Day 6: Convergence of the New and the Old: A Day of Encouragement

Statue of St. Francis in garden at the Franciscan Spiritual Center 

Blessing of St. Francis that appears underneath the statue 

I arose Friday morning to the task of eating breakfast, packing up and straightening up my hermitage.  The Sisters ask that you strip your sheets, as well as take out your trash and recycling(they are very ecologically minded furnishing the cottage with dish towels and cloth napkins as well as even toilet paper made from recycled materials).  I finished feeling grateful for my time of rest and now was ready to get onto the Blue Route(476) and face the rush hour traffic.  It seemed strange as I drove to meet Michelle, the second person I was meeting face to face for the first time, to drive on road that was now finished(only part of it had been completed when I left PA for TN in 1994). Arriving at the cafe in Haveford, Michelle greeted me with just as much excitement and enthusiasm.  Enjoying a delicious breakfast, we spent two delightful hours conversing about our faith, our daily lives and how they intersect.  So what prompted me to contact Michelle about meeting together, she is one of the featured authors in the Homilists for the Homeless(see below for more info) and I had used a prayer from her homily in one of my sermons.  She even autographed my book and we took a selfie together. Her wisdom, joy and encouragement were a blessing.

Michelle Franci-Donnay and I 

Du Jour Cafe - Delicious Coffee and Breakfast, if you are ever Haverford

 From Haverford, I drove back roads to my Aunt Marianne's home; enjoying seeing the beautiful old trees and some of the stone houses that still remained in the midst of new stores and office buildings. Aunt Marianne is not my aunt; she is a longtime friend of my Mother's who never married and over the years always remembered my sister and I with holiday cards, postcards from her travels and birthday money.  Even now, she enjoys receiving pictures of our children and still remembers our birthdays with a card.  In spite of being the only remaining member of her immediate family(her brother, father and mother are all deceased) and other complex life issues; she remains steadfast in her faith in Jesus and continues to pray for our family.  So  as I arrived, she hugged me and was exceeding glad to see me.  We enjoyed a wonderful time of visiting and reminiscing over old times.  She even took me out to dinner and to Dairy Queen.  She and my Mother had  met in graduate school at Trenton State in 1967 so this friendship dates from even before I was born.  So of course Aunt Marianne had to pull out the baby pictures, of course I was a cute baby; the funny part was seeing her dressed in the latest fashion of 1972.  We had many laughs over her and my mother's experiences in computer dating as well.  She enjoyed hearing about schooling and my future plans.
What a treat to meet Michelle and spend time with Aunt Marianne on the same day !!

Check out Michelle's blog at: http://mfrancldonnay.blogspot.com/

For information on the Homilists for the Homeless project, visit them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Homilists

To order their books, visit http://clearfaithpublishing.com/homilies/
The books for Year A and Year C, Naked, and You Clothed Me and Hungry and You Fed Me are both available for immediate purchase and year B's set of homilies: Sick, and You Cared for Me is now available for pre-order.

For more infomation on Du Jour visit: http://www.dujourmarket.com/

The Mainline Suburbs are full of culture and history; I would definitely recommend a visit and suggest also that you consider doing it by train; I always loved riding the train into the city. While it is home to some of the wealthiest people; it is home to many fine colleges, wonderful shopping and many places on the National Historic Register.
http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/Neighborhoods/
http://www.septa.org/stations/rail/suburban.html

Day 5: Kairos - God's Time Not Mine

Part of the beautiful gardens of the Convent and Retreat Center. The photo to the right is the prayer in front of the waterfall enlarged. While it was a mixed day of rain and sunshine, of warmth and coldness, it was such a joy to walk the grounds where so many Sisters had walked; to go through their cemetery and ponder the ministries of those who had passed on.  I am continually amazed at how many different ways people around the world regardless of their religious affiliation have benefited from the faithful service of the Sisters who dedicated their lives to Christ.

