Fully Alive in God

We had quite the adventure in Wales and Ireland. First we took the train to Holyhead from Hull, going via Manchester. We arrived and wheeled our bags uphill half a mile (a lot harder than it sounds on narrow streets) to our BnB. Having thankfully eaten dinner already, we settled in the parlor with a free drink and chatted with guests from Northern Ireland and Germany. The next day I spotted this little one having milk near the BnB. We checked out St. Cybi's church, the site of a Roman fort that had been then taken over as a Christian church. There is a local pilgrimage between this church and another church associated with another local saint, St. Seiriol. St. Cybi would walk to meet St. Sieriol to visit, and since he walked towards the sun he would become tanned and got a nickname as such. By contrast. Sieriol was light skinned as the sun was always at his back. In Holyhead we also walked by the water and took the bus to another bustling oceanside area. I stuck my feet into the oc...

  What a lovely week so far of connecting with family and friends! We landed in London, which was hot but beautiful, and got to our hotel in the downtown area off of the Strand and close to Covent Garden, which boasts views like the above. The next day was Six! and you can see the lovely Vaudeville theatre above. It is a play that fills in more details of the lives of Henry the Eighths' six wives with a feminist spin. But beforehand, we explored some London sites and churches, including a whimsical and moving exhibit on Pall Mall (Palace Mall) by a British-Chinese artist exploring the concepts of home, a walk around St. James' Park and a visit to a couple of churches. London was colorful and grand, and we even got to visit with two of my cousins. Sadly my godmother was not up for a visit but we had a marvelous email exchange, and perhaps my visit was the catalyst for a deeper sharing with her. It was great to see cousins I had not seen in 7 and 15 years respectively! Here is my...

  Last week, I was blessed by the opportunity to take part in an eight-day silent retreat given by Contemplative Outreach at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. For the first three days, Alene joined me, which was a blessing. On the last day, she picked me up, and we even got to see the Odyssey with my parents at a movie theatre on the way back!  Every day, we sat for meditation in the morning, ate in silence, and had a teaching session about contemplative practices and Centering Prayer by Fr. Bill Sheehan, an expert on CP who has been practicing since its start in the US in the early 1980's with Fr. Thomas Keating. The sessions were the only times when we could talk. After a daily Eucharist service (serving communion to all who believe in the real presence), we ate lunch in silence, did an optional two-part sit, then had downtime in the afternoon to do crafts/pray/read/walk, and then in the evening we would eat dinner in silence, do a sit and have quiet time to reflect. Thi...