Courage, Mexico! - Call to Action, Call to Solidarity

The Center for Action and Contemplation has had a longstanding relationship with Sister Donna and the women of the Centro Santa Catalina. Just this year, because of the increased violence in Juarez, the CAC had to make the agonizing decision to no longer take 9-day interns across the border to meet the women at the CSC and then stay in their homes. Since that time individuals at the CAC have been praying about and exploring ways to be in solidarity with the women without actually crossing the border. A website is one effort that has emerged thus far.

Please check out this site and be sure to click on "Photos" to watch a very well done video that will tell and show you more of the CSC.

This weekend I traveled to Tucson, AZ where I now begin a 2-week stay connecting and volunteering with No Mas Muertes, Samaritans, and Humane Borders, and participating in a Seminar for Educators at Border Links.

The "More than the Real"

I have now had some time to reflect more on the four stages of Liberation Theology as presented by Juan Sobrino that I mentioned earlier in the week. The first, “knowing what is real” we do by inserting ourselves in the life of the poor. What has been “real” in Juarez this week is:

- unemployment or underemployment by many of the women’s family members (and continuing the increase)

- little to no food (even running out of rice and beans)

- domestic violence the women’s sadness over visitors not coming to share their lives and stories together

- stifling heat (though not the 107 degrees of last summer), dryness and dust

- the toxic land of the dump that spontaneously bursts into flames from the methane gas

- rancid smells of decaying animal carcasses

- women of the CSC receiving death threats

- homes made of wood palettes and mattress springs with no running water or electricity

- extensive poverty and hardship

- drug violence and fear

The second step is to “not run away from the real.” The reality is that I can – and I can’t. I am a person of privilege. I do not have to live with the poverty, hardship, violence, and fear. I can live in my nice, air conditioned house, drive a car, choose where to be educated, draw a steady paycheck, receive health benefits, eat out, take a vacation, purchase most anything I need (and want), etc. and never think twice about the women who live on the city dump in Ciudad Juarez – or contemplate how my lifestyle in the “greatest nation” in the world affects their living conditions. Unfortunately, I can’t pretend to be unaware – because I have met the women, I have heard their stories, I have eaten their food and slept in their homes, I have been the recipient of their extravagant hospitality. I have danced, and sung, and celebrated with them. I have cried with them. I have struggled with Spanish words and hand motions to communicate with them. I have run and played and laughed with the children. I have been blessed by and prayed for by them. They are mi familia. I have a “Mexican mama” whose name is Irene.

As a result, I constantly analyze – I am forever asking, “Why is it this way?” – step 2 in the Liberation Theology process. To answer this question, I confront my own and my country’s complicity. It is the drug consumption in the US that drives the drug violence in Juarez. It is my country’s greed for profits that drives the need for cheap labor and destroys the environment. It is unfair trade policies that drive people from their farms and force them into poverty in the cities. We are interconnected! My choices have consequences for their lives and well-being.

Fortunately, I was able to experience the “More than the Real” break into the lives of the women of the CSC (step 3), particularly in the gift of the Friday celebration of baptism for four of the women. Sister Donna and the women were thrilled to be able to celebrate this ritual. All 60 + gathered in the salon, particularly those being baptized, were beaming. What a sacred occasion of celebrating God’s love, and the hope that the women find in their relationships with God! What faith!

The “More than the Real” also showed up in the young woman from the Burke foundation (from whom Sister Donna has requested a $15,000 grant) who came for a site visit at the school on Friday. What a joy she was – and so receptive to the children and of hearing the women’s stories of empowerment. (Now we pray that the grant comes through for the CSC.)

Sister Donna would also say that my visit, coming to be in solidarity with the women, particularly when so many groups have canceled, has also been the breaking in of the “More than the Real.” I am humbled, but know this is true. (I heard the women say many times how sad they are that groups are no longer coming. They truly miss the connections with friends from the US.)

I witnessed the break through of the “More than the Real” in the encouragement and support the women give to receive from each other. When we in the US encounter hardship, we oftentimes are driven apart - we isolate ourselves and seek to solve our problems individually. The women of the CSC, however, come together, depending on each other. More than once this week I witnessed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Now, I am left to ponder step 4 – How can I (we) continue, with God’s help, to transform the situation? What is mine to do?

Pentecost Sunday

Some thoughts from Richard Rohr - found on the CAC website:

“Pentecost is the day we are always waiting for, but never prepared for . . . It is the day of the great outpouring of the Spirit . . . It is the day of the great sending out . . . (when we finally take on) the responsibility that goes with believing in love.”

