too that I am most blessed with all those who make up the collage of my life.

Who makes you grateful to be living in this moment of time?

A Wider Window

04 Monday Feb 2019

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immersion, Peru, smile, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel

Just for a moment as I looked out my window this morning the sky was pink and blue and beautiful. Now I can still call it beautiful as I mourn the passing of pink and wait for the light of full sun – the promise of the meteorologists for this day. But my enthusiasm is tamped down a bit by a tiny ache in my heart, the same one that soars with the wonder of sunrise but today makes me long for the mountains and faces of Peru. Strange that ten days of immersion in a far-away place could be so deeply planted just by the smiles of children or the grandeur of mountains. But it is clearly there, as firmly as the loyal tree that graces my window, and just as still.

I need to shake off the lassitude that comes with travel and get back to the work-a-day world that fills my life with meaning. I know I will but also am confident of a larger stretch of life outside my window that I take to all the days to come. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A New Adventure

20 Sunday Jan 2019

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blessings, experience, Machu Picchu, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel

It’s 3:29am and I have already nearly downed a whole cup of coffee. I am missing a phenomenon familiar to me as I sit thinking of the snow that is falling at home in New York State. It’s raining here in North Carolina in a far less daunting but not so beautiful event. (I am truly a child of the Northeast as the big snowstorms hold for me both awe and a recognition of danger for so many…)

I’ve come here to meet up with a friend with whom I will travel to Peru to visit our Sisters and the wonders of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley for the next nine days – surely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We leave in fifteen minutes for the airport and a long day of travel. I can only imagine what we will experience and I hope to be fully awake for the duration. I am not certain of access to the internet because of time and circumstance but I promise to return with the turning of the calendar. I will surely be back by February with lots to say!

Blessings all!

Every Day A New Beginning

29 Saturday Dec 2018

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destination, kindness of strangers, lost, psalm 96, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, wondrous deeds

As I sit looking out at a totally sunlit blue sky having eaten a healthy breakfast, I am reminded of the resilience of the human spirit. I can now smile in spite of my challenging yesterday that began with a long day of travel to be with my sister who was having hip surgery in Boston. The day included some rain and traffic (not so bad), two hours of being lost in Boston in the dark (very frustrating), no shuttles from motel to hospital (ended at 6PM), etc…

This morning, as psalm 96 urges me to “Sing to the Lord a new song!” it seems quite possible as I remember the kindness of strangers from yesterday, especially the surgical nurse who answered my call intended to tell my sister I was near but lost. Maryanne Cole picked up my call, knew exactly who I was and where in the process my sister was (successfully out of surgery and in recovery), and kept me on the phone for the better part of an hour zigzagging me through the maze of Boston streets to my destination. There were several other actors in this adventure: my housemates, people on the street who got me closer to my destination, motel personnel and all the staff at the hospital, including Maryanne, who stayed and celebrated my arrival with hugs and cheers.

I’m off now to see my sister who has already been up walking with the physical therapist. Truly, “the Lord has done wondrous deeds!”

Back to Business

27 Monday Nov 2017

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Advent, Christmas, consciously, happiness, Holiday, love, love of Christ, One God, slowing down, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, travel

atrafficToday I sit staring at a blank page, feeling a bit empty, as happens sometimes on the Monday after an important holiday. While I was not counted in the millions of people who took to the road or the sky over the weekend to be with faraway relatives or friends (the return trip perhaps not concluded yet), the Thanksgiving holiday just concluded seemed to me to hold more energy than usual in the wishes of “Happy Thanksgiving!” shared sincerely among friends and strangers alike. Maybe we needed some distraction from all the distress of our country and the world that made us try harder to find the joy of sharing. Maybe it was just the slowing down and relaxing together that pervaded our household. Whatever the source, I feel the need to regroup today so that I will live consciously throughout the wonderful season of Advent leading to Christmas. As the world turns from another beginning to a conclusion marked by the calendar of feasting and celebrations, I am heartened and challenged by Thomas Merton’s words to wake up and get about this new day.

