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| Someone is sneaking up on me. |
Monday, January 27, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Mission Post #27 - Getting the Lay of the Land
Today, while Sr. Darlene was taking care of other matters, we were directed to orient ourselves to Pemiscott County and just drive around. She especially told me that I was to leave my camera at home. She has figured out very quickly that my camera is like a third arm and she felt it was important for me to learn to live and see "in the moment". This was a painful assignment but I was up for the task. Then she told me that I was to not turn on my cell phone either. No electronics. She knows my weakness. She is a very discerning woman and a quick study of human behavior.
So off we went and the first leg of our trip was really strange, mainly due to the crazy county map we were following. It was practically a hand drawn relic. Yes, we are in a different world.
The first hour of our drive, we followed county roads to a place called Kinfolk Ridge where we saw an old Baptist church, a place called Martha's Stitching Post, and 3 golden dogs who looked to all be from the same litter and all a bit under weight. From there we aimed south to Cottonwood Point and an old cemetery which we never actually spotted. We ended up in a community called Brasher. There is an old but well-preserved Sinclair Gas sign there that I would like to go back and photograph it.
We continued to slowly and carefully drive the gravel covered road that hug the levy, ever aware of the Mighty Mississippi flowing just over on the other side. I have to admit that the levy area we drove through was a bit unsettling. It had very much the feeling of a Tobacco Road environment and I was very much pushing the boundaries of what I am familiar with.
For many miles, we followed the gravel levy road passing poor homes, sagging barns, old farm equipment and fallow fields. We saw absolutely no one. The drive felt eerily empty. When we finally found ourselves back on paved road, we were both very relieved but for very different reasons: Don was glad to be off the gravel and I was feeling like I had arrived back in a familiar world.
We found ourselves back in Caruthersville so we stopped for lunch at the Round House. This building is exactly as it sounds and has been a C'ville institution for over 75 years. We poured over the map to try to make some sense out of it. We picked a new destination and headed out one of the main county roads. This time I did much better on my navigating. North, south, east, and west were starting to make sense.
We found ourselves in the tiny hamlets of Braggadocia and Deering. These communities grew up on the farmland of the area and each has their own zip code and tiny post office. One other thing that I noticed was that there was one church for each town. The first was one of the various Baptists church of which there are many in the area and the other was Methodist. This lead me to wonder if the small communities of farmers that grew up around the churches were Methodists or Baptists to begin with OR were they Christian people without a church to anchor their communities and whoever arrived there first was the one to pitch their tent (so to speak). No matter; it's good to see that there is a church serving the communities. People need a gathering place.
After our excursion, we returned to meet up with Sister and drove to a little town south of us to deliver clothes to Open Hand Ministries. We spent about an hour and a half sorting and hanging everything from baby clothes to men's jeans. The local pound was right behind us and the dogs frequently set up a great chorus of howls.
After our work there, we drove by the park where Sister holds her summer Bible Camp. She has been doing this for several years and has come to know many of the kids very well. As she drove us through the neighborhood, my heart broke. Even if a child's particular house isn't degraded, the neighborhood, as a whole, is.
Condemned and crumbling buildings
Existing home that were never quite right even when they were new
Debris
Trash
Dead foliage
Befouled streams
This is what they see everyday. It is little wonder that children grow up without a sense of hope or aspirations for something better. This is why Sister's summer work here is so important. They remember her. They come looking for her. In a hopeless world, she is planting seeds of hope. Some of them will catch a seed and blossom.
So off we went and the first leg of our trip was really strange, mainly due to the crazy county map we were following. It was practically a hand drawn relic. Yes, we are in a different world.
The first hour of our drive, we followed county roads to a place called Kinfolk Ridge where we saw an old Baptist church, a place called Martha's Stitching Post, and 3 golden dogs who looked to all be from the same litter and all a bit under weight. From there we aimed south to Cottonwood Point and an old cemetery which we never actually spotted. We ended up in a community called Brasher. There is an old but well-preserved Sinclair Gas sign there that I would like to go back and photograph it.
We continued to slowly and carefully drive the gravel covered road that hug the levy, ever aware of the Mighty Mississippi flowing just over on the other side. I have to admit that the levy area we drove through was a bit unsettling. It had very much the feeling of a Tobacco Road environment and I was very much pushing the boundaries of what I am familiar with. For many miles, we followed the gravel levy road passing poor homes, sagging barns, old farm equipment and fallow fields. We saw absolutely no one. The drive felt eerily empty. When we finally found ourselves back on paved road, we were both very relieved but for very different reasons: Don was glad to be off the gravel and I was feeling like I had arrived back in a familiar world.
