I left for mass earlier than normal this morning, around 6:20am. I thought I would allow myself some extra time to pray and sit quietly in the church. That is one thing that I love about morning mass at Holy Rosary, the silence. There are no side conversations, no laughing, no gossiping and no socializing in the sanctuary. Even the group that prays morning prayer together does it so quietly that you can scarcely hear them at all. Call me old fashioned, but I believe there should be a respectful, prayerful silence in church. I am all for the community that church brings, but I prefer to keep that outside of the sacred space, say in the church hall or even outside the building before or after the service.
I pulled into the parking lot at 6:30am. Mass begins at 7am. When I went to grab my phone, I realized that I had left it at home. Because it is necessary for my job, I was forced to turn around and drive back home. (I go to work immediately following mass). There would not be any extra time for prayer this morning.
Normally, I would allow something like this to disrupt my entire day. It would turn my world upside down. However today I was actually peaceful about it. To be honest, I surprised myself by my own reaction or lack thereof. I uttered no profanities, I didn’t worry about how it would impact the rest of day, I simply drove back home to get my phone. Fortunately, I live close enough to the church that I knew I would still make it back in time for mass.
It was still dark when I pulled out of the lot and headed out Sunset Blvd. I would have my phone in hand in approximately 10 minutes. I hit no red lights on my way home. And there was no traffic at 6:30am. My return even surprised my husband. But I grabbed my phone, gave him a quick kiss and headed back to mass.
As I was driving back, I realized that there was a definite purpose to forgetting my phone. The dawn was just beginning to break and the sky was brilliantly colored, with hues of gold, orange, red, pink, purple and blue. It was magnificent! I love the morning and evening sky. Sunrises and sunsets are two of my most favorite things. So forgetting my phone today ended up being a gift. God gave me a beautiful sunrise to welcome me back to mass, as well as the peace to endure that little morning hiccup that enabled me to enjoy His brilliant masterpiece.
I still got into church with 10 minutes to spare. I was able to read the morning reflections and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the beautiful sunrise. It was then that I realized that maybe I do need to slow down just a little bit and enjoy the moments and the people around me.
The past few weeks, I have been operating at a break-neck pace trying keep all these balls I have been juggling in the air. I have forgotten to take time to be with my family; I have forgot to stop and enjoy the beauty of the morning sky; I have forgotten that if something doesn’t get done today, it will still there tomorrow; I have forgotten to really be present to others because I am so preoccupied with my own juggling act; I forgotten to thank God for all of the blessings in my life – including the opportunity each day to start all over again; I have forgotten that things that are really important are not things and events, but people and time. And I realized all of this because I had forgotten my phone.
It’s funny how God uses everyday life to reach out to us. I am always amazed by these little moments of clarity. They tend to occur when I least expect them, but when I need them most. So today, slow-down, and enjoy each moment and each person that is a part of your life. Maybe even forget your phone. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.
Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith 