another trip

Tomorrow after work I'm headed on my last weekend trip to visit the different houses in our UK province. I'm travelling by coach to the Province Headquarters in Rearsby. I believe Nottingham is also on the itinerary this weekend, where our Congregation was founded in 1884. Should be fun!

Don't know if I'll have a chance to check in before I get back Sunday. If not, have a great weekend everyone!

musically inspired deep thoughts of the day

I've been at a loss for what to write these days ... too much going through my head and heart really as I wind down my time here in the UK and prepare to return to the Novitiate House. So ... I'm turning to my trusty random music selector to set the tone, or is it tune?

Song # 1: Stand by REM

Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around
If wishes were trees the trees would be falling
Listen to reason
Season is calling

I didn't even know I HAD this song anymore! What this song says to me is similar to this post a while back - stand in the present moment. There's a temptation to think too much about certain unbloggable situations in the past or to jump too far into the unknown yet very near future (let alone the also unknown yet not so near future). But if I listen to reason, I come to know the simple truth Jesus shares with us in the 6th chapter of Matthew: "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself."

Song # 2: Shimmer by Throwing Muses

I'll ride on a pony till I'm dusty and I'm old
My head is filled with flowers
And I'm dressed in shiny gold
I'm dressed in shiny gold
Keep an eye on me
I shimmer on horizons

Another oldie but goodie, this one from a more obscure band (and one of my all time favorites). I'm me and I'm human and I'm going to keep riding my pony so to speak, dwelling on the past and thinking about the future. I can acknowledge the wisdom in the words from the wise man from Nazareth, and yet I keep following the same old contrary and maddening patterns. Rather than beat myself up over my pesky patterns, what this song reminds me is of is another simple truth - this one from my post vatican 2 pseudo catechism classes ... God loves me. I'm dressed in shiny gold. I shimmer on horizons. Keep an eye on me.

Song # 3: Call and Answer by Bare Naked Ladies

I think it's getting to the point where I can be myself again.

Very fitting. I was just reading my journal entries for the past three months, and I do feel like I'm beginning to integrate the me I was before with the me I'm becoming - if that makes any sense at all. There's a lot of wisdom to spending 3 months away in a new environment doing new things with new people after spending 12 months in the retreat setting of the canonical novitiate. Any congregational leadership or formation personnel reading this are probably saying a sarcastic "Thanks Susan for pointing out our wisdom!." I can't even articulate the experience, except to say that this line catches its essence: I think it's getting to the point where I can be myself again. Not that I wasn't myself before, but I'm becoming more myself.

Song # 4: Impossible Germany by Wilco

But this is what love is for
To be out of place
Gorgeous and alone
Face to face
With no larger problems
That need to be erased
Nothing more important than to know
Someone's listening
Now I know
You'll be listening

When you get down to it, this entirely wonderful yet crazy journey is about one thing and one thing only ... Love. Love changes you - love is changing me. Last week the words that kept coming back to me in my reflection time were what it really means to "love God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Even writing that it stops me ... it's such an awesome statement. I started to think of the vows as one way to do that - to really love God, to really love neighbor - it certainly got me thinking. And listening. It's good to remember that our relationship with the big guy is just that, a relationship. It takes two to tango, as they say. God loves me, but how do I love God? God listens, but do I listen to God?

Song #5: Something to Believe in by Shawn Colvin

There will always be stars in the wind
Little lines on your face when you grin
When it looks like you've done it again
And you just don't know where to begin
There will always be something to believe in

I love this song. When it looks like you've done it again and you don't know where to begin, there will always be something to believe in. God loves us more than we can imagine. If I, if we, can just hold onto that, all shall be well.

update

Today I helped a client update his CV. He happened to be one of the first clients I helped when I started at the day center almost 3 months ago. He's still looking for full time work, but he did manage to find housing so he was updating the address on the CV. Since I helped him with the original CV, this was sort of going full circle.

I've still got this week and next at the day center, but my time there is drawing to a close. It has really been an honor to work as part of such a dedicated, caring and creative team. We've had quite a few clients move into full time or temporary work in the past few weeks. In fact today it was kind of quiet in the education training center, as some of our "regulars" were either at work or interviews.