We found ourselves back in Caruthersville so we stopped for lunch at the Round House. This building is exactly as it sounds and has been a C'ville institution for over 75 years. We poured over the map to try to make some sense out of it. We picked a new destination and headed out one of the main county roads. This time I did much better on my navigating. North, south, east, and west were starting to make sense.
We found ourselves in the tiny hamlets of Braggadocia and Deering. These communities grew up on the farmland of the area and each has their own zip code and tiny post office. One other thing that I noticed was that there was one church for each town. The first was one of the various Baptists church of which there are many in the area and the other was Methodist. This lead me to wonder if the small communities of farmers that grew up around the churches were Methodists or Baptists to begin with OR were they Christian people without a church to anchor their communities and whoever arrived there first was the one to pitch their tent (so to speak). No matter; it's good to see that there is a church serving the communities. People need a gathering place.
After our excursion, we returned to meet up with Sister and drove to a little town south of us to deliver clothes to Open Hand Ministries. We spent about an hour and a half sorting and hanging everything from baby clothes to men's jeans. The local pound was right behind us and the dogs frequently set up a great chorus of howls.
After our work there, we drove by the park where Sister holds her summer Bible Camp. She has been doing this for several years and has come to know many of the kids very well. As she drove us through the neighborhood, my heart broke. Even if a child's particular house isn't degraded, the neighborhood, as a whole, is.
Condemned and crumbling buildings
Existing home that were never quite right even when they were new
Debris
Trash
Dead foliage
Befouled streams
This is what they see everyday. It is little wonder that children grow up without a sense of hope or aspirations for something better. This is why Sister's summer work here is so important. They remember her. They come looking for her. In a hopeless world, she is planting seeds of hope. Some of them will catch a seed and blossom.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Walking In The Dark
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It was so cold (18 degrees). By the time we got there (in less than 5 minutes) my lungs were gasping and my face was going into shock. I was forcefully reminded of stepping out into 120 degree weather at 8 a.m. in Needles, CA on August long ago and I couldn't decided which was worse, sered
lungs or the brain freeze I was experiencing without the benefit and pleasure of ice cream.
As we knocked at the door, I was thinking I would be so grateful when the door opened to the warmth within. A sweet face greeted us and a tall presence hovered in the background. And that is how we met Betty and Lee - an answer to our simple knock at their door.
We were quickly welcomed into the warmth and that is when we found out that Rosary had been cancelled due to the extreme cold. Somehow, I wasn't at all surprised and even had wondered earlier in the day if it might be cancelled.
The hospitable Betty and Lee assured us we must stay so Don, Betty, and I settled into prayer. Lee, a life long Methodist, went back to his TV show with Mackenzie, their mini-Schnauzer. Yes, another one, just like Sister's dog, Izzy and just as friendly.
We learned later that their son owns a BBQ restaurant in town and they invited us to join them. But first Lee called to check if they were still open and sure enough, they were closed, again thanks to the weather. Lee insisted he drive us the short distance back to the house and though we declined, he just shook his head (probably thinking "Californians"), put on his jacket, and headed for the backyard and the car. I was very grateful.
Haiku My Heart - Baby It's Cold Outside
Biting, freezing cold
Cheeks ache, lungs shrivel and gasp
Ten degree sunset.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Mission Post #26 - Experiencing Quiet
Symbols.
Images.
Proliferation of communication with no filters.
We are buried in information overload about our social climate, our political climate and our economic climate. I have become exhausted by all of it. I know too much and too much of it isn't worth knowing.
"Knowledge" has lead me to intense feelings of hopelessness at times. We all suffer from it whether we know it or not and our unspoken plea (found in our struggles) is Don't tell me HOW to embrace a more meaningful life; SHOW me.
Lately, a new peace has descended upon me. The first phase was leaving home. The travel from home to here in Missouri started to strip away the noise and static of life that so filled my heart and mind.
News of the day has been obliterated; social media has been substantially reduced; prayer, reflection, and action are becoming more a part of my daily rhythm. Feeling and being in the moment is starting to take center stage.
