From Winter to Spring: These Soles Are Made for Love

Him and her, a pair of old souls, that’s what we were one mild February day. We sat on a bench, enjoying a scenic view of the lake with a blanket across our laps, holding tin cups with steaming beverages and eating our picnic lunch. In front of us, ducks flapped in the water, a canoe floated by with a fisherman in it, other men threw in their fishing lines from the dock, and behind us, brightly colored runners and walkers exercised on this urban trail around Green Lake. All we needed was a crisp or crumpled newspaper in Robert’s hands, some grey hair and a wooden cane propped on the bench to fully complete the scene. But instead, he read aloud a blog post from his iPhone and we discussed “things.”

These are moments of quiet restoration. A break from work at the Angelus hour. Moments to look far away and get a wider view. Moments to breathe in fresh air and let it fill the lungs and breathe it out again. Moments just to sit in silence, feeling and thinking, being inspired. 

Now it is spring, and as Shakespeare would say, "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." Robert and I went for a run around the lake today, and I got to try out my brand new pair of running shoes with soles so springy (ha!) I feel light as air! These shoes are made for running, so we join the others, full of energy and determination, chasing each other, propelled on the wings of faith and possibility. 

Most days we are the young, cruising the streets, hopping puddles under the street lamps, staying up too late, dancing the night away, sipping finely brewed coffee or a mocha artistically prepared by a bearded, flannel-shirted barista, dining in new restaurants, taking trips and stamping memories into our beings, making romance in all the little ways of touching each other’s souls and anticipating each other’s needs. We look into each other’s eyes and also outward at the world together, sharing a common vision to inspire and usher forth beauty and life, to share the divine fire that animates our whole lives with the world around us.

We grow and we grow, from baby to manhood, girl to woman. As the water rushes over the rocks by the lake, changing their surface, life keeps changing us. And this is how you keep peace residing within your lover's heart through it all – listen now, for this is the name of the love song – being willing to grow individually and together through every wave, every challenge and every blessing. Embracing youthfulness and welcoming the coming age and wisdom. Seeking balance between the active life and simple contemplation being with each other, by the water’s edge. 

Wrong Way on the Bus

When you find yourself someplace unexpected, make the most of it.

Last week I rode the bus for the first time by myself in Seattle. I reiterate: my first time taking public transportation here alone...so I took the 44 bus going the wrong direction. When I realized I was headed the opposite direction of my intended destination, the bus driver waved his hand gently and said it was an easy mistake to make and showed me where to get off and take the other line.

What a gracious gesture, I thought, but as I stepped off and approached the intersection, there was my 44 bus already pulling out from the bus stop across the street. Ah! Well, I resolved to wait for the next arrival. Pacing the sidewalk as I waited, it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing adjacent to a beautiful university campus with a large, old library, and the paths beneath the tall, wise trees whispered to me to see where they led. The green lawn strewn in shadows seemed a sanctuary from the busy streets so I started walking.

A friendly young lady, an alumn, agreed to guide me to the library, and as we walked, joining throngs of college students laden with backpacks, I felt a surge of youthful optimism and my feet clipped along the path a little faster. I decided to stay and make the most of where I had unexpectedly landed – for who knows but it was where I was meant to be all along?

The Gothic-style library with its cathedral ceilings, stained glass windows and spiral staircases enchanted my heart immediately as I ascended to the upper room, called the Harry Potter reading room, with all four walls of the rectangular hall bedecked in colorful books. The ceiling and archways rose majestically over me and I found a cozy spot to settle down with my laptop in a quiet, studious environment. Who owns the answers to such questions as to where we belong and why we land there?

As the sun began to set behind the snow-capped mountains in the distance, painting a pinkish, purple and golden hue in the skies, so I set out to the streets again, finding myself in the prime location to walk 20 minutes to Blessed Sacrament Church for evening Mass. The church steeple, like a lighthouse to a ship coming into port, guided my way as I watched it over the tops of the buildings getting nearer and nearer. I felt like a pilgrim in my own city and found at the church steps a welcome place of rest. 

The first reading spoke directly to my heart about remaining in God’s love by loving others and believing in Him and that “perfect love casts out fear.” The Gospel recounted Jesus walking on the water while the storm raged and the winds howled and the boat with the apostles squeaked from the pressure of the waves. Our Lord's message in the throws and discouragements of life is to “Take courage; it is I," reassuring this traveling girl that I am never alone.

When I ended up off my intended path, the best awaited me because I opened myself up to possibility and discovery and looking at the world anew. In the end, just mustering the courage to to look around with fresh eyes at where we are is all that really counts because it means we haven’t stopped dreaming.

Our Chicago flight back to Seattle got canceled due to a snowstorm until the new year. We found ourselves, my boyfriend and I, with another four days in the Midwest. Unexpected turn of events. We took advantage of it. A visit with my brother that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. A few days more to rest before the end of vacation. A few more days of proving that it’s not only where you are that counts towards our happiness, but being able to make the most of it.