Sowing Smiles: Present Moment

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking with the Middle East Provincial Mother for the SSVM. Mother Nazaret has been to our house several times, but as the house is Spanish/Arabic/Italian-speaking, I requested her special English attention last night. What a witness! She said that the founder of their Order told her that the life of a Sister can be divided in two: before the Holy Land and after the Holy Land. That's how special this area of the world really is. Her first mission in the Middle East was in Gaza, and she loved the work there. Then the Order was considering closing their house in Syria in 2014 because they only had a pair of Sisters there, so Nazaret volunteered to join them and continue the mission. She said that living in Aleppo required her to live in a very different manner. "When you go to sleep every night with the thought, 'I may die tomorrow,' you learn to live each moment to the full. You don't care about non-essentials, and you're very conscious of the way you react to and interact with others." That's a paraphrase, but that's basically what she said. She said the Church in Aleppo dug a well because there is no water or electricity in the city, and so she was able to encounter people in very vulnerable situations and minister to them. She also spoke of the danger the faithful put themselves in just to get to Mass, citing the importance of the Blessed Sacrament in their lives. She left for Jordan today, and I don't think I will see her again, but she is perhaps the most joyful person I've ever met. There is a life coming forth from her that I can only describe as the Holy Spirit.

I've been having a difficult time planning my future; those of you who know me well know this about me. I think this is because I try to soak every ounce of good out of the present. Even when I'm certain I want the present moment to end, I'm just as certain that it will end, so I try to make the most of it. Also, I've always found that planning for tomorrow 1) really takes time away from living today and 2) doesn't actually take into account how the rest of the day will affect tomorrow. Basically, I've found planning useless on most occasions, except when I am certain about what I want. Anyways, chatting with Mother Nazaret calmed my spirit about living in the now. Perhaps taking full advantage of the present moment will take me right where I need to be for the following moment. Maybe life really could be that simple.