My time there has helped me understand how important it is to have someone care about you. While the cv writing and techie help is important in this internet age, really I think the main thing the team in the education center provides is a caring presence in their chaotic lives. They give them encouragement to try, they challenge them when it's needed, and they always give congratulations when due - even for the small moments.

It reminds me of this line from our groovy constitutions:

Our call to peacemaking
permeates all aspects of our lives together.
It seeks expression in mutual love and concern
It challenges us to accept and share our gifts
and empower others to do likewise.
It pervades our prayer
and calls us to a life of simplicity and service.
(CSJP Constitutions 15)

two weeks

Two weeks from tonight I will be spending my last night in my bed here at my London groovy sister pad. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! It has been an all around great experience - from my community living situation to my volunteer ministry gigs to the opportunity to explore our founding story and visit around the UK province.

But before I launch into describing what I will miss here or what lies ahead, I have two weeks left to enjoy. Starting with an early start in the morning buttering toast so I better turn off the computer and get to bed!

Hope all my bloggy friends are doing well.

Peace,
Susan

home

I'm back from family time in Austria. Thanksgiving was the perfect combination of yummy food and family fun. It was especially enjoyable to reconnect with my almost 14 year old niece and 16 year old nephew. Plus their parents and another sister, her husband and mother-in-law.

We managed to get out and explore Vienna a bit yesterday. A beautiful City that seems to take Christmas quite seriously. They even have an Advent Calendar in the windows of their Town Hall! Apparently each day of Advent another window is opened and a work of art unveiled that is then sold for charity.

Thankfulness Quotient

According to this entirely non-scientific blog quiz, I am 6% more thankful this Thanksgiving than I was last year!

You Are 94% Thankful

You're an incredibly thankful person, and everyone around you feels very appreciated. You inspire people to be more optimistic, forgiving, and grateful.

How Thankful Are You?

I am feeling very thankful. For being able to journey with my groovy sisters. For my time here in London working with the poor and getting to know our sisters in the UK. For my friends. For my family. For the very gift of life.

Speaking of family, I'm also extremely thankful (and lucky) that I'm going to be celebrating an American Thanksgiving in Vienna. My oldest brother and his family live there. My sister from Chicago is also coming out with her husband. And it's SO much cheaper to fly there from the UK than it would be from the States ... another thing to be thankful for.

To all my American bloggy friends - have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And to all of my bloggy friends, thanks for reading!

present moment

My time here in London is rapidly drawing to a close - I head back to the Novitiate Dec 10. I've been trying to stay in the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or looking toward the future. One of my housemates here loaned me the Power of Now by Ekhard Tolle which has been useful in this regards.

This morning I found myself, as I say, trying to be present. I decided not to read the paper as I ate my cereal, but rather concentrate on the chewing of the Special K. As I walked to the bus stop, my thoughts drifted to this and to that, but there were so many wet leaves on the ground that I decided (especially in light of yesterday's post) that it was a matter of safety to concentrate on my footsteps! On the bus I tried to focus not on sitting on a cold bus, but rather to spend some quiet time with the big guy. I've always found a crowded bus in the early morning a great place for meditation. Same thing with airport departure lounges.

But this morning, thoughts kept creeping in. My spiritual director always advises me to laugh at such moments, which I did, which almost serves like a patronus on a boggart in a Harry Potter book. But then the thoughts crept back again. After a cycle of about 3 or 4 times, I decided to call in the big guns and asked Jesus to help me out in my quest to just be in the moment. Now, before you get worried I didn't have a vision or anything, but basically I felt like the message was that I should simply look into his eyes. So I closed my eyes, and imagined doing just that. It was a nice way to spend the rest of my ride into Central London.

When I'd finished work today, I realized that I had pretty much stayed in the present moment all day. Buttering toast, meeting with a new client, helping others with their job search. In a way, I guess I was looking to their eyes and seeing Christ.