(Read the entire article by clicking here and then clicking the link, “Pentecost article”)

Article and Book Links

Here are a couple of resources if you'd like to read more about immigration. (Click on the links)

"Solving the Immigration Problems Means Addressing the Realities of Corporate Globalization"

"U.S. Border a Bleeding Scar for Immigrants"

Lives on the Line: Dispatches from the US-Mexico Border

Christians on the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible

Exploring Justice Work in El Paso

On Thursday I stayed in El Paso to make contact with several organizations working on the US side of the Border. I'm meeting people and exploring future immersion experiences for Warren Wilson students, and investigating possible internships for students. (And, I'm continuing my own learning.)

The word of the day is, INSPIRED! I am so inspired by the men and women who have devoted their lives and careers to this work. (And, might I add - go SISTERS! Nuns ROCK!)

Here are some of the organizations I learned more about today. (Click on the link to go to their websites)

Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, the only full-service immigration legal aid clinic serving low-income immigrants and refugees residing in the southwestern United States.

Annunciation House is committed to accompany the migrant, homeless, and economically vulnerable peoples of the border region through hospitality, advocacy, and education.

This is Sister Maureen of Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza, a multicultural and faith based community in the border region that has been empowering women for 15 years.

West Cosgrove runs Casa Puente, an organization that offers a border immersion program focusing on the issues of global economics and immigration.

You Can Help the Women of the CSC

These women of the sewing cooperative, called specifically Cooperativa Las Mujeres De Esperanza Y Fe (The Women of Hope and Faith), are amazing ladies. They are strong, resilient, and full of faith, hope and joy! They have overcome so many odds - abusive relationships, abandonment, lack of education, poverty and hunger, discrimination, and the list goes on. Yet, this does not stop them. Here is their mission statement:

"In 'La Lucha' with Jesus and women of our world, we the women of Las Mujeres de Esperanza y Fe are a faith based community voicing our dreams and goals in community decision making and working together for spiritual development, economic empowerment and self-determination."

They do not want a hand-out, even in these economic times that have affected them 10-fold that of those in the US. Rather, they want to work and earn a living (which, by the way is $160 a month). They want to sell their products and run a successful business.

This is where you, my friends and colleagues, can help. Check out the website and consider purchasing their products. (Also, be sure to read the women's stories). One new item they are making at the suggestion of folks from the CAC is "Prayer Flags." Rather than the traditional Tibetan flags, these are made with Mexican fabric, with cultural colors and patterns. The women are able to make these with fabric scraps so producing them is very inexpensive and the profit margin high. You may display these flags (banderas) as a reminder of the women and our call to pray for them.


They also sell tablecloths, shawls, placemats and napkins, stoles, as well as other products. I've used some of their products as altar cloths.

If your organization or church has an alternative gift fair, please consider selling the women's products there as well.

God Bless the Children of Juarez

Tell Me Where To Be Born

People of the world,

Tell me where to be born.

If I were born in the land

of “your interest”

would you let me die?

People of the world,

my name is Holocaust and

I’m fifty plus years old.

My name is Sarajevo and

I’m three years old.

My name is Rwanda and

I’m but a month old.

I have no name,

I’m yet to be born.

People of the world,

Tell me where to be born

so you will not hate me one day,

so you will not maim me one day,

so you will not kill me one day.

People of the world,

Tell me where to be born.

- Avideh Shashaani

I thought of this poem that was published in the April-June 2009 issue of “Radical Grace,” the CAC publication, as I have observed the children at the CSC the past few days. Because they are brown, and poor, and speak another language, many in the United States will hate them – maybe not now as children, but when they grow up, marry, have kids of their own for whom they try to provide by seeking a better life, perhaps even north of the Border. They will be the "illegal immigrant," the "people stealing our jobs, " the "criminals," the people "ruining the neighborhood." And for that we will hate and maim and kill them - perhaps not with guns, but with our policies, our injustices.

We should rather see them as the human beings they are, made in the image of God - many, Christian people with deep faith. They are parents who deeply love their children and are doing the best they can to provide for their families – amid political, social, and economic disasters that we Americans helped to create. They are gentle people who love their land and would have stayed if corporate agribusiness through globalization hadn't driven them from their family farm. They are resourceful, creative, persistent, hopeful people.

