Brother Raymond

 Today is the birthday of my friend, Brother Raymond, a Trappist Monk, 87 years old and still with plenty of pep.  The monastery is being sold, but Brother Raymond does not want to leave and live somewhere else.  Many of us in this big country have this feeling.  Where we want to live, have been living, no longer will sustain us.  The job, career, necessity requires a move to another place.  We are leaving home and this is not easy.  Migrants want to come to the USA for work or safety, but still, they are leaving home, the familiar in language, geography, and relationships.  A new job or aging can require a move.  These moves are never easy.  I am still trying to feel “at home” in San Francisco.  I make new friends, I learn the geography’s landscape, interesting places and so on.  But it takes time.  And energy.  So I need a spiritual practice to keep me energized to keep outreaching.  Inside reach leads to a better outside reach.