I then went to my 2 1/2 hour gig as a model .... hair model that is. One of my housemates here tuned me into the free (or almost free) haircuts at the Vidal Sassoon Academy. The only catch is you have to sit in your chair for 2 to 3 hours as your student hairdresser gets directions from her instructor. It gave me lots more time to practice being in the present moment! :)

My Life as a Klutz

I'll let you in on a little secret ... I have a history of being a complete and utter klutz. Shall I count down some of the more famous falls in my life??

• The time I slipped on some wet leaves in front of the library at Lewis & Clark College, and slid right into a jagged boulder that was there for ornamental purposes but ended up gouging a huge hole into my knee which left a scar that's still quite prominent 14 years later (wow I'm old).
• The time I fell down the stairs at my brother's house in Holland (it had these teeny tiny steps) on my first day of a 2 week vacation and ended up with my leg elevated and/or limping around not seeing the sights for most of that time.
  
• The time I was enjoying an outside liturgy at a parish Young Adult Retreat and accidentally stepped into a ditch in the ground during the sign of peace wrenching my knee and having to stay an extra night so I could drive home.
  
• The time I was picking up 5 gallons of vegan soup to serve at a diocesan peace & justice retreat (a good story that's worth telling in full but I'll save that for another day), missed the big step down on my way out of the restaurant and fell face forward, somehow managing to lightly place the soup on the ground before collapsing myself to the amazement of passers by.

And these are just the highlights. You can't take me anywhere! Generally I am less of a klutz than I used to be. I've been working on developing a better sense of balance. Plus, my father suffered a very serious brain injury as a result of one of his own falls so I know it can be dangerous.

For the most part I'm very "good at falling," managing to catch myself or fall in such a way as to not cause major damage. You might ask why I am telling you all of this!

Well, we have a not so small step down from our dining room to the kitchen here at the house. It's a famous step - one of the Sisters back in NJ even warned me about it when she found out I was staying here. I've been very careful to remember it's there for the more than 2 months that I have been living here ... until this morning when I gallivanted into the kitchen planning to help clean up some of the pots and pans from the dinner preparations and fell straight forward onto the VERY hard floor. No broken bones or skin. Not even a sprain. Just some very, very sore knees. Did I mention how hard the floor was??

One wonderful thing about community though is that right away one of the sisters I live with was there making me sit down. She got a cold towel for me to place on my sore kneecaps, while the other sister pulled a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer.

It's nice to have folks there to help pick you up when you fall down. And yes, you can read that in both literal and figurative ways!

And that my dear bloggy friends is an insight into my life as a klutz. ;)

fishook

This afternoon we went to a lovely workshop at Ealing Abbey by composer Margaret Rizza. It was a combination of prayer, silence and music. She was conducting us like a choir towards the end - even those of us who aren't quite tone deaf but can't really sing either. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon!

Anyway, she shared with us a lovely quote by Meister Eckhart that I knew I had to share with my bloggy friends. We could all do with spending some time reflecting on (and living this), I think!

God lies in wait for us with nothing so much as love.

Now love is like a fishhook.

A fisher cannot catch a fish unless the fish first picks up the hook. If the fish picks up the hook, no matter how much the fish may turn and squirm the Fisher is certain of the fish. Love is the same way. Whoever is captured by love takes up this hook in such a fashion that foot and hand, mouth and eyes, heart and all that is in that person must always belong to God.

Therefore, Look only for this fishhook, and you will be happily caught. The more you are caught, the more you will be liberated.

Deep Thoughts ... by Susan Rose

Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12)

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement. (2 Corinthians 13)

Warning … deep thoughts time. I’ve been reflecting on these two passages from 2^nd Corinthians over the past few days. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever read them before. If I have, they’ve never registered. But at the present moment, they speak volumes to me.

As much as I’ve been trying to be in the present moment – particularly as the clock ticks away on my 3 month ministry experience here in London – I can’t help but look back on the past year. I think in part it’s something about being away from the "fishbowl"-like environment of the Novitiate House. Time and space away allows me to reflect on that experience, on my own role in the more challenging moments. When you’re caught up in the little dramas of life, it’s harder to find perspective. It’s also harder to claim your own responsibility.

