It rained all day in Chautauqua. I carried around an umbrella from morning mediation, to peace prayer, to the morning lecture, to the afternoon interfaith lecture, to Bat Chat, to the opera recital, and to the ballet. Now a fog has settled over Chautauqua as everyone turns in for the night.
My day started with the Unity meditation which I dragged my butt to at 8 a.m. Meditation has always been a challenge for me, the very few times that I’ve tried it. But I believe it’s a great exercise to master, so I gave it a shot. I sat among 15 people in a circle, my feet planted on the ground, my back straight, eyes closed, breathing deeply. As the moderator, Bill, talked us through the clearing of clutter in our heads, my mind wandered: my blog, my book, even my abandoned Catholic faith seeped its way into my head. But as Bill instructed, I gently brought my mind back to the present, staring at the blobs and shapes in the back of my eyelids. After meditation I went to a quick prayer for peace. We stood in a circle mentioning people in places that need peace: Iran, Afghanistan, Darfur, Sudan, even here at home.
The morning lecture was by Ralph Williams, a religion professor from University of Michigan. His style was animated and he made some funny jokes, but I still couldn’t focus on what he was saying. Guess the mediation didn’t help. Instead I counted knitters in the audience. I got up to 26 before I stopped.
The afternoon interfaith lecture was much more exciting. Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopalian priest. Best quote: “God wants reconciliation among all. All. What part of “all” don’t you understand?”
Char recommended the Bat Chat in the afternoon where an enthusiastic woman spoke for an hour about the bats of Chautauqua and how they eat all the mosquitoes. And that a very small percentage of them actually have rabies. She passed around photos. My favorite was the one of the bat enjoying a fig.
After dinner we went to an opera recital, then to An Evening of Pas de Deux by the North Carolina Dance Theater, which I enjoyed more than I expected.
Another full day in Chautauqua.
Quote of the day:
“Stop arguing! Danielle is not going to want to have any children because of you two!”
-- Char yelling at her kids who wouldn’t stop bickering about doing the dishes
On the agenda for tomorrow:
• Unity meditation
• Peace prayer
• Morning lecture: Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity: Caught Between Justice and Despair by Leila Nadya Sadat from Washington University
• Mystic Heart Meditation Seminar
• Interfaith Lecture by Mohamed Keshavjee, professor of Islamic Law
• Air Band Competition by the kids
• Unity Class/Workshop
Busy day tomorrow. Talk to you then!
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