Life is funny. Actually, I have a dear friend who says 'God's a funny guy..." That's sort of how I'm feeling today.
I'm a few days into my annual Easter recovery week...starting to feel a bit human again.
The holy days here at St Francis de Sales were amazing! The best word I can come up with for me was that they were breath-taking. I have to say, as one who works in the parish, I don't always expect to have a prayerful experience of the holy days...but boy was I taken by surprise this year! Every day there were mysteries revealed to me about the immensity of the love God shares with each of us. I am immensely proud of the priests and parish leaders that I share ministry with. I am humbled by the community of St Francis and how we welcome all through our doors.
I am grateful for my family, who jump in to help with the craziness of Easter dinner when help is desperately needed. I who hate to ask for help, learned that I needed to ask others to help me, that I couldn't possible do 'it' all...and everyone was happy to help. A most valuable lesson for me to take to heart.
I was given some lovely roses by one of my young parishioners...and it reminded me in a very real way of all my friends in heaven who are actively supporting me in ministry, and working hard, I believe to help me grow and be the best minister in an ever changing, ever challenging church.
So, when I heard the loud crash this morning at 5:30 a.m. I wasn't sure what it was...As I came into the living room I was not happy to see that is was that particular vase of flowers that the cat (who is lucky he got fed this morning!!) had knocked over onto my laptop. Which is now fried. Not working. Kaput.
How is it that the Easter joy can so quickly slide back into Good Friday sorrow?
How do I hold the serenity of Easter morning, the bliss of the celebrations, and walk into this valley of 'how the heck am I going to live without my laptop, can they recover my data, and why does everything cost so much' Good Friday gloom?
Our Easter Season lasts 50 days. It would have been nice if I'd had a bit more time to celebrate Easter before the harsh realities of life intrude again. Yet that is our daily journey as Christians isn't it...to hold onto and live out of some kind of Easter joy in the midst the every day 'stuff' we encounter. How we trust God and move through the every day makes all the difference doesn't it? Can I live out the faith I think I have and trust that God is there for me? Can I not panic at every set back? I'm learning.
And maybe finally, I'm learning it's OK, it's even good at times to ask for help. Because when I ask, it gives someone else a chance to step up and be the support, the angel I need just then. Much like the apostles in these early days after the resurrection...they needed to count on one another. They needed to rely on one another. So if I've learned anything this Holy Week and Easter week, it's that I don't have to do it alone. And trust me, for me, that's HUGE!!
Happy First Week of Easter!!
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