My dear African sisters are working hard as ever. S. Anamaria is writing an independent research paper, taking two classes (professional writing and methods of teaching English language learners), and observing - and eventually teaching - college-level ELL classes. She is cheerful and full of laughs because she enjoys what she's learning about and it's so relevant to her quickly approaching return home to Tanzania. She'll leave St. Placid about a month after I do this spring. It isn't easy - yesterday she told me, "My bones is coming unscrewed!" from the long hours sitting in front of a computer. But she is eager to enjoy each day she has left in America and to anticipate her homecoming. S. Redmepta is a little less optimistic because she still has two more semesters after this one, but she is enjoying taking a counseling class and finishing up her thesis work this semester. She and I have enjoyed making puppy chow and laughing about our cultural differences - she scoffs at my measuring cups and I revel in her ecstatic love of peanut butter.
I have really enjoyed getting back into the rhythm of daily praise. My first couple days back, I was a little overwhelmed as I returned to the extremely regular schedule we have here. At home, nothing was ever the same two days in a row, and here everything is the same almost every day! But once I got used to it again, I found the peace and the power of unity I experienced before as I pray with the sisters. Speaking the same words, listening to the same readings, and making time for God several times a day gives the community a sense of togetherness and wholeness. I am so thankful to be able to share this lifestyle with the sisters.
I've been reading a lot - Stephanie lent me the Hunger Games trilogy, and I've been reading Mary Oliver's poetry. I've also started taking daily walks. Washington seems so much warmer after spending two weeks in frozen Minnesota, and it's been a good way for me to enjoy the scenery and get out of the house a little. And I don't want my bones to start coming unscrewed like Anamaria's! But my walks lead me to my lesson for the day.
Yesterday, the sun was shining when I woke up - the first time that had happened since I returned to Washington! I sat staring through the skylights during morning praise, soaking in the blue sky and the sunlight on the tall trees. As soon as I could, I put on my coat and went outside into the brilliant, dazzling sunlight. Everything glows here when it's sunny because of the moss - all the trees radiate a soft green light even though their leaves are gone. The sunlight is refracted between the trees, creating gentle rays of sunshine that land on the paths and clear ground. But most of all, the sky is blue instead of gray, and it gives a new light to everything. I was drawn outside; I couldn't have stayed away if I wanted to. And as soon as I stepped into the sunlight, a song popped into my head, one my sisters and I used to sing for my grandma: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad." As I walked through the lit-up trees, the birds started singing. I had to stop and close my eyes. The sun warmed my face, the birdsong and the hymn played through my mind, and I just stood in the middle of the path and was thankful to be alive, to be in this moment, in this place. It was a moment I hadn't anticipated, I hadn't thought of, I hadn't planned. I hadn't looked for it, I hadn't worked for it, I hadn't even wanted it. All I had done was listen to whatever was drawing me outside - I was open to hearing that little voice inside me that said, "Megan. I have a gift for you. Come receive it." Even though I didn't hear those words directly, God spoke to me through the sunshine. I had no idea it was even happening until I was there, surrounded by the beauty and glory of creation.
My friend Mari asked me yesterday how we can know we are validated by God - how we know God loves us for who we are. I told her that God tells us how much He loves us all the time, if only we take the time to open our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts to listen. If we do that, we can feel sure that this day, this moment, whatever it may be, is the one God has made for us especially. Not because of anything we've done to deserve it. Just because we are God's beloved children.
Peace and love.
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