Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Green Country


The greenery here is so different from what I’m used to seeing. The grass is thin and soft. It lends itself to picnicking on a rare sunny day. It dances a sophisticated, synchronized ballet on the unfortunately common windy afternoons. It is long and tall and is not often bothered by the harsh blades of a loud machine reeking of gasoline. It is softly chewed by horses inhabiting the countryside, but only when those horses have not taken to the uneven and narrow streets. It grows in tufts and clumps together, looking bumpy and elevated and inconsistent. The grass here is lovely and not alone.

Guarding every house from stray dogs and floating paper bags is a fence or a short wall. And guarding these walls are vines. Long, twisting vines that ascend from the ground and take over these walls. Spreading their dark greenery, invading crevices in fences, and hanging over corners of stone. Building a refuge for bugs to hide from the vicious wind. Providing a soft place for the many birds to stand. Gripping and growing, stretching and draping; joining the grass when it sees fit to descend back towards its beginning. The vines here are lovely and not alone.

The trees are abundant. They are overwhelming. They line every crooked street outside of the “city.” They hide tiny rivers that flow behind them and provide a home for those many birds with protected feet. With their moss-covered branches and leaves dripping with rain, they attempt to meet the cars that pass. They shade people from the coveted sun and the misty rains. The trees here are lovely and not alone.

This is a country of greenery. This country’s greenery thrives off of the rain that clouds most of its days. The sunny days are sporadic and surrounded by soft droplets floating through the sky. Floating, not falling. They seem to move sideways and greet you, giving an unwanted kiss on the cheek like one from a drunken man in a bar, smelling of cigarettes and cheap beer. And yet it is refreshing at times. Sometimes, it is so light and dainty that it can go unnoticed as you walk down the street. It rejuvenates you and gives you the opportunity not to feel dampened, ironically enough. The rain here can be lovely and it is not alone.

It has me.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A Spiritual Marriage Forms a Stronger Marriage


There have been a number of Baha’i events here in Cork in the last few weeks. It has been so wonderful getting to know the community here. It is filled with so many loving people and they have instantly made me feel welcome and at home. There has been a cluster reflection meeting (where we discussed what events have been taking place in the community and what new ones would be starting), feast (which is the Baha’i equivalent of church), a devotional for departed loved ones, and a Book 3 refresher course (this Book is based on teaching children’s classes). The Book 3 is taking place in our home. Jeff and I were both so upset that we are technically outside of the city limits because that meant that we wouldn’t be able to have feasts in our home. It is so uplifting to have spiritual meetings in your own home. It blesses the walls that you spend your days in. So since we couldn’t host feasts at home, I volunteered to have Book 3 here on Thursday mornings.

Our first meeting was last week, and let me just say that it made me smile. First off, it was so nice to have people here! We haven’t had too much company because our weekends have been pretty full, what with rugby matches and setting up the house and purchasing things that we didn’t have yet. So this was really the first time that we had non-family members in the house. And it made me SO happy! The class itself was great, discussing the blessing that it is to teach children.

Something else that the community planned was a prayer vigil, for the cluster, for healing, for strength, for anything. It took place on a Sunday and went all day, with people having signed up to say prayers during specific time slots so that there were prayers being said all day. I thought it was a very nice idea. So Jeff and I woke up and came downstairs, and for 30 minutes we prayed together and listened to beautiful music. When the time was finished, I felt like it had gone by too quickly. It was so wonderful to sit with Jeff and pray together, and we both felt such a closeness afterwards.

To me, a spiritual marriage forms a stronger marriage. When you have a spiritual likeness and connection with your spouse, the bond between the couple becomes stronger. This connection helps to make the love even more special as these two souls begin their journey together through all the worlds of God. And it is made even better when your in-laws also share that connection with you. Last night, my in-laws had a devotional at their house for departed loved ones. It was the anniversary of Jeff’s uncle’s passing and they had the evening in his memory. And I felt even closer to them as they relived the pain in losing someone they loved so much, and then as they relived the joy in remembering that his soul was ascending in Heaven as we prayed for him and others.

I can’t imagine a marriage that doesn’t recognize and crave God’s love. I feel blessed to be one half of a spiritually invigorated marriage.