Aire

Tomorrow morning it’s time to be ‘on the move’ again. I am grateful for these past three weeks which have been profoundly nourishing. This afternoon, relishing the desert heat, I made my last run up the red, dusty, rocky mesa walls to give thanks while peering over the space that has unveiled to me countless lessons, both known and unknown. Every time I come to this Ganado community, its heartbeat seems to rock me. Whether it’s the calm and silent walk of the people, the subtle miracle of the gliding casts of color that play the sunsets, the balancing mix of people and animals, or the ever-transforming and ever-present struggle in negotiating life among the infinite dynamics that collide here… there are multiple facets that speak to the lone tear that spilled from my eye’s well. And I have experienced but a sliver of it all. Thanks to parents and new dear and inspiring friends who gifted me a bittersweet perspective.

A breath of such fresh perspective is what I’ll carry with me, out of reach of the airport scanners along the route back to the other side of the world. Particularly for moments of panic about how exactly I’ll insert myself into this world after graduation, I’ve been cultivating the soul spot that releases constricting emotions and feeds aspects of faith and patience in the journey. The self-critical voice never lags too far behind, but I’m getting to know it well and appreciate it for the motivating force it is.

While the goal is to finish the master’s program by the end of this year, it will be a formidable challenge. But if I’m meant for a job for which I’ve applied beginning in January ‘08, there will be little option but to buckle down further among the books this semester. My sights are set on being an Intercultural Resident Counselor on ‘the Scholar Ship’… an experiential learning voyage around the world with an international crew and an admirable mission. If not this, we’ll see what life has in store.

Before landing back in Brisbane 18 July, I’ll be in Christchurch, New Zealand for ten days with a handful of Rotary speaking engagements. I’m privileged to be meeting several youth leaders there to share a bit of my experience, and see what wisdom they’ll have for me.

I pray you all are well in mind, body, and spirit.