I meet these mothers, and some fathers, and know they want what is best for their children (and what is basic to most of us) – to be fed, to be housed, to be educated, to be loved. (These are the same things my brother wants for his 3 year old son. These are the same things all parents want for their children.)

Painting with Jose and Cristian

Sister Donna had asked if on Wednesday I would help by painting over the graffiti on the exterior walls of the Center. Of course! I'll do anything Sister Donna asks. :o) Fortunately, the paint I had purchased the night before matched the existing colors (at least close enough).


As I began the task, a boy, whose name I learned is Christian, shyly approached the wall. It was obvious by his actions that he wanted to paint. So, he joined me. Shortly afterward, Jose, joined us, as did two tiny kittens. One kitten's eyes were matted shut so that he could not see. He was quickly abandoned by the other kitten and sat meowing pitifully, not able to see where he should go. I picked him up to get a closer look at his eyes, while Jose got a paper towel. He then, while almost strangling the kitten with his vice grip, cleaned the eyes until the kitten could open them again. With his eyes now wide open the kitten ran into the compound to find the little girls. The girls were certainly excited to find him.

Having resolved the "blind kitten" problem, Jose, Cristian and I returned to painting. (Note in the picture the boys creative resolution to reaching the top of the wall.


Donna was thrilled with our work and I was satisfied to have made a contribution to the Center.

(Just remember, all of this happened with the boys speaking and understanding no English, and me communicating with little Spanish.)

First Day in Juarez at Centro Santa Catalina

Written on Tuesday, May 26 at 10:00 p.m.

Wow! What a day! This posting will be more narrative than reflective – not much time to be thoughtful while I’m in the midst of living this current experience. (Hmmm . . . I think that says something about how hard it is for the poor to meet their basic needs and “survive.” Is reflection, and time to do so in meaningful ways, a privileged activity?)

8:15 a.m. Departed Sister Donna’s house in El Paso

8:30 a.m. Stopped at Bowie Bakery in El Paso to pick up a special “tres leche” (3 milk) cake to celebrate “Dia de Maestro” with the teachers at the Centro Santa Catalina

8:45 a.m. Sat in line to cross Border into Mexico

9:30 a.m. Arrived at Centro Santa Catalina – Co-op women were working; children were in classes. Saw Irene, the woman I stayed with in the Colonia last year, and reacquainted myself with the 28 women. (Of course they remembered me – the “crazy dancer.”)

9:45 a.m. Joined in the work at the Co-op – I was “pulling strings” (threads) because that was the easy job – one I was capable of doing adequately.

12:00 p.m. Women got off work. Irene invited me to her house where she cooked me amazingly delicious authentic enchiladas. I met her 12 year old granddaughter who is learning English. We quizzed each other on words. It helped me recall many Spanish words.

2:30 p.m. Irene walked me back to the Center where I joined a class of 1^st graders for the afternoon. They played soccer and baseball, then returned to class where they were tested on their numbers.

4:30 p.m. We left the Center for El Paso.

5:00 p.m. We got in line at “the bridge” – the border crossing point. Proceeded to sit in line, gradually inching forward for 2 ½ hours. Exhaust fumes stiffling.

7:45 p.m. We arrived at Sister Donna’s house. I left immediately for a Home Depot run to purchase paint for a graffiti removal project Donna has asked me to take care of this week.

9:00 p.m. Finally, back home where I ate a bowl of cereal for dinner.

This is an intense and draining schedule, one that Sister Donna, who is 71 years old, keeps on a daily basis, 6 days a week, all year long. She's been doing this particular work for 14 years. She’s remarkable!

It was so wonderful to see the women again – Patricia’s bright, cheerful smile; Marta’s quiet, serious demeanor that hides her deeply spiritual, mystic soul; Consuela’s matriarchal wisdom, Irene’s sad face but expansive, generous heart, and of course Berta’s laughter, usually about me. (She remembers my dancing.) Each of the 28 women has her own personality, her own gifts, her own stories. Together they are a community – in the best and deepest sense of the word. They really know what it means – they have to – they depend on each other for survival. And, they have such hope, such joy, such FAITH.

I was reminded today how important it is to make the distinction that these women and children are “economically poor.” They’re certainly not poor in terms of relationships, or community, or hope, or faith, or love, or in the gifts they offer the world.

Today I also witnessed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. At about 10:30 a.m. the women began to pull food items they had brought from home from their personal bags – a small scoop of rice, a cup full of beans, tortillas, a container of squash, a couple of burritos. Before I knew it that tiny collection of food had fed the entire group.