I'm cooking with pleasure. What a surprise this is. Living in community has re-ordered how I perceive my daily tasks and responsibilities. There is a much more general feeling of simplicity and a desire to get outside of my head. It is a huge relief to strip away the things that were weighing me down. And I don't necessarily mean material things so much as re-ordering priorities that are now leading to a life centered on God.
This re-ordering is making me happier, more peaceful, more accepting (but not fatalistically so) and, unexpectedly, more loving and conscious of my husband. These changes aren't subtle either. I thought I was all the things I mentioned and, to a degree, I was. However, stripping away the noise of life shows you just how diminished or, worse yet, absent those things can be in a life. Traveling this road is showing me that our loved ones can become habits. Of course, I love my family. It's a habit. It needs no explanation. But, for me now, this is something that I know should not be a habit that is taken for granted. It needs to be a living and breathing daily reality.
If this all has happened so quickly, then I can't begin to imagine what lies ahead, what God has in store for me. But, I sure am looking forward to the discovering despite the information overloaded world we live in.
God bless you all and please pray for us.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Mission Report #25 - Update and Reflection
Today, Don and I continue our orientation to the community
we will be serving. We have already met
Fr. Yoric and a couple of town friends from Don’s youth.
We have mainly been settling into our temporary home at Sister’s
formation house and, for me especially, getting used to the cold. I have discovered that 26 degrees in
California is not the same as 26 degrees in Missouri which is damp, biting, and
generally comes with a wind that is more than a light breeze. I can’t go barefoot as I like but I dislike
socks, so, today I pick up a pair of slippers.
We have also been learning the Liturgy of the Hours and are
saying morning and evening prayers and a daily Rosary. Our Mass routine is at least four days a week. These formal prayers of our Faith are
powerful tools for opening ourselves up to what God is asking of us and the beauty
of the Psalms have been revealing themselves to us.
My private reading, this morning, from the Upper Room
booklet was from James 2: 1-9. The prayer
focus was on people who are homeless.
God of the poor, help
us to see your face in everyone who is in need. Amen.
Today’s reading is especially pointed to me as we take our
first steps on mission. We live in a
society of extremes, not the least of which is those who have much and those
who have little. My spot in the world is
as one who has just enough and, because of that, have the opportunity to give
as I can and as I choose. But, this
place, I think, has the added burden of having to judge and weigh every
opportunity that comes our way to serve.
I consider the word ‘judge’, which has such negative
connotations, to be, in reality, a good word.
I am thinking, weighing, and discerning.
I am seeking a truth that allows a decision to be made. So, I make a judgment, not for what is deemed
worthy but to discern and make a decision to act or not act. These steps can happen at the drop of a hat.
Other times, days might be taken to decide.
What is most important is that we don’t just automatically
say ‘no’ to a perceived need. Christ is
always knocking at our door. It’s up to
us to recognize the knock and answer.
Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it takes some thought but always we are
called to listen for His knock and decide if this is a call to be answered.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Mission Post - #24 - Arrival
We arrive yesterday in early afternoon after making good time from our last stop at Little Rock AFB where we spent the night at the lodge. This is the third lodge we've enjoyed staying at and I have to admit, this is one of the nicer perks of being retired military. Quarters are as good if not better than hotels and the cost is half of any Best Western level hotel. Breakfasts are to be had at the base golf courses and the food is always good. One thing they don't stint on in the military is food (at least in my experience). So, after a good night's sleep, breakfast, and Mass at the base chapel we took off for the final 3 1/2 hours of our journey to Missouri.
I haven't been here in 20 years. Kris as 9 the last time I was here. Even with big tornado damage is 06, things still look pretty much the same. Now that we are here without children, with no relatives living here, and all past memories (mine) put to rest, I am looking at Caruthersville with very different eyes.
Being here on a mission puts us in a whole different category of visitor. For one thing, one doesn't just visit C'ville. Except for the casino, there is nothing to attract a visitor to stay for a while. We have no family here anymore so a stay now is a purposeful event.
Meeting Sr. Darlene has been a treat and since last night, we have been in a marathon of conversation, prayer, cooking, prayer, developing our idea of community and prayer and, and, and . . . . Her mini-Schnauzer, Izzy, is wildly entertaining and maintains full command of the yard and especially command over the squirrel population.
Sr. Darlene lives alone in her mission assignment. Since hers is also a formation house, there are women who come here to discern their vocation to the religious life. The house is set up for as many as four more women. Don and I share a room with two twin beds. Welcome to the land of Donna Reed and I Love Lucy. LOL This warm and welcoming home is designed for hospitality, a service that the GlenMary sisters are always prepared to provide.
