communitas et caritas

It's supposed to rain tonight, and basically all weekend.  I love rain.  I grew up in a place where rain was less common than snow, and when I lived in the Midwest and Texas I came to know torrential downpours for the first time.  I loved it, the power of it, especially when I could watch from behind a windowpane.  Now that I live in Southern California, basically in the desert, it's a special treat to me to have rain. But there's a crimp in my pleasure now.  I spend Friday afternoons with homeless women, hearing their stories.  Rain is not something you love if you have nowhere to go. I learn a lot from these women.  They are beautiful, and most of them don't know it.  Most of them have never been treated well, and some of them have been treated devastatingly poorly.  Often, I hear stories in which they are treated like objects; and sometimes I hear stories of the great kindness of strangers.  Those who run the center tell me that they are glad I come because most

I spent most of today at the botanical gardens, praying, wandering, watching, delighting. Life has been rather hectic lately, and I needed to root myself once again in prayer, in Jesus.  How lucky am I that I can spend a day with that as my primary task!  The life of a novice, I guess!  So, here I will share some pictures, and a few prayerful thoughts. I was so taken by this tree.  It's called a Dragon Tree, because the sap is red, and they believed that it was dragon blood.  Weird.  The sign also said that the sap was used in the varnish for Stradivarius violins, giving them their characteristically reddish tint. As I got closer, I saw how it was growing with those trees around it.  A tree in community! Because we've been talking about community and studying how we as a congregation live in community, I found all sorts of meaning in these trees.  I sat under them for almost an hour, noticing how they rely on each other for support (notice how crooked they are), how thei

Today's gospel always make me think of the Godspell song....   Let your light shine! The last week has been so busy for me.  My birthday was Tuesday (I'm 32!!) and my dad is here to visit.  Unfortunately, my classes aren't just canceled because I have a guest, so I've had little down time.  We've been having a good time--at the beach, at some of the sights around town, and with my community.  Having family meet community for the first time always makes me a little nervous, but invariably it's a good experience for everyone.