From the very beginning humans have found ways to keep time; whether it simply be by light or dark, by the sun and moon or by the seasons(winter, spring, summer and autumn).  In the Christian Tradition, as a way of being mindful of God and keeping an attitude of prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office developed in many monasteries where it consisted of seven or eight periods of prayer throughout the day.  Also the Christian Church developed a calendar based on the Christian Seasons with Advent as the beginning and Christ the King Sunday as the end of the year.  So based on the calendar of Christian Seasons, my Day 5 was apart of the 14th week after Pentecost or of ordinary time, in nature's seasons it was still Summer, it was the Celtic Season of Perplexity and Spiritual Survival, in Chronos(clock time) I was operating on Eastern Daylight time and it was the 18th day of September 2014 CE.
Yet today on this day of prayer and fasting; I intended to live by Kairos. I prayed, fasted, read and rested as I was led by the Spirit.  I had a list of people to guide in my prayers and I used the book of hours I had created for my 7 pauses throughout the day as a guide for the focus of my prayers. I have designed each pause to focus on a specific kind of prayer(Adoration, Praise, Intercession, Scripture, Confession,Personal Concerns, Thanksgiving and Rest).  Yet I must confess as the day moved on, I found myself checking the clock more often and it became more difficult to ignore my stomach growling.  I also was tempted to talked to others that I passed at the Spiritual Center.  Ironically enough I found it harder to maintain silence on my own than when I have done it in a group.  Having the community support of silence helps.  It is also difficult to maintain silence when you observe others around you talking and rushing around like I did when I would go up to the Convent to Walk the Labyrinth and Stations of the Cross. This was something I had not expected.  Another thing I realized as the day went on was that  I had entered into this day as something for me to prove that I could be silent and fast for a day rather than asking for a strength from God.  Whenever practicing spiritual disciplines becomes a matter of pride and/or achievement, they become more difficult at least from my experience.  The key is to abide in Jesus and let the Holy Spirit lead no matter the spiritual discipline you are practicing.

One of the epiphanies I experienced during my day on Kairos time was during my walking of the Labyrinth.  As I walked the Labyrinth several times during that day I experienced a deep healing of the past wounds, the wounds which even 5 years would have robbed me of the joy of being on such a trip and also the realization of why being in the Tri-State Area(PA, NJ and DE) held such special meaning for me.  I noticed that I always felt differently when we came to PA to visit Allan's family.  At first I thought it was my longing to return along with my unhappiness in Jackson.  While this definitely was the case for some time; it was not now as I had come to accept that my calling was to be in Jackson; to serve as a Spiritual Director in place where was to my knowledge no spiritual directors within at least an 80 mile radius.  So why is the Tri-State Area special and what is to be one of my take ways from this trip; this area is  my spiritual and cultural legacy.  It is where the people who prayed for me are, the churches that nurtured my early spiritual life, the diversity that challenged me and my first experiences of God in my daily life occurred.  Thus it does not matter where I live; I am called to claim, live and share this legacy - a legacy of being faithful and of loving all people.  I recognized for the first time how much this legacy is both a calling and a gift; I have a wealth of resources to draw upon as I begin my ministry of Spiritual Direction.  Even being at the Franciscan Spiritual Center was apart of that legacy as I discovered an ongoing connection with the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.  The St. Mary's Franciscan Shelter that opened in Phoenixville(where I grew up) during my teen years was still operating and only just recently had one of the founding sisters past away(the other founding sister is in a retirement home in Langhorne, PA).  Another intersection of old and new.

The cornerstone of the Our Lady of Angels Convent 

 I also had the opportunity to worship with the Sisters during their Thursday 5 p.m. Mass.  Below is the candle of illumination in their chapel.  Another gift.

For more resources, here are some websites to visit: 

Praying the Hours: http://www.universalis.com/   http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/prayer/fixed/pray_the_hours.php

http://www.missionstclare.com/english/

St. Mary's Shelter. Phoenixville, PA - http://www.stmarysfs.org/

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia - http://www.osfphila.org/home

http://labyrinthsociety.org/about-labyrinths

Seasons of the Church Year: http://www.thechristiancalendar.com/

CelticFestivals/Seasons: http://www.mysticchrist.co.uk/blog/post/wheel_of_the_year_calendar

Two of my favorite books on the subject of fixed prayer: 

Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr

Common Prayer: Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals  - see my review at http://livingintomycalling.blogspot.com/2014/01/common-prayer-liturgy-for-ordinary.html

Visit http://www.pinterest.com/sayaming/books-worth-reading for more great reads. 