This past week at our novice course we spent a bit of time looking at our own power style. I sometimes wish I came across as more like a lovable bunny but more often than not I come across as a fish eating whale – read this post if you want to know what I’m talking about! Really what this means is that my deep desire is to be collaborative and participatory, to use power in the service of love rather than as power over or control. Unfortunately, as is often the case with us humans, my actions don’t always match up with my desire. Hence the fish eating whale image.

As I said I’ve been a bit retrospective lately, looking back at various incidents of the past year and seeing connections and patterns in other conflict situations of my life. One interesting phenomenon as I try to recall the details of some of the situations from the way back machine is that it’s hard to remember what the conflict was even about! And yet the hurts or misunderstandings can last for years and years, particularly when we stay in our own hurts rather than trying to move past or through them into reconciliation and healing.

It is helpful to have tools and language to look at our actions and motivations. But it’s also helpful to realize that we are weak … I am human. I will make mistakes. And some more mistakes. And some more mistakes. Ad infinitum …

There are steps I can take to live more as my heart desires to live … a life of gentle strength that respects others and is open and willing not only to affecting change but to BEING changed. I can work on being aware, of using good communication and conflict resolution skills. I can reach out to others for help. As part of a religious community I am beginning to realize I don’t have to do this on my own – we are in the struggle together.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves.

But in the end, I’m starting to realize (and maybe even accept) that it’s not up to me or even those I am journeying with. I/We can desire growth, change and gentling but in the end, I/We need to open ourselves up to God. I/We need to reflect upon our own actions, see where our lived reality meets (or doesn’t meet) our hearts’ desire. But in the end, we need to ask ourselves the question that Paul poses …

Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?

Jesus, Son of God, you who walked amongst us crazy humans during your time on earth, walk with me now. I desire to be gentled and to live gently. Help that desire grow. Increase that desire until it envelops me, lifts me up and beyond my own petty desires, insecurities and woundedness. By the grace of your love, may I live a life that nurtures peace in myself, in those I journey with and in our troubled world. So may it be, Amen.

Novice Course (UK Version)

All week I've been attending an intercongregational course for novices here in the UK. Regular readers will remember that I attended a similar program in the US last year. We thought it would be a good experience for me to attend this program to meet religious in formation in this country.

It was been a very full week. Tomorrow is our last day. Lots of great content. New faces and wonderful conversations. Definitely worthwhile. I'll be digesting the content for a while - we talked about the Vow of Obedience in general, with specific units on discernment, power and authority, communication and conflict resolution as the building blocks to living the vow. I'll probably share some of my thoughts later, but for now I'll just share a photo I took at sunrise this morning.

Feeding the Hungry Through Vocabulary

One of our Sisters pointed out this online game out to me...

Proceeds of your vocabulary accomplishments go to the UN Food Program - 10 grains of rice for each correct answer. The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen.

Give it a go!

Checking in Early

Hello there! It turns out the retreat center where I'm staying has wireless internet (and I brought my laptop to work on a reflection for my novice director), so I thought I'd check in with my friends in the blogosphere a bit earlier than expected.

The trip to Scotland was great - whirlwind but great. Next time, as everyone kept telling me, I need to come for at least a week. I looked upon my weekend trip as a chance to visit our community in Scotland, rather than to see much of the country itself.

I was the recipient of wonderful CSJP hospitality. I stayed with one community of Sisters - who were so kind as to arrange a Saturday evening get together with friends and associates in my honor. I had a great time and enjoyed trying to keep up with the Glaswegian accents! One of the Sisters I'm living with in London (who is originally from Scotland) had given me a few tips and even a book to brush up on my Scottish vocabulary! It was still a bit of a challenge. ;)

Earlier on Saturday the other community of Sisters from the area whisked me away for a day trip to New Lanark (an 18th Century Cotton Mill Village and World Heritage Site) and the Clyde Valley. The country side was beautiful, particularly with all of the fall colors. We also visited a pair of Highland Cows named Wallace and Bruce! All in all, it was a wonderful community visit and gave me a taste of Scotland - and a desire to go back.

