My Vodou Lenten Meditation - Day Five of Forty

Its been a tad busy around here the past two days. Between the water heater tank splitting open, the upgrades to the computers and the usual mayhem that seems to reign with three dogs, I've been off my game. I have still meditated, though. It's interesting - I still find time to squeeze in a five minute meditation even with all the brouhaha happening around here. In fact, that's what I'd like to share with you -

As some of you may know (and others not), I live with three dogs, one husband and one goddaughter. This may not seem like much of a crowd, but judging by our trash, the volume of dishes that get loaded nightly into the washer and the laundry, you'd think there was a small army encamped in this house. I am also a mambo asogwe in Haitian Vodou.  That means, I live a life of service. Between monthly Prayer Services and Setting Lights in the temple with around 6-8 folks, forty people every other month for the fets, and the usual drop ins, stop-overs and clients, the traffic here warrants a daily vacuuming of the first floor and a wipe down of the bathrooms. And I do all of this myself. Not to mention the banking, the laundry, the shopping and the cooking. So when I have a moment to breathe, I try to do a little writing, some artwork and take a shower. And I am not always successful at attaining all three of those things in one day.

This past weekend saw us complete our annual taxes (personal, business and 501c3), entertain the couple whose marriage we will be officiating at come April and plan a little off time for ourselves this summer. Which means, I did not have time to head down to the temple for a private meditation with the Lwa. I did it in my bedroom, after I showered and dressed, before heading back downstairs for the next round of Let's be a Priest.

I began by apologizing to Legba and Company for my slight in not being in front of the altar for the prayers. I did not rush. I took my time, saying all the prayers three times, in both Creole and French. And I again apologized, saying I was not ignoring them, just trying to juggle a very busy schedule. I had a strong sense of peace accompanied by the usual light headedness I experience when Spirit departs.  I checked to make sure I had all my paperwork in order, picked up my notebooks and headed back downstairs to see the marriage couple. Claire has been a member of the sosyete for a long time, serving as both visionary when I needed her to do so, and as our Medsin Fey for our initiations. She and her fiancee Mark were waiting in the dining room, and we greeted each other with hugs and kisses.

And that's when the magic happens. As we were having coffee, chatting and going over wedding logistics, I mention how happy I was to be involved in the wedding. Claire looked at me smiling and said, "Of course, you are the only one I would ever consider doing this for us." Mark, her fiancee, nodded vigourously in agreement. I had to hold back my tears.

Because even when I feel like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, running as fast as I can to stay in the same place, someone or something reminds me why I do this in the first place.

I will keep my meditations going. The gifts of this Lenten season have been amazing so far, and I cannot wait to see where it takes me from here.