Lora writing. We returned to life as a family of four the first full week of January. It is quiet- which is lovely, a bit of a relief actually. Also, it is quiet which is lonely, a bit of grief too. We felt so grateful that we could have such a crowd at Christmas, and that we could share this beautiful country and small glimpses of our life in real time with people we love. It was so easy to host, even as it also took a lot of work. This is life always and right now; it feels like the both/and of the world is so present to us.
On a simple level, we are so very cold in the morning (54F/12C in our house), and so warm outside in the sun in the afternoon (68F/20C). Life is slow here, and rich. We love being home most days (all four of us) by 4:00 pm, and then not going out. But we also miss going out and having a community of people to connect with regularly. We are so glad to be here, yet we look to the U.S. and wonder how we can support those we love there.
So here we are in Kathmandu, in the daily rhythms of our lives. We continue to light candles, say “God have mercy” prayers (which are some of the only ones I know to say right now) and reach out to host folks for food, join evening and morning conversations with those we love across the ocean, and morning coffee with those we love here. We try to be present where we are — while at the same time we send some of our attention and prayers around the world.
Sarah Bessey is a theologian and fellow Canadian whom I enjoy reading. And this week, she reflected in her online newsletter:
“Our friends in Minneapolis are showing us what it looks like when people who understand neighbouring as a verb stand up and resist together. I have many friends in the area, and the way that they all – mothers, pastors, journalists, teachers, business owners, nurses, everyone – are counting the cost and then showing up and doing the right thing. This work, even from afar, has both devastated and strengthened so many of us.”
She went on to offer breath prayers for our time, which she describes as a time for “peaceful resistance, steady witness, revolutionary neighbourliness, learning about non-violent resistance, and embodying peace-making that disrupts the lies and cruelties”.
In her most recent mailing, she shared a series of breath prayers that I found useful. Especially, as I have been introducing breath prayers to a lot of the expats in the hospital, as a way to ground themselves and their work in the presence of God. If you don’t know what a breath prayer is, they are an ancient form of prayer that is easy to practice anywhere and any time. You simply choose two simple lines and inhale on one phrase and exhale on the other. You can do it while lighting a candle, or counting your steps, or enter a challenging conversation, or for medical staff, right before you enter a patient room. For many years, I have used the simple breath prayer:
(on the inhale) God is here,
(on the exhale) I am here.
This has grounded me and given me a sense of spaciousness even when I am overwhelmed. Sarah Bessy gave me a few more suggestions that I might try, and here are some of my favourites.
Inhale: Heal what is broken
Exhale: around us and in us.
Inhale: Awaken love in us,
Exhale: Your love never fails.
Inhale: May we be loving and generous,
Exhale: compassionate and courageous.
Meanwhile, here in Nepal, things are pretty quiet. The air is not great, but the mountains are still out many days, and we have found a solution to our super cold morning kitchen by putting a thick heat-trapping curtain at the top of the stairs and using a space heater.
For me, in January, I completed work with the final outside (foreign) group of the season. Since early December, we had had four Dutch students visiting UMN, observing and working on small projects out in the field. It was a good experience to have them, and perhaps we will host a few more next year (with a few tweaks to how we host and what we offer them). I was the one in charge of their time here, and the last two flew back home this past weekend. Daily, I have been working on staff devotions, my weekly prayer newsletter, and this week, a last-minute request for Lent devotions. I continue to meet regularly with some staff for counselling or conversations that lean more toward spiritual direction. I also do annual check-ins, and this week, Mitch and I did our check-in for each other!
I have been using the book “Liturgies from Below” for some personal reflection, devotions and prayer as well as for our family church when we stay home and have “home church.” This picture below is from that book, and I feel drawn to the call to reach toward one another, and here sometimes that feels like a challenge. We have those within our organization to reach toward, our expat and Nepali colleagues that I work to care for, and we have our friends from choir and the kids’ school. At church, we still feel mostly like strangers, and it is hard to get connected.
