“Come away to some lonely place all by yourself and rest for a while.” (Mark 6:31)

For several years now, I’ve been able to escape to the high desert of northern New Mexico during Spring Break, which always falls during Lent. To me, this is holy ground, a “thin place” where the Spirit of God shows through much more clearly and easily than it does back home (perhaps it’s not all about geography—home is a busy, emotionally noisy place). I’m not the only one who feels this way—the place is lousy with holy people: Christ of the Desert Benedictine Monastery, a mosque (paid for by the former Cat Stevens! Peace Train, man!), the holy and ancient Catholic/ Pueblo shrine of Chimayó, an American Sikh community---all of them are within a few miles of our cabin. Many people, it seems, find holiness up here.

So my plan was to use this week to make my own Lenten retreat, full of prayer and quiet hikes and, maybe, some time with this blog. Perhaps a trip out to see the Bros at Christ in the Desert and sit with them while they sing the Hours. Listen to God’s breath in my ear, which I usually can’t hear very clearly for all the static in my life.

But—didn’t we know this by now? Life is full of surprises. At the last minute, my daughter decided to join me for a few days, making for a very different kind of trip than the meditative one I’d had in mind. Instead, we ate together, drank a little wine (!), and talked deep, deep, deep into the night. She is nearly half way through college now, and my grown-up Helen is someone who I have really needed to get to know better. (I’m not actually sure I realized that before).  This unexpected time together was a gift I could not have planned or anticipated. My heart is full of love!

The desert is still there. I’ll be back later for some quiet time. Thank you, God, for unexpected grace!