Writing, Parenting, and Working in the Mess: Authentic Spirituality and Social Justice

Over the summer, T, S and I went on a family retreat to a Catholic convent in a city about two hours away. Since my mid-20s, I've taken a personal retreat nearly every year, but this experience was different, both because we were all together, and also because we went to a Benedictine convent, with an emphasis on hospitality. In other words, as opposed to the convent where I've often retreated in the Twin Cities, or the Methodist retreat apartment I've sometimes used in the middle of the woods, we weren't left alone. We were invited each day to attend the services, and we had a host who took us to lunch and supper, where we made small talk with the nuns. I loved the services of the hours. I have always tried to remember to pray at the hours as they are celebrated in the Orthodox Church--7 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 7 p.m., midnight--but I don't always manage to remember, nor is it always possible for me to pause. But I have for years said the Orthodox morning prayers eve...

I grew up in a tradition that valued sacred spaces. There are small chapels scattered all over Greece; there are proper rituals in the Greek Orthodox tradition for entering a church, and leaving. I have always been drawn to sacred spaces--since my mid-20s, I've taken retreats at least once a year and chosen places where I could sit or walk in spaces that were set aside as sacred. And, I've always tried to create sacred spaces in my home--but as the house gets more and more crowded and life more and more hectic, it's difficult to keep these spaces set apart (not to mention clean and uncluttered). I have an image of the last supper over our kitchen table--but it is often piled high with random belongings, and we rarely eat on it, opting instead for the larger table in the main room of the house (also sometimes piled with junk, but easier to clear). I have an icon of each of our patron saints, and Mary and Jesus, in our sitting room, but I have to admit I don't always reme...