Jinnu likes to drive fast. Even when taking the wide bends that are apparently pretty common here, he can be caught pushing 50mph. It’s hard to feel like the Chrysler isn’t going to lose traction or give way to centrifugal force and just go flying in the opposing direction. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once. That’s been my past couple days: blasting down the roads at a nice clip of 60-70, feeling the spin of the earth in my stomach every time we take a turn or come to a sudden halt.
I guess it probably makes sense that the nuns pray so much when we’re in the car. Honestly, I think I’ve prayed more rosaries traveling to and from the retreat house than I have in the past three months. These nuns are complete superheroes when it comes to inexhaustible devotion and prayer. It puts some of the strongest prayer warriors I know to shame –and that’s extremely hard to do.
The sisters also have this sort of indefatigable stamina that’s a wonder to witness. I’ll tell you about the other night: it’s not uncommon these days for us to drag ourselves back into the convent around 11pm after a long day serving in our different capacities. I know these women have been up since dawn and some had gone to work before joining us at the retreat house. This particular night in question, Dria and I retired to our room almost as soon as we got in, but we heard the Sisters start up some kind of food prep in the kitchen for the next half hour or so. We were in awe of the fact that it didn’t seem like these women slept at all.
But, man, can they cook. Indian food is the best on any day, but the Sisters have magic hands, apparently. Or maybe it’s because they’re so close to God that his goodness just infuses their cooking. I dunno. I won’t puzzle over it. I’ll just enjoy it.
Honestly, I think I could go on for days and days about the nuns. I have a great amount of affection for them.
However, there’s one other thing I wanted to touch on before I go to bed:
One of my favorite things about these retreats is I get to witness for myself the change people undergo over the course of the 3 or 4 days. At every single one of these I’ve been able to pinpoint the people who are extremely burdened or troubled in some way. They come in with faces devoid of any joy, and they find it hard to meet the eyes of any of the speakers or even my eyes. They find things to distract themselves during the different talks –examining fingernails, doodling, staring anywhere as long as they don’t look interested in the slightest.
I can always identify these people. I see their brokenness almost immediately because it resonates with my own. We’re the same, and –at least in this case– like attracts like.
It’s always these people who I end up paying attention to and who I observe over the course of the weekend. I pray for them in my heart as I’m offering up my worship.  I love seeing how God works in them. There’s even an identifiable process that I’ll probably go into sometime (but not now).
Anyways. Tomorrow is an even earlier day than today was, if you can believe that. I’m tired, but in that way that comes only after you’ve exerted yourself in some positive, life-giving way: when you have done a small thing with great love, as St. Teresa of Calcutta has said.
So I take my leave of you. Pleasant dreams to all. And as always:
Carry on,
Martina