Avocados and Angels

I spent yesterday afternoon with my dear friend Suzi and was fully planning to head home at 5pm when something strange happened...

Suzi had invited me earlier in the day to go to a concert that evening with her and her friend Nancy (that isn't the strange part - Suzi is always very hospitable). With my crazy work schedule of 4am - 1pm I usually get tired around 9pm on the weekends, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to stay awake for a concert that didn't start until 8pm. In all honesty, I'm an introvert - which is fine. But I've noticed this pesky trait of mine sneaking up on me and whispering in my ear all sorts of ridiculous excuses for why I shouldn't do things. This is when the Holy Spirit steps in and gives me a good douse of logic and a little nudge - OK a complete kick-in-the-pants. If I'm smart, I listen to the Spirit.

I ended up chatting with the girls for a while (it's always nice to meet cool new people even if I AM an introvert), and before I knew it Suzi was setting the dinner table for three. But wait a minute...I'm going HOME...remember!? At that point, Nancy started to make a salad and she mentioned that she had a secret ingredient that she wasn't sure we liked but that she loved. An avocado. The room erupted in proclamations of delight. I think I speak for all three of us when I say that the avocado is one of the most delectable fruits there is. I stayed for dinner.

It's been a long time since I had a raw, spirit-filled conversation about life with an old friend and a new one. Well yesterday was filled with them, and my spirit started to heal. We were like three kindred spirits grappling with this beautiful mess we call life. It felt so good to hear their joys and even their sorrows. It is a precious gift when someone shares those things they hold so close to themselves. It makes me sad that the statement "the Holy Spirit is working" has become a cliche because what the Spirit is doing is anything but cliche. The Spirit was moving in my life all day; slowly chipping away at my comfort zone, pulling me outside of my routine. I went to the concert.

The concert, presented by The Chestnut Hill Community Association, was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Titled "The Sacred Percussion Project", the musicians filled the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields with Turkish and Indian Sufi music, Gregorian chant and poetry as well as percussion pared with film. Performers included the band Mandala with guest percussionist Marc Wooldridge and Middle East dancer Toha. It was mesmerizing and very spiritual.

It amazes me that because I'm so tied to my routine I almost missed out on all the fun, including the lovely conversation we had with a fellow Houghton grad, Christy Shea, who was also at the concert - small world! Thank you Suzi and Nancy for being true ambassadors of Christ (angels if you will) and for inviting me to spend a truly inspiring evening with you. You have touched me more profoundly than you realize.

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Peace to you, dear friends