Let us live in this love and this happiness, you and I and all of us, in the love of Christ and in contemplation, for this is where we find ourselves and one another as we truly are. It is only in this love that we at last become real, for it is here that we most truly share the life of the One God…

 

 

 

 

 

Going Away

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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liten, pray, prayer, psalm 102, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thoughts, travel

abrellaHalf paying attention to Psalm 102 in today’s lectionary texts, I began to hear it in a familiar chant: O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer. When I call, answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer. Come and listen to me. As I was moving on to the gospel I finally came to consciousness with a two-pronged question: What are the things that I (usually) pray for? and does my approach to God take such a hurried (and seemingly demanding) tone? In one translation, the way the psalmist ends the prayer is that God answer speedily. I wonder how often my “Amen” is  followed by “Thank you,” or if God needs to wait until the request is fulfilled to hear my gratitude.

Today I’m beginning a long awaited ten-day vacation trip. It’s too late to pray for good weather. The wind is blowing and it is clear that the rain will be constant all day. What should I pray for then? Safe travel, certainly, and maybe connections with new people in my life as well as interesting and even exciting adventures. (I have a raincoat and umbrella, after all, so need not waste God’s time with the weather.) I’m really leaning toward openness to all that will be part of this time away as well as acceptance and gratitude for everything.

In that spirit, I ask that you pray me along. I spent time yesterday choosing quotes from just a couple of sources that seemed to me worthy as “thoughts for the day” and will let Mary Pat, our website wizard, post them as she will. So thank you for your prayer over these days (and your perseverance with this blog). I’ll be back to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

 

Where Are You Going?

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

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grace, gratitude, Holiday, peaceful, presence, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, trip

atrafficI heard on the news last night that (if I remember exactly) 49.6 million Americans will be traveling during this Thanksgiving holiday week. I presume that means driving or flying somewhere, rather than walking down the block or across the yard. It’s always “iffy” at this time of year and with the weather of the past few days I’m sure there have been a lot of disappointed and/or frustrated folks on the highways and in airports. Then there are people like my sister who arrived from Pennsylvania yesterday as she wraps up a two-week “road trip” to visit friends in Virginia, Washington, DC and Maryland. She sat on Route 81 in Pennsylvania which had become a parking lot, waiting for only a bit less than an hour for a large boat to be resettled on its carrier. Not knowing what had happened up ahead, she sang at first with the music of her CD that was playing but then reached for the book next to her on the seat (an essential companion on any trip) until things got moving again.

This morning, in addition to gratitude that I am at home and have my cheery sister added to the mix of my small community, what came to mind as I considered the number of travelers was the adage, “Wherever you go, there you are.” I hope that tomorrow can be for others what I expect the day will hold for us: peaceful preparation of good food for the body and the grace of presence that is the true essence of Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here I Go Again!

24 Saturday Sep 2016

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courage, deep conversation, discern, discussions, foundation, heart, life's purpose, meal sharing, Meg Wheatley, ritual, St. Joseph's Provincial House, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, Turning To One Another, wisdom work

aconversationI’m awake early today, making lists already for what I need to remember. I’m leaving later today for a week of travel that will place me at three different locations for three important conversations. It begins tomorrow at a reunion celebration with the women who arrived at St. Joseph’s Provincial House fifty years ago seeking to test a vocation to religious life. Some of us found that by God’s miraculous grace we stayed; others left us over the years to find their life’s purpose elsewhere. We will be happy to hear their stories tomorrow as we gather for ritual and sharing of a meal. By tomorrow evening I will be on a plane traveling half-way across the country to meet with other women. Eight of us have been privileged to be together several times over the past two years in prayer and purpose, designing processes for all of our Sisters (nearly 1,000 still) to discern a future that will see us as a smaller number but still strong to serve. Our efforts have been blessed by the participation of hearts and minds willing to jump in and speak to each other about vision, fears and fearlessness as we look ahead to a future that only God can know in the present. The end of my journey will bring me back East to New Hampshire by next weekend for different but just as worthy discussions. We six are the advisors to the trustee of our dear departed friend, Helen, whose gift of her fortune has facilitated the spread of “Wisdom Work” in the past four years to a degree that we could never have imagined. We have eight proposals to consider for the next calendar year, which may be the last. It was Helen’s desire that her money be dispersed within five years and it seems that she judged it correctly! Perhaps we may need to continue (and Helen’s wish was not a command). We won’t know until we sit together – again in prayer and deep conversation – to come to clarity on what projects are in keeping with her intent and vision.

