Reading the signs

This morning I was peacefully praying in the patio, sitting under the lemon tree.  I came to a moment of clarity and peace in an area that's been a challenge to me and my moment was punctuated by a kind of thump - ah, I thought, a falling lemon, a greeting from Spirit, how wonderful - and continued my prayer.

A little later, as I was sweeping leaves, I saw that what had fallen was indeed a lemon - but a rotten lemon, and it had fallen squishily right in front of the chair I'd been sitting in.  Punctuation indeed!  Perhaps it was fortunate that by this time I couldn't remember exactly what brilliant insight or spiritual awakening had been greeted by a rotten lemon.

It reminds me, though, to read signs lightly.  I do believe we are all connected, the lemon tree and my prayer and the Spirit and the drunk man having a loud conversation in the street outside - but I also believe those connections are deep and strange and subtle, beyond my reading.  Taking that falling lemon as applause - or as disapprobation - is harmless as long as I take it lightly and remember to rejoice in the unimaginable life of the lemon tree which has nothing and everything to do with me.

iPad bliss

I have to start this post with a confession. For months I've been lusting after an iPad, and I've been having serious discussions with myself and God about how that's not what I should be lusting after, spending money on, even thinking hard about. I was doing pretty well with that, or so I thought, disguising all those side glances at friends' iPads, only checking out the Apple website once in a great while.

And then, to my great astonishment and greater delight, some dear friends gave me an iPad, thus short-circuiting the me-and-God-and-I-shouldn't-want-this conversation. Here's a photo of me in iPad bliss, fresh from the Mac store. I am, I have to tell you, having a wonderful time discovering its charms, linking up to this and that, playing Scrabble, checking the web, and hoping that God is OK with all this fun.

Blessing the work

This morning I wrote notes to the 13 CSJPs who have been raised up as possible members of our new Congregation Leadership Team. They'll be meeting in New Jersey this coming weekend to discern who feels called to move forward to the Chapter of Elections in January, 2009 when the final team of five will be chosen. I wrote to thank them for their willingness to come to this time, and I wrote to bless them in their work.

I love the process of discernment, which to me basically means calling the Spirit and the community, the gathered wisdom of a group, into a life decision. Entering into discernment, you acknowledge that you don't have all the wisdom, that others can help you see more clearly your own gifts, and your own shadow. So I'm praying for that collected wisdom to be present with all our 13 Sisters this weekend.

And it's 39 days before my move to El Salvador.