While sitting for 2 ½ hours waiting to cross back into the US Donna shared more about her favorite Liberation Theologian, Jon Sobrino. In his book, Liberation Spirituality, he identifies 4 steps to Liberation Theology, which always begins with the preferential option for the poor:

1.) Know what’s real. Do this by inserting self in the life of the poor. What do you find – see, hear, taste, smell, touch?
2.) Don’t/Can’t run away from what is real. This leads one to constant analysis – asking, “Why is it this way?”
3.) Let the “More than Real” break in on you. This is the God piece. We have to be aware of when/how/where it is happening. Pay attention.
4.) Determine how we are going to transform the situation by co-creating with God.

More thoughts on this when I have time . . .

What does it really mean to be in community?

It was a year ago this June that I had the opportunity to participate in a 9-day internship at the Center for Action and Contemplation. As a part of that experience, we interns traveled to Ciudad Juarez for 4 days to meet and be in relationship with a group of displaced and predominantly homeless women living on the defunct municipal garbage dump in Colonia Panfilo Natera, one of the poorest areas in Juarez. Recognizing that these women needed to be in community, Sister Donna Kustusch helped these women found a cooperative, the Centro Santa Catalina.

My group from the CAC is one of many groups who have sought to learn more about the Border and the difficulties these women face daily by coming alongside them, staying in their homes, listening to their stories, and accompanying them on the journey. This was my first trip not to “do” anything for these women, unlike previous work/mission trips. It was about “be-ing,” which included dancing, singing, praying, eating, creating art, sharing stories, blessing and being blessed.

Due to the increased violence in Juarez few, if any groups, including the CAC, are crossing the Border. This has caused Sister Donna and the women to feel more isolated than ever before.

In a recent article, “Call to Community,” in Radical Grace (CAC publication), Kelsea Habecker, an intern in my group last summer, writes:

“As the violence in Juarez escalates, faith communities along the border region - and elsewhere – are grappling with the questions for which there are no easy answers: How can we hold our desire and our call to solidarity and accompaniment along with legitimate concerns for safety? How much does safety factor into a faith-based approach to engagement with the poor? How do we accompany a people in crisis, a Church in crisis? As we all walk through this, there are many tensions to hold collectively.”

She goes on the say:

“This call to community is the call that confronts us today. As people of faith, committed to loving and engaging with our world, we are called to be in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Juarez, even in the midst of the violence. The call and the response will be different for each of us, and we must discern what is ours to do in this situation. Some may choose to cross the border, either to build a house or simply share a meal with the women of the CSC. Some may choose to work for political reform for US immigration policies. Some may choose to buy Fair Trade products. All may pray.

Juarez shows, with harrowing clarity, the brutality of the global economy in which we all participate. The reality is that we are in community whether we choose to recognize it or not. . . .We are each compelled to offer solidarity with this issue because we are complicit in it. It is the US demand for cheap, unjust labor and illegal drugs that creates the unstable and unjust system in Juarez. The community of women of Centro Santa Catalina shows us, with astonishing beauty, an alternative way to live, a way of life that shares faith and life, co-creating justice and peace.
Please remember in your prayers and intentions those impacted by the violence in the US/Mexico border region, as well as the women of the CSC. They do not have the privileged position that we do of opting out of the violence. They have much to teach us. They are our community.”

Kelsea is now on staff at the CAC. When I visited this week she and I had a chance to share in conversation for about hour. She and I continue to discern what is ours to do, seeking clarity of call amidst the ever shifting dynamics of this Border land. It was a gift to be with her.

Catching up with Friends

I've spent the last two days in Santa Fe with former seminary colleague, Raymond Raney, now the priest at Holy Cross Episcopal Church and his partner Linda, who is the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church (and a gifted organist of the PhD variety). What I did not know prior to planning this stay with Raymond and Linda is that my former seminary New Testament professor, Richard Valantasis and his partner Janet are living here now (after a short two year stay at Emory and Candler in Atlanta.) I enjoyed dinner and catching up with the gang on Saturday night. On Sunday I worshiped at Raymond's church, strolled the Plaza in Old Town, hiked at the Audabon, and listened to Linda play the recently installed Fisk organ at her church. Then I got a back scenes tour of the organ "guts" and learned more about the intricacies and physics of the organ. Linda is brilliant!