And more inspiration visit: http://www.pinterest.com/sayaming/the-sacred/

Day 4: Time To Retreat - Franciscan Spiritual Center, Aston PA

Our Lady of Angels Convent/Franciscan Spiritual Center -  http://fscaston.org/

As I filled my schedule before and  after my time in Cape May NJ with visiting;  I recognized that I needed some soul time; time alone to prepare to receive what God had in store for me at the Sacred Rhythms Retreat in Cape May.  I was very excited about meeting Christine, attending the retreat and sharing time with other dancing monks from across the country but I also knew that God was also giving me an opportunity to be healed and renewed.  So in the tradition of the desert mothers and fathers, I decided to that I needed to have a break from visiting and driving.  I made reservations with the Franciscan Sisters to stay in one of their hermitages and made a commitment  to God - to spend the majority of my time praying and fasting

My Hermitage

 On the morning of September 17 I slept in and spent a leisurely time packing and repacking the car before going to lunch and on a walk with my friend's mother.   Rested and refreshed, I headed to Our Lady of Angels Convent where I met one of the Sisters who took me to my hermitage and showed me around.  It was a delightful little cottage with a bathroom, a single bed, a small closet and  a fully equipped mini kitchen - perfect for one person.  There was also a wonderful back porch to sit on that offered a great view of the woods.  So I settled in for my time with God, getting out my list of prayers and petition books and Bible. I ate my last meal enjoying the silence and stillness of the woods around me.  Such a holy place. Jesus said,
  " Come to me all you are heavy laden and I will given you rest." Matthew 11:2

Day 3: Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania

Day 3 can be described as a of day of  tolls and traffic, of memories and meetings.  As I drove through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel(which I can hardly believe I was doing), my mind flash backed to my 6th grade field trip  to the Aquarium at Baltimore Inner Harbor and then  not too far beyond the tunnel I came to a Service Area called Maryland House which sounded vaguely familiar.  Sure enough even though the building was different now, Maryland House was the rest stop I had visited on my way to Baltimore in the 6th grade.  As I paid more tolls thinking about my Maryland experiences(Elk Neck State Park, Cecil County Fair, Ocean City, MD) and entered Delaware my mind shifted to other memories of childhood.  I thought about visiting Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach, Dover Air force Base, and the many DuPont contributions so much in a state of 3 counties with no sales tax on anything.  Now I needed to pay close attention so I wouldn't miss the church where I was meeting my first new person of the trip. Meeting her is part of moving forward and embracing my new ministry/vocation as a Spiritual Director.  I asked Rev. Karen Moore if she would be willing to meet with me because as a retired ordained United Methodist elder and Spiritual Director who also now supervises spiritual directors;  I felt I could benefit from talking to her.  It turned out to be  a real blessing to spend an hour with her not only gaining wisdom but also expanding my connection with fellow United Methodist Spiritual Directors.  After meeting with Karen, I drove back roads into Pennsylvania  heading to the King of Prussia Shopping area.  I needed to stretch my legs and take a break from driving.  The Plaza and Court at King of Prussia look very different than they did during my growing up; they are completely remodeled and more upscale.  After the joy of walking and taking in new sights and sounds, it was time for me to meet a high school friend who I had not seen for almost 20 years.  We had a delightful dinner at a restaurant called, "Bahama Breeze" and while it is a chain, the atmosphere was fun and casual.  I would highly recommend the tropical fruit salad with shrimp.  So much fun laughing and catching up, then on to spend the night with an old friend's mother.  Again God's providence of providing me with hospitality through this wonderful woman who not only shared my faith and was interested in my ministry but also remembered working with me in the Resource class over 30 years ago.   Another long but blessed day.

