Spiritual Diablog. How does that strike you? Recently I've begun reading Paul Martin's Spiritual Diablog and I'm learning things there, including things about myself. The site's purpose is to help promote thoughtful discussion of religious and spiritual matters among people of any and no religious persuasion. People of every faith and no faith are equally welcome, he says. He is especially interested in respectful dialogue among people with diverse points of view. He has an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago, and an M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of New Hampshire. He is active in health care reform advocacy.
Paul actually has three other blogs within Spiritual Diablog but the one I just clicked on today is called Changes. He asks questions within the context of how we think we have changed and the stories I read there really piqued my interest. The trouble with my own blog and many others, even though there is a comment section, is that it doesn't actively invite people to tell their stories--and I believe that our own personal storytelling is very sacred stuff. Todays question is "What Do You Admire in Others?" This intrigued me and I commented there and invite you to check Paul's blog out, too, and share with all of us what you admire in others.
Another beautiful day in sunny Southern California--yeah, yeah, I know most of the U.S. is sweltering, but the South Bay area of Los Angeles is spectacular. I worked all morning at home for a private client. At 1 p.m. I met seven girlfriends from the years I was newly separated and divorced 20 plus years ago. We formed a chapter of a spiritual/social activism group called CFM for Singles and were affiliated with the main body of Christian Family Movement. My former husband and I had been extremely active in CFM during our marriage and child-raising years and it was definitely a time of formation and reformation for us in our Catholic faith and in developing our faith and supporting social justice. Singles CFM later formed another group called Second Journey and it was at one of these two groups that most of the people met their next spouses or partners. I'm one of the few who didn't remarry. Elaine was our hostess today in her charming Hermosa Beach townhouse with spectacular views of the ocean and the PV Peninsula. I'm actually sunburned from sitting on her deck and just filled with joy that I had a time of reconnection with them. Thanks, Elaine. I went from lunch to dinner at the Paradise Cafe in Gardena to say goodbye to Betty and Donna, two very dear friends (Betty lived with me the past few years) from work who are retiring. Betty flies home to upstate New York where she will live permanently now--with lots of California visits planned in the future.
And bizarrely, given the post about broken glass yesterday, when I went upstairs tonight, my poster of St. Francis celebrating the Franciscan Order's 800th anniversary in 1982 was laying on the carpet with the glass shattered. It was hanging above my terra cotta statue of St.Francis, which fortunately did not fall. Hmmm. I'm reading too much into all this broken glass, but it does puzzle me and I'm looking for connections and lessons.