It was also neat to see the town of "Greenock" on various street signs. My grandmother, was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1908. Her parents were from Northern Ireland, but the story goes that her father was working for a spell in Scotland when she was born.

Blog Break

I'm going to be away from the computer for the next week or so.

First up is a weekend trip to visit our Sisters in Scotland!

Then on Monday I'm headed to an intercongregational course for novices. The course is being held at a retreat center that in its earlier days as a palace played host to Katharine of Aragon.

Probably the most important Royal visitor to Buckden Palace was Katherine of Aragon. She was sent there by order of Henry VIII after the annulment of their marriage by Archbishop Cranmer. She resided in the Palace from July 1533 until 1534, occupying a room from where she had a direct view into the chapel.

I'm looking forward to meeting other novices here in the UK, but the historial connection also holds some interest for me as well!

I probably won't be back here until next Saturday.

Peace Out,
Susan

Forest of Dean

Those of you who have read HP 7 will understand why I was excited by this bit on BBC 2's Autumnwatch this evening: "tracking down an elusive animal in the Forest of Dean."

Yes ... the Forest of Dean! (Don't click this hyperlink if you for some reason care about HP and haven't yet read HP7 - it will spoil the fun).

They had beautiful shots of said forest as well as of the wild boar that have apparently returned there after being extinct for hundreds of years.

Life's simple pleasures ... it brought a smile to my face to think of Harry & Hermione having to not only look out for you know who's followers, but wild boar to boot. Not that I wish them any harm mind you, but it just made (what is admittedly an entirely fictional) "it" more real.

discernment by blog quiz

Your Life is 14% Off Track

No doubt about it, you are living the right life. You've made some great decisions, and they've definitely paid off. Keep it up. You're on the right track!

Are You Living The Wrong Life?

I have to admit it was satisfying to be able to answer the questions in this quiz in a truly honest and apparently 86% positive fashion. There have been times in my life where I've been unhappy with my job, feeling lonely, wondering what the point was to my existence - to varying degrees at different points. But these days, I'm pretty much happy. Granted, religious life (and certainly the novitiate) has challenges and complications and problems of its own, but so far it really is turning out to be the right track for this blogging novice, and for that I am very grateful.

I'm also very tired ... long yet fulfilling day at work. Time to turn off the computer, read a bit of my book and head to bed! Yes, it's 7:18PM and I'm almost ready for bed. Crazy.

around the world

A little bit ago I read this story in the Guardian while I drank my cup of afternoon tea: "Falkland War Veterans return to islands."

Two hundred and fifty Falklands war veterans - many still suffering psychological trauma from the conflict - will return to the islands this week.

Their arrival and tour around local battlefields is timed to coincide with the 25th annual Remembrance Day Service since the 1982 Argentinian invasion.

Then I checked my e-mail to learn that a postcard I sent my friend Jason in West Virginia had already been to the Falkland Islands by mistake.

Hey Susan,

I just received your postcard dated 30 September.

It's stamped "Missent to Falkland Islands."

Weird. There was a postal strike here in the UK, but mistaking West Virginia for the Falkland Islands???

a quick thought

Just a quick thought from today's first reading before I head to work:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are God's judgments and how unsearchable God's ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid?

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11)

All glory and honor are yours, now and forever. Those words from the mass keep coming to me in prayer of late, which I suppose is why these words from the Letter to the Romans jumped out at me this morning during my prayer time.

For from God and through God and for God are all things. What better words to have running through my head as I get ready to begin a new week of ministry with the homeless of London?

On that note however I must run so as to not be late!

hmmmm

I saw this t-shirt for sale at a street market the other day and had to take a picture, although I don't know if I agree with the message! (If you can't read it the t-shirt says: "Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go to London".)

