Saint Patricks Day Blessings

The weather is changing...the snow is melting...and before we know it spring will have sprung. As I mentioned at the beginning, I'm trying to get ready to apply to the Peace Corp (which I anticipate applying next month). "What does this have to do w/spring?" you ask. I'm active anyway, doing pilates 4-6 times a weeks and a few odds and ends workout video's in between, but my passion is hiking. In the Peace Corp you do a lot of walking to get to destinations. When the snow melts, I'll pick up where I left off before I went into the Peace Corp last...not last summer (due to my knee injury and surgery), but the summer before last I was hiking/walking 10-14 miles per day. I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold (and, not to be redundant) and snow, so I suspend the hiking/walking during the winter months. So, although I enjoy hiking, its a useful tool for preparing for the Peace Corp as well...

I just finished reading a Peace Corp Volunteers blog (Lulu) and it was touching. When I went to Niger to participate as a Peace Corp Volunteer, I found out as a base level what a third world county looks like. The UN placed Niger, on a list of 177 countries, 177th as the poorest country. When you look around, you see kids in torn clothing (or none at all), people in serious need of nutrition, and land and livestock that looks sickly in their own right. In my life, I've been through times money has been beyond tight, but the communities in our country has churches, other civic organizations, and of course the government, to fall back on if we find ourselves in dire straights. I cant imagine the strife of not knowing where my (or my families) next meal was going to be coming from...people die there, they starve. And the grieving process in Niger, and I imagine its similar to many third world countries, is brief.

If a child dies, for instance, the men immediately bury the child. The women and men grieve in separate groups for one day. After which, the child is no longer spoken of. When I learned of this, I asked someone why that is. And its believed that it affects the spirit of the deceased. Even visiting the grave site (unmarked) is forbidden. It may sound cruel or unspeakable to think the dead are never spoken of or that the deceased are not honored (in our terms). But when I think of it, it seems like it is a survival technique, even if subconscious. If you were to loose a child, and you have six or seven other mouths to feed, can you afford to completely STOP and grieve or does life demand, does your remaining children's lives demand, you move on?

Lulu discusses a child she met as a few month old baby when she was posted in Niger. She celebrated the babies one year birth a few weeks ago, and a week or so later, grieved her loss. She witnessed the grieving process come and go quickly...

On this Saint Patricks Day, I say a prayer to Saint Patrick thanking him for the blessing I've been given, including where I live. Although things may seem hard here, I cant imagine living in a place where there isn't any hope for things to improve...as opposed living in a country where I can only look as far as my next meal.

In honor of Saint Patricks Day, to those serving in the Peace Corp and military, I offer the prayer of Saint Patrick

I arise today through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock.
I arise today through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me,God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me afar and anear, alone or in a multitude.
Christ shield me today against wounding Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today through the mighty strength of the Lord of creation.

Take care and God bless...