further seeking my experience of God

i am at the hospital three days this week, and starting today, i will be on labor & delivery as a tech, meaning i may be able to see my first *birth* this week. i was in c-section two weeks ago but was pulled as they needed me to help at the desk.

friday i worked in the nursery. i cannot put into words what being with these babies does for me, it is simply transforming. i was privileged enough to bathe two newborns and prepare them to see their mamas and that was awesome. it was an on-going prayer the entire time and i will tell you, it was really REALLY hard not to be at the sink baptizing these infants because i washed their hair (!!) and i had to run water over their little heads with my cupped hand....i think it was natural to pray the baptism prayer to myself because it is what i felt i was replicating, but how serious a matter baptism is! who would have thought i would face temptation when bathing a newborn?

experience of God? you bet. not overwhelming, but one that carried me the entire weekend.

~*~*~*~

i was at Mass yesterday with my daughter and one of her friends wanted to come with us, one who does not attend any church with her family. she proudly proclaimed, "i went to Mass two weeks in a row; this is my third week!" and i said, "any time, sweets, i will be happy to take you." she was thoughtful and reverent and had no intention of waving to her friends as molly did, but she did concur that gerald is cute in the second pew the the left and i reminded both 12 year-olds we are there to look upon One Man, not many boys, m'kay?

on the way home, i asked if her dad would have any objection to her going with us and she said "i think he would be glad." my daughter told me after she got out of the car that her friend likes to pray for her mom because "she hasn't seen her for a year and doesn't know where she is." after my usual round of "why, where is she? does she talk to her?" molly told me that she is an addict and all her friend has is her mom's cell phone number, but when she does call her, her mother is high and she (her friend) can't understand what she is saying. my heart about broke in two, but i am moved that she at least feels compelled to pray for her mom and attend Mass, so i am thinking i will make it a point to see if she wants to go with us weekly.

maybe my experience of God is to help others experience God?

~*~*~*~

my dear friend, Pastor Charlie, is flying out to a wedding next week and asked for prayer as he is afraid of flying. he maybe didn't say *afraid* but said he *has issues* with it. that, and the fact that the Lord said, "Lo, I am with you always," leaves out the "high areas."

:)

he said as he walked out to his car, "i will pray for you to have your experience of God if you pray next week that i do not...." fair enough.