My parents came to visit me for President's Day weekend! I enjoyed their company so very much, and we got to both explore Washington and experience day-to-day life at the Priory. I'll give a little summary of the visit: After lunch on Friday, S. Redempta and I went to wait for my parents' imminent arrival by pacing the street at the end of our driveway. S. Redempta exclaimed hopefully about every gray car we saw until finally we saw one with two waving people in the front seat. My dad parked the car just off the street, and all four of us exchanged hugs and warm welcomes. Redempta helped me settle my mom and dad into their room at the Spirituality Center, and then I led a tour around the Center and the Priory. We had coffee with the Knitters and Spinners, since it was Friday, and then relaxed and talked until mass time. My parents got to meet almost the whole community at dinner that night, and after praise, we talked for a bit and then I let them go to bed since it was very late in Central time and they had been up all day.
On Saturday, we took a trip to the ocean and to Lake Quinault, home of the nation's (and maybe the world's) only temperate rainforest. We walked along the shore, collecting shells and rocks for my sisters and watching the tide come in. I climbed on a huge piece of driftwood in honor of my sister Erica, and my dad ran and touched the water in honor of my sister Alyssa. The day was bright and sunny, and though the wind was a little chilly, we all agreed the walk was exhilarating. Then we drove through immensely tall trees to reach the inland body of water that sustains the temperate rainforest. We had lunch at a beautiful little mountain lodge, and my mom and dad and I talked and talked. Well, my mom and I talked and talked, my dad mostly enjoyed his reuben sandwich, sweet potato fries, and the glorious view of the lake. And the company of his family, of course! Then we took a three-hour hike through the rainforest. We saw lots of birds, trees, moss, and fantastic views of waterfalls. My mom and I talked and talked, and my dad took pictures of the scenery to show his biology class. I was especially proud to have identified a nurse log before he did - yay for being a junior ranger! After seeing everything there was to see, we drove back to Olympia and had dinner at a restaurant right on the Sound - our second meal overlooking water.
It was such a wonderful and full day, and I enjoyed every minute of exploring this new state with my parents. I did miss my sisters because we always take trips together as a whole family, but it also felt to me like I was more of an adult than I used to be. We could talk on the same levels about relationships and experiences and how my life and my family and friends' lives have changed and connected and become what they are today. I still felt like a daughter, but like a daughter who can be a hostess for her parents in her own new world.
On Sunday, we went to praise and mass, and then we spent the afternoon walking around my local haunts - mainly St. Martin's University and the woods around the priory, and of course, Target. My dad identified lots of waterfowl in the SMU ponds, and my mom and I continued to talk about my life here with the sisters. We spent the evening playing Bananagrams and talking about the history of the community and the Benedictines, and we stayed up late processing all the things we'd learned over the weekend - about the sisters, the place I live, my relationships, and how glad my mom and dad were to know what a wonderful place I've been in these past six months.
On Monday morning, my parents and I got to talk to S. Anamaria and Redempta about their experience of America and how they will bring what they have learned here back to Tanzania. It was a fascinating conversation with many stories I hadn't heard before, and all five of us got to laugh and share our lives with one another. After lunch, my mom and dad packed up and took a flight back to Minnesota. I was very sad to see them go, but as I told S. Redempta after they left, I'm not sad to be here, I'm just sad they're gone.
So, my lessons from all this. There are a few, but I'll start with the easiest one: I learned, for the millionth time, how blessed I am to have my parents. I know that they are always and will always be there, supporting me and loving me and sharing the joys and hardships of my life with me. My mom and dad love me unconditionally and completely, and I felt like I was in the presence of God while they were here with me. It was so easy to see why I find comfort in the image of God as a parent after spending the weekend with my parents.
The other really important thing I learned from my parents' visit was to see my life through their eyes. I had this same experience when S. Ann Marie came to visit me in December - I see each member of the St. Placid community through such different and...closer, or more understanding, eyes. I know more about each of the sisters than my visitors do because I live with them, but I learn something new about my sisters or about the relationships I have with them when other people come to see us. When I talked to my mom after she was back in Minnesota, she said, I love the beautiful relationship you have with your sisters, especially Anamaria and Redempta. I always feel more blessed and I recognize how special and wonderful my year here with the sisters is after my visitors come. I know it every day, but I see it through new eyes and it becomes something I can embrace every day - I understand how unusual and how lucky my situation is.
And because of that, I want to end with a couple quotes from Anamaria and Redempta, my daily philosophy teachers. After my parents left, Anamaria told me, "I hope one of your children has your voice. Your parents' are deeper and lower, but yours is high." At first, I was surprised she had noticed something like the music of our voices, but then I thought about her laughter and the quality of her and Redempta's voices and it made sense. A voice is such an important thing in African culture. On Tuesday, I was washing dishes, and S. Redempta came into the kitchen to give me an American high-five. She said, "It is nice to see you smiling again." I asked why she had come, and she said, "Just to see how you are doin." And finally, a little wisdom from my students: "It doesn't matter what grade you get, it matters what you learn."
Peace and love!
No comments:
Post a Comment