Jack stopped mowing to bring me this. On Friday, our women's group, A.W.E., got together. We meet at Emmaus House, and usually begin with a period of rich silence. Currently, we're discussing Cynthia Bourgeault's marvelous book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene.
The discussion turned to Easter, and the messiness of it all. Allow yourself, if you will, to think of it as not such a great experience for those early disciples. Mary Magdalene first encountered the Risen Lord, and then he left her. She had him, then she lost him, then she had him again, then she lost him again. (I know, then she had him again, but this time permanently.)
Everyone hid out for a week or more, and Thomas was off elsewhere. Maybe because he didn't feel he had anything left to lose. They all hid because they were scared. And, as we read in today's Gospel (Road to Emmaus, Luke 24), they were stunned by disillusionment and grief, to the point of not even being able to recognize Jesus. Easter, for those early disciples, turned into one great big Now What? Peter eventually gave up and tried to return to fishing. It was something familiar, at least.
At A.W.E. we went all kinds of places with this, as you can imagine. (Such as, the Now What? in our own experience.) I think we realize that sometimes we get it, and sometimes we just still don't. Clean it up however you like. As with my robin's egg that Jack brought me Friday afternoon. When he brought it in the house it looked like this:
The discussion turned to Easter, and the messiness of it all. Allow yourself, if you will, to think of it as not such a great experience for those early disciples. Mary Magdalene first encountered the Risen Lord, and then he left her. She had him, then she lost him, then she had him again, then she lost him again. (I know, then she had him again, but this time permanently.)
Everyone hid out for a week or more, and Thomas was off elsewhere. Maybe because he didn't feel he had anything left to lose. They all hid because they were scared. And, as we read in today's Gospel (Road to Emmaus, Luke 24), they were stunned by disillusionment and grief, to the point of not even being able to recognize Jesus. Easter, for those early disciples, turned into one great big Now What? Peter eventually gave up and tried to return to fishing. It was something familiar, at least.
At A.W.E. we went all kinds of places with this, as you can imagine. (Such as, the Now What? in our own experience.) I think we realize that sometimes we get it, and sometimes we just still don't. Clean it up however you like. As with my robin's egg that Jack brought me Friday afternoon. When he brought it in the house it looked like this:
(I cleaned it up so it could be on the kitchen table. That will probably gross Patsy out.)
Also, when I arrived home, my singing bowl was sitting on the front porch. I thought it was going to be green, like grass green, but this turned out to be the color of the day:
Also, when I arrived home, my singing bowl was sitting on the front porch. I thought it was going to be green, like grass green, but this turned out to be the color of the day:
My Singing Bowl!
My writing energies these days are poured mostly into the novel.
It has me in its grip. I wrote a huge portion yesterday, but there are these constant spinoffs--characters, conversations, images. (Now layers of Rella's life flow through me along with layers of my own. It's distracting) This morning I got caught up watching our neighbor pack and rearrange and unpack and repack the back of her car. She's now one of the neighbors in the novel. Time will tell whether she stays there. The crossover SUV she drives won't. More than likely, I'll have to replace it with a '50's station wagon.
Some other good things have happened this week: the last night of religious education classes. In the noise and chaos of "pizza night" I asked Suzanne if it's worth it. "Oh, yes," she reassured me. "It builds community. If you didn't do it, they'd be wanting to anyway."
We like to talk to the Second Graders about their experience with First Communion. I go into the classrooms and ask, "What have you heard? What have you seen? What have you thought about? What have you felt?" And here's my trick question. . ."When is Second Communion?" Some of them carried up the gifts at Mass this morning.
Daniel received news that he may be moved this week. Answered prayer. Hopefully, he is on his way to Pekin, which Judge Shadid requested. Pekin is minimum security, not too far away, and we can have better visits with him. (Who would have thought of this as answered prayer: six months in a minimum security Federal Prison Camp for my son.) He said that as soon as he gets there he can apply to go to a halfway house. (Darned if I get how things work, but I'm in favor of that.)
And in other news, Sarah and Chad went out to Reno to visit Drew while Sarah and Carl kept Grady. Some of you don't know who these people are, no doubt. Just talking about my kids, still. And Jason is gearing up to move to California in August. Jack plans to drive out with him. He's entering an MFA program at Cal Arts in SOUND. I'm so proud of him! If only I understood what that means. . .an MFA in Sound. . .but he knows what a Singing Bowl is, turns out. AND Sarah and Carl just bought their first house. WOO-HOO! This after a lot of looking and waiting and discouragement, and taking turns giving up. I'm so pleased for them!
It has me in its grip. I wrote a huge portion yesterday, but there are these constant spinoffs--characters, conversations, images. (Now layers of Rella's life flow through me along with layers of my own. It's distracting) This morning I got caught up watching our neighbor pack and rearrange and unpack and repack the back of her car. She's now one of the neighbors in the novel. Time will tell whether she stays there. The crossover SUV she drives won't. More than likely, I'll have to replace it with a '50's station wagon.
Some other good things have happened this week: the last night of religious education classes. In the noise and chaos of "pizza night" I asked Suzanne if it's worth it. "Oh, yes," she reassured me. "It builds community. If you didn't do it, they'd be wanting to anyway."
We like to talk to the Second Graders about their experience with First Communion. I go into the classrooms and ask, "What have you heard? What have you seen? What have you thought about? What have you felt?" And here's my trick question. . ."When is Second Communion?" Some of them carried up the gifts at Mass this morning.
Daniel received news that he may be moved this week. Answered prayer. Hopefully, he is on his way to Pekin, which Judge Shadid requested. Pekin is minimum security, not too far away, and we can have better visits with him. (Who would have thought of this as answered prayer: six months in a minimum security Federal Prison Camp for my son.) He said that as soon as he gets there he can apply to go to a halfway house. (Darned if I get how things work, but I'm in favor of that.)
And in other news, Sarah and Chad went out to Reno to visit Drew while Sarah and Carl kept Grady. Some of you don't know who these people are, no doubt. Just talking about my kids, still. And Jason is gearing up to move to California in August. Jack plans to drive out with him. He's entering an MFA program at Cal Arts in SOUND. I'm so proud of him! If only I understood what that means. . .an MFA in Sound. . .but he knows what a Singing Bowl is, turns out. AND Sarah and Carl just bought their first house. WOO-HOO! This after a lot of looking and waiting and discouragement, and taking turns giving up. I'm so pleased for them!
Sarah with Drew at Tahoe
Sarah and Carl's 100-Year-Old House
Life is so good. Even if it's hard sometimes, and doesn't make sense. Easter is still here and it's still messy and it's still hopeful.
If you need anything from me, you can find me writing a novel.
If you need anything from me, you can find me writing a novel.
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