Sundays

Having gone to an all girls Catholic school in my youth through high school; then to a Jesuit school for college, I find that Sundays, in particular, remind me to be even more prayerful. Maybe it was the fear of God the nuns instilled in me as a youth or the Jesuit priests who lectured me in college...always serious and rarely a smile to be seen. Maybe it was my own desire to understand what was beyond this earthly existence that set me on a path/mission to work through my past as I sought my future.

I have NO fear of God and am only teasing about the nuns and the Jesuit priests (well, half teasing...I got some pretty serious glares and admonitions, but hey, if you're going to sneak off campus in high school and Mother Superior just happens to be at the light across from you and sees you...well, you better damn well be sure your name is going to be called on the PA system to go report to her office!). And the Jesuits, well there again, if you are going to focus on the boy next to you in class as opposed to the austere "man in black"...don't be surprised if a ruler comes slamming down on your desk to get your attention. "Fear of God" - no; Fear of God's representatives/army here on earth - yes!

All kidding aside, Sundays are my day to reminisce about life and to unwind to prepare myself for the week ahead. Mind you, when I get down on my knees on Sunday, I do ask God to give me the strength to get through the week to come...cause God and I both know the definition of "hell" is the week ahead...at least in my household! As a matter of fact, I believe that there is no "hell"; that "hell" is what we make of life here on earth...your thoughts? If you live well, then your soul is at peace; if you don't, then your soul is tormented consciously or even unconsciously by your acts. I may have said this before, but when I rest my head on my pillow at night, I think to myself "did I do all that I wanted to do in this day? Did I live fully? Accomplish deeply? Show love unconditionally?" My hope is that I can say "yes" to those questions. Even if I can't then I think to myself what would you, Anita, have done differently. Let today go...there's always tomorrow! Thank God for that!

On that note, I want to quote a poet I adore...Rumi.

"God's Purpose for man is to acquire a seeing eye and an understanding heart."

How simple, how true.