Change the Soil.
I shared on the podcast today that actually inhaling, right now, as if some good-smelling person just walked by, or as if there’s a lovely plumeria in front of your nose right now, to inhale like you’re smelling something good. That changes how you breathe– now you’re breathing in Love. You’re breathing in the Kingdom. You’re breathing IN(side) of the Kingdom, the Kingdom is everywhere for you because you can see again. Because you slowed down.
I invite you to slow down. If even just for tonight. Pace yourself. Breathe deeply the way you would if you were on vacation and had no excursions tomorrow, nowhere to be or report to, no body to show up for. Just breathe in, deeply, like you’re smelling a flower. On every inhale, for the rest of the night.
I rushed out of the car this morning after praying the Rosary to make sure I had enough time to stop by the bathroom (actually got my 16oz of water in first thing this morning!), and to make it to my pew in time to pray before daily Mass began. But as I walked out of the restroom, I walked right into Fulvia, a petite (can’t be taller than 4 foot something), older Italian woman who is so lovely, always dressed to the 9s, often prays the prayers in Italian, loudly and boldly over our English, and just is all-around beautiful. I stopped (slowed down), and we hugged. She had a plastic grocery bag and said she was going to change the flowers in front of Mother Mary.
She didn’t invite me formally, but I felt as if she did. She looked back at me and waved her hand for me to keep following. I glanced at the phone in my hand- 8:25… Mass started at 8:30 on the dot, sometimes 8:29 depending on how eager the priest is haha. So I followed her through the back of the church, speaking to other congregants as we made our way to the statue of the Blessed Mother. She grabbed 1 flower pot full of wilted flowers, gave me another one full of pretty, fresh-looking ones, and we went inside a door I was unaware of that led to another women’s bathroom.
We turned on the lights. and she pulled out garden shears and explained that the flowers we were holding were from her garden. A garden that got obliterated in the storms 2 years ago. She said nothing she tried restored her garden… nothing would grow. Until she felt God telling her inside to change the soil. To put down new soil. She said the Blessed Mother came to her and said, ‘now your garden will flourish.’ And it did, and it has, and now she brings flowers once a week from her garden to the church to adorn the different spaces. Today was Mother Mary’s day.
I watched as she slowly and carefully trimmed away dead leaves and wilted petals, and restored the beauty. I could feel my impatience at times because I knew it must be nearing 8:30! I looked at my phone, 8:29, somehow we had done all of that and shared so much in just a few minutes. We returned to the statue of Mary and she had me place the flowers there, and we made a beeline to our seats just as Mass began. I felt blessed to take part and to be healed of my hurry-sickness. We did all of that, in a very slow-paced, intentional way, and didn’t miss anything. I inhaled deeply and prepared myself to receive our Lord in Holy Communion. In fact, when Mass was over, instead of hurrying out, I stayed to pray the perpetual Novena they were praying, and it concluded with the Memorare. Another prayer I shared on the podcast before Mass this morning and had prayed several times privately. Everything is working out. Always. Trust deeper. You’re always right where you need to be.
I Love you,
nik
