A Restful Day

Fridays, the sabbath day in Jordan, is a restful day for many people, but it is my busiest day. I awoke early this morning and cleaned up from last night's spirituality group dinner. To my surprise, Fr. Al wanted to say the Mass this morning giving me some free time. Lovely.

To repay him, I made a fresh pot of coffee, cooked some vegetables, poached a few eggs, and prepared breakfast for him. However, a parishioner paid him an unscheduled visit and he didn't come down for breakfast until an hour later. These are the demands of the ministry.

I was then ready for my regular Friday morning meeting, but she came by to say she could not stay because her embassy would not grant her request to leave the next day. She came by to say goodbye and to present me with a gift. She had a lovely year in Amman. I spent some extended time in prayer.

Suddenly, I had all this free time and I was given the grace to get tasks organized. I worked on three delinquent tasks that were minor, but I felt terrific completing them. They hold me in good stead for the time to come. My whole day was about getting organized and it gave a sense of release from these minor nagging tasks that I thought wouldn't get done for another four months, but here they are - complete! Check!

Mass was lovely and easy. I saw Abouna Bashir and gave him some Jesuit literature. We talked for a good while and had a lovely chat. He is a good friend and I like him. After mass, I went to the house where the choir meets. I had no afternoon meetings so I was free to go. It was lively and I'm sure there will be silly Facebook photos posted soon.

I came home and napped because it was 99 degrees today. Tomorrow is Independence Day in Jordan and it is a national holiday. The streets were vacant of cars and I was very happy for that, but it means the nights will be loud with drum playing, bagpipes, and fireworks. The Friday Souk will be taken down so aluminum pipes will be clanging into the wee hours.

But the moon is spectacular tonight.

The Filipino choir did not come for rehearsal, except for one sweet woman. We chatted and sang for a bit before I sent her home. The other choir members did not even call me to let me know they were not coming. They will keep their heads looking down at the floor when I walk into the church tomorrow.

I used the early evening hours to do a little drawing of still life - two pears and a bunch of purple grapes. I thought I would do it quickly, but it was much more sophisticated than I imagined. Drawing teaches me patience. I finally got it and now I can start painting it in class this week. I'll do a few sketches tomorrow, but I feel ahead of the curve in my scheduling. Usually I'm doing Just-In-Time management because I'm involved in so many tasks. I also started a new jigsaw puzzle. Tomorrow night is 3 of 5 of the Dozan workshops so the first half of the day will be relaxed, but the second half will be strenuous.

All in all, the day was relaxing and I've enjoyed a low key day. It has felt very restful. A short glass of wine with sitting on the roof deck while thanking God for many blessings is a fitting way to end a relaxing day.