Sweet Bessie and Jeff...

Sweet Bessie and Jeff...

I was feeling a little bit low today after a long day at CPE and a difficult conversation tonight.  I walked in to the living room tonight quite frankly sad.  My Mom immediately said to me, I have something I want you to listen too.  A few days before, Mom had printed out all of my blog posts from the entire semester and mailed them to our lovely friends Bessie and Jeff.  Bessie and Jeff are a couple from Selma, Alabama that we got to know when Daddy was the rector of St. Paul’s, Selma.  They are a kind, caring, and loving couple and they have always been interested in me and especially supportive of my calling to the priesthood.  Bessie left a message on the answering machine telling me how proud she was of me, that she was going to take my advice about some of the prayer suggestions that I made, and that Jeff had read the posts several times and loved them.  In her message, she said how much she loved me and that she would continue to pray for me.  After I listened to the message I started to cry. 

Sometimes, we try to change ourselves to be what we think others want us to be, to please people, and to be something that we just plain are not.  Bessie and Jeff don’t want me to change, they love me for exactly for who I am, the person that God created, and loves unconditionally.  I am so appreciative of Bessie and Jeff for many reasons, but most of all for loving me as a child of God.  It is people like Bessie and Jeff that help us look for the light and remember that we have to find God in the situation, we have to give grace to others, and we can only be the person we are created to be.  Thank you sweet Bessie and Jeff, you are shining examples of disciples of Christ.  I will forever hold you close to my heart.

More on my Clinical Pastoral Education experience soon.  Today is about celebrating the people I love dearly, which includes all of you who are reading this.  Thank you for continuing to support and love me.  I am truly blessed.

Blessings as the ride continues…

Mary Balfour

I noticed you today, Lord. Thank you.

I noticed you today, Lord.  Thank you.

“I noticed you today, Lord.  Thank you.”  These are the words of the Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray, Bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi in his “Reflections from the Road” piece in the May edition of The Mississippi Episcopalian.  I was struck by Bishop Gray’s words, “I noticed you today.”  In my own life, there have been many days when I didn’t even notice God.  Isn’t that sad, there are whole days when I don’t even notice God.  That seems impossible when I look around and marvel in the beauty that surrounds me.  The lush richness of the Tennessee mountains, the pure joy of watching Owen’s excitement to go on a walk, watching my friend Mary Catherine commit herself to God and the Church as a deacon.

As I am settling into life in Tennessee for the summer, I am paying close attention to God and trying to at least notice Him everyday.  I am thankful to be home with my parents and one of my brothers.  It is nice just to be with them.  I am looking forward to serving as chaplain at the VA Hospital here in Murfreesboro this summer.  I am also looking forward to many weekend trips to the Holy Mountain, hopefully a trip or two to Birmingham and of course General Convention in Indianapolis.

The major goal I have for the summer, outside of learning all that I can during CPE, is to establish a spiritual discipline.  In the spiritual formation class that I took last fall, we discussed many different types of practices.  This summer, my goal is to find the right fit for me and to put that practice into place.  Spiritual disciplines can help us release anxiety and stress, focus on specific prayer request for others, and ourselves, and simply rest with God.  I believe that this is essential for me to be able to help others, but most importantly enrich my relationship with God.

The first year of seminary is behind me, the challenge of CPE and the rest of my seminary days are before me.  Thank you all for continuing to support my calling to the priesthood.  With God’s help, I can actually see this dream becoming reality.  Thanks be to God that I notice Him today.

Blessings as the ride continues…

Mary Balfour