To find out more about Hearts on Fire, which Rev. Karen Moore serves as chair of,
visit: http://fumsdrl.org/

To visit some of my favorite places in MD, DE and PA, visit:

http://www.winterthur.org/ - Winterthur Museum and Gardens Wilmington

http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia-mall/about - Because yet its change but it is still my original shopping place where I bought school shoes, dresses for high school formals, ate at TGIFridays for the first time and shopped at Macys for the first time.

http://baltimore.org/see-do/inner-harbor-attractions - Baltimore Inner Harbor

Day 2: Virginia - Old Memories, New Places

Since I took no photos in Central VA, here is a photo of the Cape May lighthouse in the background dedicated to my brother-in-law and his love of lighthouses.


It is Monday September 15th now and time to move into new territory.  As I head up I-81 N, I listen to WETS-FM, the NPR state which broadcasts from the campus of East Tennessee State University, hearing the BBC news and the Diane Rehm show.  I pass Abingdon, VA remembering going to Barter Theater and visiting several restaurants there.   I remember Allan's and mine first official date as I pass South Holston Dam where we walked around, and then went to eat broasted chicken. As I head further north, I notice how some of the exits are larger now and some seem less remote than they did during the first times I traveled through Southwest VA over 25 years ago.  Traveling on I-81 was the first time I came into contact with the isolated mountain culture of the Appalachia;  I had never seen such tiny shacks with satellite dishes such a paradox.  I think about the people that I met while getting my associate degree in Administrative Technology at National College of Business and Technology in Bristol,VA.  Some of my classmates were first generation high school graduates and many would be the first generation in their family to have had any kind of higher education.  I hope that the growth in Southwest VA has brought expanded opportunities  to these families  some of whom  have struggled and been isolated for many generations.

The old fades away and now I must pay close attention as I leave I-81 and head east towards Richmond.  This part of Central VA is filled with many beautiful farms.  Unfortunately since I was in new territory and nervous about traffic once I got to I-95; I did not stop at any of the scenic overlooks and take pictures.  As I passed through these farmlands, I recalled a book series that I read which takes place in VA and involved fox hunting.  Driving through the countryside gave me the patience and strength to face the traffic as headed onto I-95.  Arriving at my brother-in-law's and his wife's home in the late afternoon, I was ready to get out of the car and be with people.  Being my first time, I enjoyed seeing their home filled with treasures of their travels and other collections.  My sister-in-law loves the Denver Broncos while my brother-in-law enjoys collecting beer cans.  After an enjoyable supper and more conversation, I sleep well as tomorrow will be a full day of driving and visiting for me.  By the way if you have never tried blue cheese crumbles in your mashed potatoes I highly recommend them.

Some links to my brother-in-law and his wife's favorite things:

http://www.denverbroncos.com/
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=was
http://www.lighthousechallengenj.org/
http://www.honolulumarathon.org/

If you love animals and mysteries, I recommend the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown:
http://www.ritamaebrownbooks.com/

http://www.etsu.edu/wets/ -  89.5 public radio from Johnson City, TN
http://thedianerehmshow.org/

Day 1: Across Tennessee - Intersection of the Old and New

As I began my journey on September 14, I felt frazzled.  I didn't leave as early as I planned nor did I get as much sleep as I had wanted to as it had been a very busy week.  Yet I as turned on NPR and headed east on I-40; I calmed down and settled into the familiar drive of the Interstate. I never fail to notice however the beauty of crossing the Tennessee River, the Cumberland Plateau and the mountains as I journey across Tennessee. In between enjoying NPR and the scenery; I reflect on the number of times I have made this trip or some portion thereof - I-40 East to I-81 North to Johnson City, TN; it is more than I can count.  I think about the fun times with Allan hiking at various State Parks and Natural Areas as well as our trips together passing through TN on our way to his family in PA.  Then my mind jumps back into the mixed memories of childhood and my first  trip to Tennessee in March, 1980. My family visited Nashville and stayed at the Opryland Hotel.  My thoughts drift to the bittersweet memories of family and friends that are different now because deaths, divorces, geographic re locations, illnesses, job changes and other circumstances have changed those relationships. As I came back to the present; the tears come as I remember Jane's and mine trip together to Emory and Henry College in Emory VA along with our trip to Norris, TN. It was such a wonderful time and now I am not sure what to think, I only feel sadness.  As I arrive in Johnson City, TN as is typical of me I try to get to  find my friend's house by memory during which time I get lost but this gives me another chance to drift down memory lane.  My time at East Tennessee State University; being involved at Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church(my first time around for being Methodist) and First Presbyterian Church(my second time around being PCUSA) and times at various places such as Buffalo Mountain, Barnes and Noble, Winged Deer Park, Cootie Brown's along with the Downtown Art Galleries on First Friday.  I arrive at the my friends home where she greets me with  a big hug and invites me to get settled.  Her home oozes love all over me as we share a delicious supper and plenty of stimulating conversation.  She has been a friend of my family's for over 10 years and I always gain much wisdom from her variety of life experiences.  They day comes to an end; my first night away from home, one piece of the journey complete.