The idea of living in community was not an idea I considered as I prepared myself for this experience. We soon discovered that work and responsibilities would be easy to divide up and we would be as much independent of each other and we would be in union with each other.
Our greatest moments of union in the course of the day is praying the Liturgy of the Hours, a series of formal morning and evening prayers that incorporate old and new testament readings, Psalms, Canticles, and other optional readings that are designed to deepen our understanding and love of our Faith and draw us closer to God and what He wants for us. After morning prayers today, we sat around the kitchen table for about an hour and a half as Sister explained the basics of the Liturgy of the Hours. I took detailed notes and decided to also look online for instruction.
Thoughts for reflection that have already been aroused within me are -
Finding peace within myself, I must acknowledge that we are not of this world. We are here to be with Christ. What burdens me, give to God. Ask how He wants to use me in His service in the battle field of the world. Discover how I can let God work through me.
As I type this, I am preparing for Mass this evening. This will set the evening rhythm for our week with Mass on Sunday, Monday evening and Wednesday evening. Thursdays the community gathers for a rosary. There will be work at Mother's House as we had anticipated; there are repairs to be done around the house; the garage is a challenge as sister is deeply afraid of snakes. She found one in there two years ago and hasn't gone in since. Yes, it's cold and the snakes may be dormant. Doesn't matter. So Don and I may be exploring the garage for her. No, I'm not fearful of snakes. Some of the elderly of the parish need help so our two sets of hands will be added to hers.
But it is early days and the possibilities are wide open and I'm sure there will be opportunities that will arise as the need arises. It is definitely going to be an adventure. Please pray for us.
God bless you all.
I haven't been here in 20 years. Kris as 9 the last time I was here. Even with big tornado damage is 06, things still look pretty much the same. Now that we are here without children, with no relatives living here, and all past memories (mine) put to rest, I am looking at Caruthersville with very different eyes.
Being here on a mission puts us in a whole different category of visitor. For one thing, one doesn't just visit C'ville. Except for the casino, there is nothing to attract a visitor to stay for a while. We have no family here anymore so a stay now is a purposeful event.
Meeting Sr. Darlene has been a treat and since last night, we have been in a marathon of conversation, prayer, cooking, prayer, developing our idea of community and prayer and, and, and . . . . Her mini-Schnauzer, Izzy, is wildly entertaining and maintains full command of the yard and especially command over the squirrel population.
Sr. Darlene lives alone in her mission assignment. Since hers is also a formation house, there are women who come here to discern their vocation to the religious life. The house is set up for as many as four more women. Don and I share a room with two twin beds. Welcome to the land of Donna Reed and I Love Lucy. LOL This warm and welcoming home is designed for hospitality, a service that the GlenMary sisters are always prepared to provide.
The idea of living in community was not an idea I considered as I prepared myself for this experience. We soon discovered that work and responsibilities would be easy to divide up and we would be as much independent of each other and we would be in union with each other.
Our greatest moments of union in the course of the day is praying the Liturgy of the Hours, a series of formal morning and evening prayers that incorporate old and new testament readings, Psalms, Canticles, and other optional readings that are designed to deepen our understanding and love of our Faith and draw us closer to God and what He wants for us. After morning prayers today, we sat around the kitchen table for about an hour and a half as Sister explained the basics of the Liturgy of the Hours. I took detailed notes and decided to also look online for instruction.
Thoughts for reflection that have already been aroused within me are -
Finding peace within myself, I must acknowledge that we are not of this world. We are here to be with Christ. What burdens me, give to God. Ask how He wants to use me in His service in the battle field of the world. Discover how I can let God work through me.
As I type this, I am preparing for Mass this evening. This will set the evening rhythm for our week with Mass on Sunday, Monday evening and Wednesday evening. Thursdays the community gathers for a rosary. There will be work at Mother's House as we had anticipated; there are repairs to be done around the house; the garage is a challenge as sister is deeply afraid of snakes. She found one in there two years ago and hasn't gone in since. Yes, it's cold and the snakes may be dormant. Doesn't matter. So Don and I may be exploring the garage for her. No, I'm not fearful of snakes. Some of the elderly of the parish need help so our two sets of hands will be added to hers.
But it is early days and the possibilities are wide open and I'm sure there will be opportunities that will arise as the need arises. It is definitely going to be an adventure. Please pray for us.
God bless you all.