Seriously though, my time here continues to be enjoyable and enriching. The next few weekends will hold some travel for me, so I was happy to have the time to explore London a bit yesterday. Last night my house mates and I were given some complimentary tickets to a fund raiser for a local homeless charity. It was a wonderful evening of traditional irish music performed by the Maids of Erin -- a group of 6 18 year old women from Counties Limerick & Kerry. They were very talented!

I've got a full week at work coming up. Next weekend I will be traveling to Scotland to visit with our Sisters there. And upon my return next Monday I'll be attending a week-long course on obedience with novices from other religious communities.

Time is flying by!

Friday Five ... Interviews

Today's Revgalblogpal Friday Five is on the subject of interviews (the job seeking kind).

1. What was the most memorable interview you ever had?

Egads! Memorable because it was horrible! The year after college I lived in Switzerland as a nanny while I figured out what to do with my life. When I returned to Portland, I spent the summer temping while I frantically job hunted and still pondered said question. I seemed to be constantly the 2nd or 3rd choice for horrid jobs that I didn't really want anyway and was constantly going on interviews. The memorable interview in question however was with a coalition of neighborhood associations. There were no less than TEN people on the interview panel, all sitting on the other side of a long table. The room was extremely hot. They all had glasses of water in front of them, but offered me none. My chair was shorter than theirs and close to toppling over. I'm sure it's my imagination adding on details after the years, but I swear their was something like a spotlight pointing at me. Interview? Or interrogation? Oh, and THEY started sniping at each other instead of asking me questions! That was one job I was happy not to get.

2. Have you ever been the interviewer rather than the interviewee? If so, are you a tiger, a creampuff, or somewhere in between?

Once I was on an interview panel for the City. It was for a general clerical classification, and our job wasn't to select candidates for a particular job but rather to screen them so they could be ranked on a list (bureaucracy!). I think I was nice enough, although one of the two other interviewers actually fell asleep during one of the interviews. I had to step on her foot (accidentally of course) to try to wake her up discreetly.

3. Do phone interviews make you more or less nervous than in-person ones?

Never had one, but I generally am not a fan of the conference call. I like to see people when I speak with them, especially for something as important as an interview.

4. What was the best advice you ever got to prepare for an interview? How about the worst?

The best advice was from a book, the title of which I have long forgotten. Rather than giving you tips on how to anticipate what types of questions you might face, it suggested you spend your preparation time deciding what YOU want to tell THEM. Then it gave you tips on how to spin your particular message into any question, without it seeming like you were dodging the question. It worked pretty well actually.

Worst advice? Can't really recall. It's all such a blur at this point.

5. Do you have any pre-interview rituals that give you confidence?

When I started my discernment type meetings with the groovy sisters - which are a kindler gentler form of interview I suppose but much more important - I accidentally started the ritual of getting my hair cut nice and short before an interview. Made my head feel lighter, helped me stand taller, and it's always good to think you look nice.

Well, now that interview contemplation is over I'm going downstairs to bake. One of my housemates here showed me the secret to scones, so I'm going to whip up another batch. Then I'm going to make some of my cranberry almond biscotti as a thank you gift for another Sister who has been my tour guide on all those history trips. We're actually going on another history trip today, this one closer to home here in London.

Peace to you all. Have a good day.

Litany of the Saints

My other volunteer job (aside from the day center) is one day a week at the offices of Pax Christi. For the most part I'm doing office work for the cause of peace. I'm more than happy to find a useful outlet for my 11+ years of office experience! Plus, the people are nice.

Today I was putting labels onto envelopes for their bi-monthly newsletter mailing. In addition to their membership, pretty much every parish in English & Wales is on the mailing list. Which mean that this morning I was peeling and sticking labels with Saint's name after Saint's name on them.

After about 200 labels, I realized how fitting this was for All Saint's Day! I ended up silently reading each Saint's name as I pulled the label, and then silently saying to myself "pray for us" as I stuck it on the envelope. It was a kind of office work litany of the saints if you will. It certainly made the time go faster and added a rhythm to the task. Also, considering that I was doing this for about 3 hours, it was a pretty intense prayer experience!

Tonight I'm headed to the local parish for mass, but I feel like I've been praying all day.