Lora Nafzier
I am not sure about the idiot in this title, but I liked it a lot! I found it when I was looking for a Nepali saying about the seasons. There are many Nepali sayings and idioms that we have come to learn, but I didn’t know any for the changing of the season. It turns out (according to Google, anyway) that there are not really many. Mostly, they are things like “spring has come,” which is not very inspiring! But it is spring here (in Nepali “Basanta” बसन्त, which is one of 6 seasons), so here we are with Edna St. Vincent Millay, and April is over, and we have had many adventures and so many flowers!
Adventure one: Was just for me (Lora), at the end of March, I departed for the Asia Member Care Network Conference. I left my family for 10 days and went to Malaysia. The first three and a half days were at a Jesuit retreat center located on the ocean. The majority of the pictures below were from that time. It was a retreat, using the songs of Taize, opportunities for spiritual practice, worship, speaker input on desire, self-care and calling. I also had the chance to admire these wonderful trees and float in the ocean.
After three days in a beautiful spot, we were transferred to downtown, where we spent another five days in a beautiful hotel (that honestly could have been anywhere in the world—as the next days were just spent in air-conditioned conference rooms). The two pictures below from the conference are:
- The giant Nutella machine that appeared every breakfast, just put your bread underneath and press the dispense button for all the Nutella you wanted, which was none for me, much to my children’s chagrin.
- The picture of the minatures in the sandtray. Some of you know that I love sandtray work for myself and with others. It was a wonderful opportunity in one of the workshops to use the sandtray as a reflective tool.
The conference was wonderful and full of learning and connections. It was also exhausting. The workshops included sessions on healthy marriage, family debriefing and spiritual direction, among others. I am eager to use the learning and connections in my work here in Nepal, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend.
Finally, a poem by Denise Levertov that I carried with me through the retreat and repeated as I floated in the ocean.
The Avowal
As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.
When I arrived home, it was late Saturday night. The next day was Palm Sunday, and I had the opportunity to meet a new doctor for our hospital in Tansen (in the west) who had arrived while I was in Malaysia. She joined us for tea and a family Palm Sunday home church. It was raining (which has gratefully decreased the pollution), so our activity was inside.
