Stranded on the Mainland: Inner Pilgrimage and Living Alone as a Spiritual Path:

My post today refers to the mystic Mechtild of Magdeburg. In a recent CAC Turning to the Mystics podcast episode (2023-09-18), Jim Finley says Mechtild wrote her book The Flowing Light of the Godhead over her whole lifetime.  And she was still writing it right up until the day she died. Is that what I'm a doing with this blog?  Maybe. Another thought.  Is this blog my "red convertible"? Ora Labora? On-the-Way? Ragtop Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=MYFsMdzwVKA

Today I want to blog about Making Amends (Step 9 from The Twelve Steps of ACA).  It is said when it comes to making amends, that opportunities often will present themselves on their own. On that note, the opportunity to make an amends to my mother came last week while I was watching a movie called, "9/11: Four Flights."  The movie, as described by The History Chanel, " recounts the celebrated and the little-known stories of the passengers, crew, family members, military officers, and air traffic controllers who experienced the day—each more moving and impactful than the last." It was while watching about the fourth flight that I finally let 9/11 in — which led me to making an amends to my mother by way of a short email.  The miracle of amends happened when I realized the email is what I would have wanted to say to my mother if I'd been on 9/11's fourth flight. The only thing I would have added is, "I love you." Here's the email : Happy Sunda...

This past weekend I watched a documentary about 9/11 called, You Are Here: A Come From Away Story (2018) . It evoked a 2019 memory of Sr. Antoniana welcoming me to the Sisters of Life Centre as a sort of "Come From Away" too: One stuck in trauma, who landed on her doorstep during a snowstorm.  And, just like the plane-people in Newfoundland during 9/11, I was welcomed with unexpectedly happy, joyful, loving, generous, open arms. I felt (and still feel) like she did for me, what Gander did for stranded 9/11 passengers in 2001.  I too got diverted (just in time for the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Toronto) to a generous, hospitable, loving, religious community with very different political DNA than my own. Having said that, my take-away as a "Come From Away" with the Sisters of Life is this:  Without trauma, loss, tragedy, disasters, diversions, and different politics, then how could a 'Gander' ever have happened, or the Sisters of Life? I want to end today b...

"Pearls originate when a bit of sand gets stuck in an oyster’s shell. The sand irritates the oyster, which creates a nacre to coat the irritant. Layers and layers of nacre build up, creating a larger and larger pearl over time. Perhaps this is the primary source of pearls’ deep meaning.  Pearls are unique among gems because they develop underwater instead of on the earth. They have a distinctive shine and are unlike sparkles, such as diamonds or other gemstones: A pearl takes years to form. It comes from the constant effort and time an oyster puts into changing something painful into a beautiful and bearable outcome."  (oceanjewelrystore, September 23, 2022) .   What if I looked at 'trauma' as the bit of sand in my oyster? (Matthew 13:45) Wow. Fr Morgan Rice, thank you for the story that got me thinking of trauma in this unique way.  I am blessed to have you as a spiritual director. 🦪

  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_kROK5ugSRo

Most of the things that we notice, we notice in passing, on our way to something else; then, every so often, something gives us reason to pause. Something catches our eye or draws our attention, and we’re drawn for a moment to ponder or to reflect on that which awakened us in this way. —James Finley. (CAC Daily Meditations, The Comtemplative Heart: Weekly Summary, Sept 2/23.) I'm thinking of my tabby cat following me into the kitchen for her breakfast this morning. Something prompts me to stop and look back at her. I am filled with awe wakening. I see her face, looking up at me. I turn and keep walking Listening to the sound, of her paws on the floor. The atmosphere is soft, and it is holy. A clear pond that God-- Skipped a stone across. For a moment I'm a mother duck.