Be careful what you wish for...

Clare,

I love the Dark Knight of the Soul…
what a great image.
I was introduced to St. John of the Cross many years ago…
I was still a devout Catholic at the time…
that's just to put it into a time frame…
I would have loved his message even if I were a Quaker.
He wrote a beautiful poem called the Dark Night of the Soul…
It is about the search for divine intimacy despite a spiritual barren time…
true faith pulls you through.
I prayed for a Dark Night…
bring it on…
I want to be tested.
After this past year I'm not sure I'm really prepared for this.
I still have great faith…
but feel far removed from that warm, comforting sense of the Divine.
What was I thinking?
That I have the spiritual stamina of the saints?
I actually think that sheer stubborn-ness and perseverance will pull me through all of this…
and there will be Light.
Moral of the story…
be careful what you wish for.

I have the Dark Night of the Soul if you want to read it.
St. Theresa of Avila were soul mates…
confidants…
friends…
their descriptions are much different…
but their experience as deep as the other.

I went to Meeting today…
taught First Day School…
We were working on the Christmas skit script and I laughed out loud…
probably too loud as Meeting for Worship was down just a short hallway with only one door shut between…
but it made me feel Light to be with those 3 young men.
They were so full of humor today…
silliness is more like it.
I needed that today.

We had potluck today…
I sat and chatted with a friend who has prostate cancer…
he's on hormonal therapy to block testosterone.
We commiserated about our hormonal mood swings, and hot flashes.
It was good to talk with him and laugh.
His wife thought we were nuts…
but you either laugh or cry…
the choice seems obvious.

I am blessed. I am surrounded by people who care. I just have to have my eyes open to their compassion.
One of my favorite songs is
Open my eyes…help me to see your face.
Open my ears…help me to hear your voice.
Open my heart…help me to love like you.
I need to sing that over and over…make it my mantra.

I have a week of no work…with clients.
I have a week to focus on myself and my family.
I have a week to appreciate and question my perspectives.
That's a lot of Light for one week.

Love and Light beautiful Sister,
Maggie