By Josie Watson
Note: Josie is a summer 2009 Providence Volunteer Minister from Columbus, Ind., who is ministering at St. Ann Clinic in Terre Haute, Ind. She wrote this after a Day of Reflection with the other Providence Volunteer Ministers.
Our retreat began Friday afternoon as we joined with sisters in a session called ‘praying with clay.’ It was a quiet, peaceful time for reflection and prayer. A chunk of clay was placed in our hands as we began to ‘pray.’
The idea was not to have a specific goal in mind for your lump of clay, but rather to allow the spirit to guide your hands. I reflected on where I was in my life, and what had brought me here ... to this place and these people, to the woods and to the Sisters of Providence — to pray with clay.
I felt the clay, cool in my hands, as I pulled it this way and that. My mind drifted and I began to wonder what the spirit was asking of me, what my spirit was in need of. I pulled the clay more gently now, never stretching it to the point of breaking. I smoothed out the cracks and patiently rounded the edges of my lump of clay. I knew my soul too was yearning for kindness patience and forgiveness. My spirit, filled with cracks, longed for healing. So began our summer reflection: giving our spirit a voice through the clay in our hands, and listening quietly.
The next day we spent at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. It was a day filled with deep reflection, sharing and bonding with our PVM community, and, of course, fun in the sun. For me, this day was a blessing. I was given the much needed opportunity to reflect as well as a chance to share these reflections in a safe and peaceful environment. Sitting outside under a large tree, my journaling picked up where my prayerful clay had left off.
This summer for me has been a time of transition, and my spirit was asking me to be gentle. To be gentle with myself, recognizing my own spiritual and emotional needs, and never pushing myself too far or too fast. My spirit was calling me to act gently toward those around me. Guided by the sister’s focus on love mercy and justice, I knew I was being called to love: to replace rash judgments and misunderstanding with kind, patient, and overwhelming love. My spirit was begging me to live gently on the earth.
Just as I had left my clay without scratches or scars I longed to leave this earth, unharmed by my existence.
And I realized once again how blessed I am to be in this place. Acres of outdoor beauty to wander and roam; kitchens filled with food from our gardens, farmed organically so as not to scar our earth. I am blessed to live among so many sisters, always making sure I’ve had enough to eat and had a wonderful day. My spirit has been nurtured as a member of this community and I am blessed to be a piece of it.