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It was a cool ocean breeze
Wafting through a sunny day.
Mayberry by the Sea.
That was what El Segundo was to me.
Bikinis in the sand
Coppertone and cocoa butter
Melting on my skin
And the sound of the waves
Crashing over and over
Onto slightly slanted
Hard sand.
The sound of the
Top 100
Playing on a transistor
Strategically placed on a
Big beach towel
Body surfing
Bottoms coming off with the crash
Boys circling
Girls grouped together
Giggling on a lazy summer day
The sun begins to go down
And we gather all our things
And make the hike up
To the bus stop on PCH
Looking at our brown skin
Baked to 70s standard perfection
Well, that was fun. Home.
I am giving a talk on "Cross-Cultural Spiritual Direction" on Tuesday, and this is my opening picture. To talk about our first culture. I had such a great childhood culture. Mom had her difficulties, but, for the most part, I had a good life. Living there was so lovely. This was magnified by El Segundo winning the Little League World Series and communicating with so many of my childhood friends and alumni from my high school. We had a rich heritage that continues to today. Blessed.
So, back to the Cross-Cultural Spiritual Direction talk. On the same day, I had two separate Examens with two directees starting the Exercises this week. When it came to my desolations, on both occasions, it was preparing for this talk, and I had to confess my bad attitude toward it.
Well, Mike H. used to always tell me that with every desolation, consolation is right around the corner, and confessing that really broke things for me, and Thursday and Friday were both a joy. I woke up Thursday with the visual of the picture above and talking about my first cross-cultural experience was becoming a believer and stepping into a church! It was a foreign place to me.
Somehow, that propelled me forward in so many ways. It also helped to be intentional about Centering Prayer on Thursday. Once was easy because I was leading a group, the other time was when I started my day out on the deck. I do believe the "Twice for Transformation" quote about Centering Prayer is so true. Actually, now that I think of it, I was able to do it three times, because we got together as a group, and I asked if we could start out with Centering Prayer. So we had a little seven-minute sit. Two people fell asleep during it, but that is OK! :) It helps that one of the participants in that group is part of my talk. :) It was so encouraging to see her growth and freedom.
So, I finished at 3:15 yesterday. I felt so free. This talk has been percolating in my head ever since we set the date at least four months ago. I just had so much in between then and now. I really couldn't get to it until after I returned from Chicago, and with that, I had quite a few directees to meet with.
So, now I have a free Saturday. I might run through the talk a couple of times, but I also might do other things. I think I am pretty ready for it.
God, you are good and you are home.
All that to say, I finished and am free. I just have to give it on Tuesday morning.
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