Oh, I almost forgot. At the recommendation of good friends in Eugene, OR who used to live and work in Santa Fe, Jennifer and Kristin, we found the Chocolate Maven and ate desserts. (Note the "Best of Santa Fe" for 7 years running.



Tomorrow I head south to El Paso. I spoke with Sister Donna tonight and she says that things (meaning, violence) have calmed down recently in Juarez. She even suggested that I stay a couple of nights in the Colonia in the home of one of the women. Since I haven't been preparing myself to do so, and since I have other connections to make in the El Paso area mid-week, I will likely just go back and forth each day and not stay overnight in Juarez. But, we'll see what tomorrow - and the week ahead - brings . . .

Monastery of Christ in the Desert

Today I journeyed the 13 miles down the muddy, single lane road to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, arriving in time for Sext, the 1:00 p.m. prayer of the Daily Office. The monks chant all the liturgy, which is quite beautiful. While waiting for None, the 3:30 p.m. prayer, I sat to read - then fell asleep, and slept right through None. I guess that is what I needed - and that is OK. I awoke in time for Silent Prayer followed by Vespers at 5:20 p.m.


The landscape on the drive was stunning. The colors are magnificent. The greens are more vibrant due to the unusually wet spring they are having, and make the peach and pink hues of the sandstone cliffs stand out that much more. Absolutely incredible!

Tonight I am back at Ghost Ranch . . . and ready for it to stop raining (even though I know the earth is loving it). Not looking forward to tenting and packing up wet gear tomorrow.

A couple of random pictures and thoughts ------

I walked into the Ghost Ranch office yesterday and saw this on the desk.
Yes, a Warren Wilson water bottle that is not mine. Upon inquiring about it, I learned that Jim Layman, a current WWC volunteer, had given the water bottle to Don Mason, who is now a volunteer here at Ghost Ranch. Don had looked into volunteering at WWC, but for now has ended up here.

And, from whence has this blog, and all other things internet, taken place while Leah has been at Ghost Ranch? Right here in this back room of the library. I love it! I feel like Brer Rabbit in the Brair Patch - just throw me right into the library and surround me with books.. So many books, so little time! And the coolest thing is that the books are current. This is not an old, out-dated, stale, dusty library that houses books of dead theologians. NO! It's fabulous. I could just spend the rest of the summer here. ( I did inquire about discounts for clergy sabbaticals.) :o)

Video article link - Sister Donna and the Centro Santa Catalina

Here is a New York Times video article on Sister Donna and the Centro Santa Catalina. This is where I will be going next week (as long as I feel called - and safe).

(Thank you to Kelsea for this article!)

Preparation for the Journey: Rest, Reflection and Reading

I am at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM. Throughout its rich history this majestic landscape has been the home of dinosaurs, peoples of different ethnicities and cultures, artist Georgia O'Keefe, and now a retreat center for the Presbyterian Church (USA).

When I began planning this Border trip I knew that I would need some time to prepare myself for the journey. Not just making the hotel reservations, or completing the Borderlinks application, or packing my clothes, but some inner preparation. I would need to recoup physically – to rest - from this year of intense transition into a new job and the completion of a busy and stressful (yet meaningful) academic year. Just as importantly I would need a place of solace to renew and ready myself, emotionally and spiritually, for the encounters ahead.

That’s why I chose to be at Ghost Ranch. Here in this desert landscape I can be quiet. I can hike, sit, read, journal, walk the labyrinth, think, and pray. I can listen more intentionally without the distractions of everyday.

Tomorrow (as long as the rains don't make the road inaccessible) I will enter the monastic rhythm as I join the brothers at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. I will “show up” to myself and to God.

For whom or what am I listening? I shared with several friends this “call” to return to visit the women of the Centro Santa Catalina in Juarez. Despite the violence and the swine flu I am compelled to go. I’ve wondered along the way, “Why am I not afraid?” Have I just been too busy to really stop and think about the violence? Or, am I just being naïve? Am I only remembering the joy and hope of the women, the laughter and dancing, the ritual blessing I received from them, and have dismissed the overall situation in Juarez? Or, am I just feeling so deeply called that no matter the consequences of my choices, this is the right thing to do?

I sit with these questions. I don’t want to over think or over analyze. I want to listen to God’s call – to know what is mine to do.

