In the Beginning . . .

Well, it's been a while since I've been in a writing place. My last blogging attempts took place in the midst of grief. That was not, for me, the best time to work on my writing. In fact, it was the first time in my life that I've not been able to write. The words that came to me were vapid and unhelpful. It was better to put aside the pen and focus on healing.

Two years later, I can say that life is good. It is, indeed, blessed.

And so, in recent months, I've been able to pick up pens again. My journaling has been much more consistent. And my writing voice is coming back. She wants to come out and play. She's a little shy, perhaps a bit pale, but she's willing to give it a try.

The two years of not writing were biggies. I grieved not only the recent death of my uncle but also the twenty-year-old death of my father. I worked through what was for me a difficult breakup. My circle of friends drastically changed through these years--some graduated and moved away, new ones have come into my life, and two in particular have taught me what reconciliation means. I decided to enter the monastery and then decided not to. I realized that my work is itself a calling and my life here is holy.

A friend of mine recently wrote about how difficult it is to write about the Big Things in life. That was probably part of my writing problem over the past two years. Nearly everything that was taking place was Big. It all required attention and thought and prayer and discernment and intention. So much easier to spend my downtime watching Bones instead of hashing it out by writing.

I am so very grateful that my words have returned and that I have the energy to pay attention to them.

Today is a good day for starting a blog. It's the feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. She has long been one of my favorite saints. I'd love to be able to tell you why, but I simply can't. You know how sometimes you're simply drawn to certain people or places? I am drawn to Kateri. When I was younger, the liturgist from my church and I used to go out for pie on Kateri's feast. Today I will make an apple pie to celebrate. I will sit outside for a while and give thanks for the beauty of this earth. I will walk out to the Kateri statue on campus and lay some flowers there.

It has been a week of feasts. On Wednesday we celebrated St. Benedict. Writing about that will come later; it will also explain the title of this blog. I fear I've meandered too much already today. So, stay tuned. Let's see what happens here.