Prayer in the Bay Area

To say we have had a diverse array of prayer experiences here is an understatement.  In the six short weeks we have been here, Sheryl has been to 5 out of the 9 GTU seminaries for Catholic Mass, Episcopal Eucharist, ecumenical Taize prayer and Episcopal evening prayer.  Phil has donned liturgical garb to co-lead Episcopal evening prayer and assist at Eucharist. We have been to three different Episcopal churches for Sunday Eucharist and to the Sisters of Mercy retreat center for Taize Prayer with one hundred other people.  Sheryl has walked four different labyrinths.  What a gift it is to be in this environment and be able to have these kinds of opportunities and to meet people from all over the country and learn their stories. 

Know that we keep all of you in our prayers and live in constant gratitude for everyone that has supported us in our efforts to get here.

In the coming weeks, we will share more about these amazing places where we have prayed.  First up will be St. Gregory’s of Nyssa – one of our "colorful" Sunday excursions.

The Giving Stump

One of the biggest challenges for us when we got here was outfitting our apartment both with essentials and to make it feel homey – all on a student’s budget.  I have hit Craig’s List, Goodwill and other thrift stores, the clearance shelves at Target, IKEA and the discount fabric store and numerous garage sales.   However, the greatest source of furnishings and dishes for us has been the “giving stump”.

Freecyle is the technical term used around here for putting out the stuff you don’t want anymore, in your yard or on the curb for people to take.  All over Berkeley, a student town, you will find things that are interesting and useful. I got Phil’s desk chair and a variety of other things this way.  It’s funny when you spend your time driving down the street looking for free stuff.  And we have learned the hard way that you better grab it when you see it or it won’t be there after you go home and think about it.

The Giving Stump is the place where our apartment complex concentrates its freecycle.  We got our couch, a bookshelf, some beautiful pyrex baking dishes and a set of tools this way-among other things.  One of our favorite past times is to check out the stump each morning when we let the dog out. You never know what will magically appear!   It will be even more fun to give back to the stump when we leave next spring.

It's a Dog's Life

Hi – Bella here.  They finally let me write one of these blogs.  Boy has this whole thing been exhausting! First, they move me out of my house that I had finally grown comfortable with.  Then they move me out to the lake, a totally new place with lots of different smells that I wasn’t sure about.  I actually ended up liking it after all - once Mom took me out in the kayak.  But I really didn’t like that awful incident with that German shepherd attacking me.  (I just grew my hair back in the spots where the emergency vet shaved me…)

Then, they take me on this incredibly long car ride which I guess I eventually got used to, but staying in a new place every day really wasn’t my thing. It took a lot of barking to clear everyone out of my way in each of the hotels.  One good thing though – those luggage racks that you push around sure are fun to ride on and I kinda like elevators now.

So it’s been about a month and I think I am finally getting used to my new apartment.  There sure are a lot of walkers, bikers, dogs, and cars around here and the noise has been something to get used to – not the nice quiet suburban street I was used to.   I have stopped waking up Mom and Dad in the middle of the night to tell them about everyone who goes by, because for some reason they really didn’t care.

The other thing I have to get used to is having 6 other dogs, 13 cats and 14 other apartments full of people who share my yard and some of my walls.  I am used to being the princess you know.

But some of the people seem okay and say I am more friendly than I used to be.  So, I guess I’ll have to stick with it since it seems like we are going to be here for awhile.  And I am really enjoying the big windows to look out and the sunshine that we have had every single day since we moved here :)

                                  

Retreat

This past weekend, Phil and I were on retreat with CDSP incoming students and their families at St. Dorothy's Rest - an Episcopal camp and retreat center by Sebastopol - about two hours north of Berkely. St. Dorothy's is in a forest of soaring redwoods.  Spectacular and beautiful.

On Saturday afternoon a group of us went to the Sonoma County State Park on the coast where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean.  The surf pounded in on one of the beaches leaving a plethora of glistening pebbles, mussels, and even a star fish.  The seagulls pick up the mussels and drop them on the beach cracking open the shells and eating the meat inside.  What's left are shells that look like butterfly wings - shimmering purple and blue inside. The waves crash over big rocks creating a stunning landscape.  Sea lions congregate at the point where the river meets the ocean.  They choose the calmer river side for their rest.

The ocean beckons me with the sheer pull of gravity.  I could stand and stare for hours - even on an overcast day which it was that day.  It is a clear reminder to me of the immensity and vastness of God's love.  It forces me into the present because it is so all consuming that you can't think of anything else.  That must be why I feel closer to God when I am at the beach.

Slowing Down

We have just finished our second week in Berkeley.  Phil had orientation for school and Sheryl did labyrinth facilitator training at Grace Cathedral (more about that later). 

In our continuing pursuit of feeling somewhat settled, we have made major strides.  We now have a reading chair, three lamps, a table and chair for Phil to study at plus a few other odds and ends that we picked up either on the side of the road as freebies, at a garage sale (yes, Sheryl actually figured out Craigslist) or at our now favorite store Ikea.  When you start with nothing but an empty apartment and an extremely low furniture budget, these are major accomplishments!!! 

We also are learning new ways of slowing down.  You actually have to think about dinner ahead of time when you don’t live half a block from a grocery store (nearest one is only 1 mile away – downhill there, but UPHILL on the way back-yes we can drive, but that’s boring).  It also takes longer to cook the food when you don’t have a microwave and you have to use the broiler in the oven to make toast because you don’t have a toaster.  Could anyone have ever imagined Phil living without a toaster for two weeks?

Since we made the decision to come to Berkeley nine or ten months ago, life has been unbelievably hectic for us.  Since we have been sleeping 9-10 hours every night since we got here, it's probably about time we slowed down. For the first time, I actually feel like I have choices to make and for now, I am making the choice to slow down and get into the rhythm of life in this amazing place.  Phil may not feel the same way as he starts school tomorrow, but actually getting to do what we came here for will be a blessing for him.    Sheryl