At long last!

So, it’s been a month since I arrived at St. Ben’s. I’ve started a couple of posts in that time, but have been focusing my energies more toward settling in than sharing with you-all. Thanks for your patience. I won’t “recap” per se--what needs to be said will come up in other posts, I trust.

Part of my hesitation about posting involves the delicate balance between my personal reflections and the lives of those I live with. I continue to see this as a forum for processing my experience and ponderings; but I’m also keenly aware that what I’m going through is inextricably bound up with the wider community and my particular living group. I will strive to remain true to my lived experience while maintaining the confidence of my community.

I’m sure that I will also use part or all of some posts to explain terminology and practices (to the best of my understanding). I’ve been hanging around with these women for 9 years now, since I came to college, so some of the terms may slip under my radar as “normal” or “everyday.” If you catch phrases in anything I write that you’d like explained further, just post a reply and let me know. Also, if you have other things you’re curious or unsure about, let me know and I’ll keep a list and address topics as time allows.

As I said, I'm still very much settling in. The first week here seemed the easiest, and since then I've noticed the tiny shifts and adjustments much more. When it's time to gather for common prayer, it's sometimes difficult to put down what I'm doing and just go, or to use well a small pocket of time between the end of one engagement and the time to head to prayers. But that's part of the point. It's not necessarily easy to drop my agenda, to stop multitasking, to rest for a little while in God's word. But once I get to the oratory--or on my way there--I'm invited to open myself to God's presence, to remember that God is always and everywhere with us, to pray with and for the whole universal church that God's "will be done on earth as it is in heaven"--and to notice what that might be calling me to do.

Lest this get too lofty, I'll sign off now and prepare for S. Kristin's funeral--perhaps more on that soon.