About the Photo:  Allan and I met on a Bird and Wildflower hike at Roan Mountain State Park in October, 2002.  This photo is of one of our first outings together at Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area. Disclaimer: Not best the picture of me but excellent of the mountains!! We both have degrees from East Tennessee State; He received his M.S. in Biology and I received my B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Check out:
Tennessee State Natural Areas at: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/natural-areas/natural-areas/
Tennessee State Parks at: http://tnstateparks.com/
Johnson City, TN at: http://visitjohnsoncitytn.com/#url=%3Fpage%3Dvisitors%26subPage%3Dmain
East Tennessee State University at: http://www.etsu.edu/etsuhome/

Pilgrimage: There and Back Again

To borrow the words of the infamous hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, that is how I can sum up my journey, There and Back Again.  However, unlike Bilbo I needed no convincing when the opportunity arose for me to be able to attend a retreat in Cape May NJ and then to spend an extended time in the Northeast visiting friends and family.  I traveled for 18 days and visited five states in addition to TN: Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Also unlike Bilbo who traveled very lightly my car was full of all kinds of things from clothes and coats for everything kind of weather to food to yoga supplies, books  and a sundry of necessary items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, medicine, and a hairbrush.

 A pilgrimage is defined by Dictionary.Com as, "a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion"and/or"any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive

 purpose, as to pay homage".  Both definitions describe the long journey I made. The entire trip was of an act of religious devotion; an act of bridging the old and new; and a response to God's call on my life to spiritual directing, leading retreats and small groups along with teaching.  The second definition fits also because the second focus of the trip was to pay homage to friends and family who have prayed for me and loved me over the course of my almost 42 years.  Some I had an opportunity to visit with, others scheduling did not permit while some have been gone for many years. 

Another reason why I termed this trip a pilgrimage was my intentionally to be relational.  My pilgrimage was to be a journey with God as well as with other people.  It also intentionally allowed for rest and for me to practice my spiritual disciplines in a variety of ways. It was experimental nature as I traveled by myself driving in places where I had never driven before.  As I drove through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, the Walt Whitman Bridge and traveled on busy highways such as I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike I gained a sense of empowerment.  Also with God's help I was able to be intentional about eating healthy taking with me fruit, hard-boiled eggs and some delicious raw juices from Pour Me Some Juice, a local business in Jackson TN.  Along the way I purchased bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cut-up strawberries, protein bars, grapes and salads from a variety of places including Wawa and 7-Eleven(yes, I miss them). Overall I experienced many days filled with bright sunshine and felt God's hand throughout my entire travels. As I created space for God; I found new freedom in the Holy Spirit and experienced deep healing.  I welcome you to comment as you read through my day to day accounts of my pilgrimage and share your experiences of transformation. 

About the photo above:  It is an oil pastel depicting the Four Gospel Journey of Transformation as created and developed by Dr. Alexander Shaia  and known as "Quadratos"- the mountains represent the Gospel of Matthew - How do we face change?, the waves represent the Gospel of Mark - How do we move through suffering, the flowers represent the Gospel of John - How we receive joy?  and the roads represent the Gospel of Luke - How do we mature in service? 

For more information, visit http://www.quadratos.com/

For further study and information, check out: 

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/bilbo-baggins

http://dictionary.reference.com/

http://pourmesomejuice.com/