I write all of the above this morning because of the unusual conjunction of events which are all bound together by a foundation of deep and meaningful conversation. I have been struck often lately by the power of that form of communication, seeing that no matter the type of gathering – be it business or pleasure – “success” of any encounter depends on deep listening to and response from all the parties involved. Meg Wheatley has lots to say about that; specifically today I heard the following:

Where can we find the courage to start a good conversation? The answer is found in the word itself. Courage comes from the Old French word for heart (cuer). We develop courage for those things that speak to our heart. Our courage grows for things that affect us deeply, things that open our hearts. Once our heart is engaged, it is easy to be brave. (Turning to One Another, p. 25)

I am eager for the coming week as I know hearts from around this country will be engaged in each of the three events to come. Mine is already anticipating the joy of our presence to one another. I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Conversation

01 Friday Jul 2016

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acknowledge, conversation, curious, deeper level, family, gather, Margaret Wheatley, messy, recognize, remember, slow down, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, Turning To One Another

atravelI’ve been thinking lately, because of recent experiences in a number of situations, of the value of good conversation for deepening understanding and recognition of how similar we are, even in all our diversity. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, when my copy of Turning To One Another, a book by Margaret Wheatley that I’ve had for years, showed up when I wasn’t looking. The book is subtitled “simple conversations to restore hope to the world.” This morning I read what might be a good reflection for those of us who are preparing to travel – near or far – during this Independence Day holiday time. Here’s some of what she said:

I first fell in love with the practice of conversation when I experienced for myself the sense of unity, of communion, that is available in this process…Although we each benefit individually from good conversation, we also discover that we were never as separated as we thought. Good conversation connects us at a deeper level. As we share our different human experiences, we rediscover a sense of unity. We remember we are part of a greater whole. And as an added joy, we also discover our collective wisdom. We suddenly see how wise we can be together. For conversation to take us into this deeper realm, I believe we have to practice several new behaviors. Here are the principles I’ve learned to emphasize before we begin a formal conversation process:

  1. we acknowledge one another as equals
  2. we try to stay curious about each other
  3. we recognize that we need each other’s help to become better listeners
  4. we slow down so that we have time to think and reflect
  5. we remember that conversation is the natural way humans think together
  6. we expect it to be messy at times.

If you have the opportunity to gather with others this weekend, especially with friends and loved ones that you don’t often see, (or even if you stay at home) I hope that you will remember the adage that “what is seldom is wonderful” and take counsel from Meg Wheatley in your time together. Safe travels, everyone.

 

No Matter Where

11 Monday Jan 2016

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community, history, make a difference, presence, psalm 116, religious communities, Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Louis, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel, vows

asuitcaseI just thought of a line of “pop philosophy” (“pop” = popular) that sounds silly but contains a great truth. It says, Wherever you go, there you are.” This morning I’m in St. Louis, Missouri, the place from which our religious congregation has radiated out over the whole country including Hawaii and further to Japan, Peru and Chile. I laugh to say that it took me a long time to get here from New York because of weather delays. The entire trip took 10 hours, quite a lot different from the journey of the first Sisters coming from France who spent 2 months of travel to arrive here in 1836! I had my usual love affair with the skies along the way, marveling that nothing but the grace of God and jet propulsion was keeping our very weighty conveyance (to say nothing of ourselves) in the air. There is so much beauty, so much clarity that is visible from six miles up – even in the darkness!

Psalm 116 flooded me with gratitude for the possibilities afforded me by the age I live in and the community of which I am a part. As I read: How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good God has done for me?…My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people. I was keenly aware of all the history in this place and the ministry done by the Sisters of St. Joseph here and elsewhere over the past 180 years. I am part of that history. Whether I am in this “parlor” in St. Louis or my bedroom in Windsor, New York typing my thoughts, I am the same, a cog in the wheel. Sometimes though, I am more aware of the “bigger picture” as today when I will sit with ten other Sisters designing ways for the larger body of us to create a future that will include smaller numbers of us but will have the same spirit and engagement with the world.

Today, then, I ask God’s blessing on all Sisters of St. Joseph and other religious communities of women and men whose vows call them to prayer and ministry for God’s sake in the world. Secondly, I recognize the blessing of all people in whatever state of life who have vowed to make a difference for the good. May we all be blessed to know the ways that our presence (wherever we find ourselves) is valuable to our world and to our God.

 

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