Wisdom from the Hermitage

Monday night, while staying in the Julian of Norwich hermitage, I found a book on the shelf, Christian Mysticism East and West: What the Masters Teach Us. In it, author Maria Jaoudi references this quote by Brother David Stendl-Rast from his book, The Music of Silence: Entering the Sacred Space:

“The message is to live daily with the real rhythms of the day. To live responsively, consciously, and intentionally, directing our lives from within, not being swept along by the demands of the clock, by external agendas, by mere reactions to whatever happens. By living in the real rhythms we ourselves become more real. We learn to listen to the music of this moment, to hear its sweet implorings, its sober directives. We learn to dance in our hearts, to open our inner gates a crack more, to hearken to the music of silence, the divine life breath of the universe.”

This is my prayer – not only for these next few weeks, but for my life – to live the REAL rhythms. (Or, perhaps first, to discover what these really are for me.) It is quite the task for me – to live in the present moment. And, it is in the present moment where I meet God – in the people I encounter, the places I am, the gifts I receive through my senses, the stirrings of my heart.

I have much of the next 4 weeks planned, but I also left enough “empty spaces” to be drawn by the Spirit for encounters in the moment – for silence and stillness – for listening to the “sweet implorings.” May I be open . . . may I be courageous . . .

Pictures - Julian of Norwich Hermitage, Chapel where we sat for Centering Prayer, Stillpoint backyard with gardens and labyrinth.

WWC Commencement and the beginning of summer break

These last several weeks have been crazy busy as I've tried to bring closure to this my first academic year at Warren Wilson College (while also planning for August New Student Orientation and fall programming, AND finalizing plans for my 4-week Border exploration trip.) Though the work never stops, I sure need to at times!

It's these annual ritual celebrations like Commencement that make me so proud of our students and reassure me that campus ministry is my passion and calling. What a gift to work with such amazing young adults who really are going to change the world! Here are a couple of pics from graduation:
One thing I'll never do again is plan to leave town for a 6 week trip immediately after Commencement! But, that is what I did this year.

Saturday afternoon I hit the road for the Border. Just outside Cookeville, TN I took notice of the car that had been traveling in front of me for many miles. Ohio plates. Radical bumper stickers. Hmmm . . . I bet they're Wilson students heading home for the summer. I passed them and waved. They immediately passed back. Cody Goss was in the back passenger seat grinning from ear to ear and waving wildly. (Cody was one of the students I supervised on the Peace and Justice Crew this year. She and two fellow Wilson-ites are heading to CO for a summer of raft guiding on the Arkansas River.) I followed them for hours to Nashville where they headed north up 24 and I followed the setting sun west to Memphis.

For the next 2 days I journeyed west, watching the landscape change from the rolling, tree covered hills of TN (yes, Carlos, there are 20,000 shades of green); to the flooding waters of the many rivers; to the flat, open ranch lands of OK and TX where the earth is dotted with grain silos, windmill wells, and oil rigs; to the red and white mesas of NM. I saw herons, antelope, and a hawk swoop down, pick up and fly off with a snake in its talons - all while cruising 75 miles an hour down the interstate.

I arrived in Albuquerque yesterday at the Center for Action and Contemplation. I stayed overnight in the Julian of Norwich hermitage which is located in the backyard of the Stillpoint Guesthouse. I could live in this hermitage forever. (Perhaps I really was a monastic in a former life. Bud would probably disagree.) :o) I've been able to sit for Centering Prayer twice with the CAC community. Ahhhhhhh! Already I feel more grounded.

Stillpoint. Yes, the name of the CAC Guesthouse. And, yes, I stole it for my blog title. A still point - a quiet, slowed down place within and without is what I am seeking. Driving across the country my primary focus was getting to the CAC so I could sit at 4:40 p.m. and 7:40 a.m. in silence - in community. I'm starved for contemplation. I need it. I know it. I have not lived this last year at a healthy and sustainable pace. I need to make changes. I hope that will begin in an intentional way with this journey.

This is the beginning of my Border exploration journey. Over the next month I will connect with people and travel to places along the Border of the US and Mexico. My itinerary includes stops in Albuquerque, Abiquiu, El Paso, Juarez, Tucson, and Nogales. I'm here to further my own education about the political, social, economic, and theological issues on the Border and to make preparations for future trips (and potential internships) with my students.

This blog will document this journey, particularly my musings along the way. I will do my best to write as often as I am able. But, if it becomes a burden, forget it. This is my journey - I need it to be at a pace that is sustainable, meaningful and life-giving. Along the way I need to find the time for reflection and contemplation, to let myself experience the emotions -- I need to pace myself, to rest, to be. I need to be open to all I will see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. I need to slow down - I need to find my still point.