Mini pilgrimage on Good Friday--Roaming around San Gabriel Valley (LOVE Sierra Madre!)

Good Friday was a very GOOD FRIDAY this year.  I had the day off and decided to step out of South LA, and spend the day out in the San Gabriel Valley area.  

On the agenda was:

1)  Get hair cut.

2)  Get best boba at Half and Half Boba Tea House.

3)  Get best pho at Golden Deli Pho.

And then because I had time to kill before my evening activity in Pasadena, I decided to have an impromptu visit to a beautiful spot that I hadn't been to in a long time called Mater Dolorosa monastery.  I thought, "What better way to spend Good Friday than at this beautiful Passionist priests monastery?"  Since Good Friday is a day to reflect on The Passion, I knew that this Catholic order was founded upon the power and beauty of The Passion.  

Sadly, denied upon my arrival as there was a friendly guard at the gate, and he let me know that the brothers were in seclusion until later that afternoon.  So I decided to return when the gates would open again, and asked if there was a park nearby to rest and be still.  The guard very kindly pointed me to a park nearby which happened to be in the middle of old town Sierra Madre.

I didn't feel like settling down just yet and was curious about this quaint little old village area.  So I wandered a bit and was delighted to see all of this!

Old City Hall is pale pink!  :-)

All of the park benches looked like this, a big beautiful leaf across the back!

It was a beautiful day on top of finding beautiful buildings and spots throughout the town.  I finally did settle down for a bit on one of those beautiful benches, and had some lovely quiet sacred time and did some journaling.  I stopped by some of the shops and boutiques to look around, and also found this lovely bakery that had some gluten free items, which of course made me very happy.  I bought a green Easter meringue cookie and it was delicious!

The time came soon enough for the gates to open at the monastery, so I headed out there to find that every Catholic in the San Gabriel Valley area was there waiting to get inside as well!  I didn't know that Catholics come to do the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday!

I don't know if you can see this very clearly but there was a VERY long line of cars all the way down the street into the driveway of the monastery.  I ended up pulling over about a block down, and parking on the street and just walking up to the entrance.

I had a really beautiful time reflecting in the the garden of The Seven Sorrows of Mary.  It was a Good Friday, indeed.  

Peace.

The Shedding, a Poem by Sarah Kotchian

She walked

out of the old stories

Each on a garment

worn and reworn

One by one

she loosened the buttons

and they fell away

behind her on the trail of her footsteps

She did not look back

The chain of stories clung together

Rattling from her silent throat

Reeling out in

Great loops that lay

like the harmless shadows of snakes in the dust

Where other travelers trod them unheard

The old skin shed

Layer by layer

As her body moved forward

step by step

Into presence

Until she was

Naked under the sky

Only her feet bare on the ground

Only her new skin

Smooth

Feeling the wind and the drops of rain

Only the word now

on her tongue

That she tasted and savored

And did not speak.

[From Spiritual Directors newsletter, date unknown]

Bless the Balcony/Chalk It Up Porch Party!

This fun project finally came to fruition a couple of weeks ago one sunny Sunday afternoon.  I had acquired a very large donation of sidewalk chalk and thought about how to best use it.  Last July, I finally decided to create a sacred space on my balcony where I can rest, and be refreshed.  This balcony used to be nothing more than my cat's bathroom (where I left the litter box), and a place for more than a few birds' nests.  After some great deals and finds, I furnished it simply with a small bistro set, with an umbrella with a stand, and eventually with a hammock.  The final pieces came together with some plants, decorations, and of course, chalk art!

I have a relationship with my neighborhood.  I have loved South LA, struggled with South LA, and then experienced a renewed love for South LA.  It is still my home after over 7 years now.  

My friends and neighbors came over to bless my balcony with chalk art.  I think maybe next time I won't have the kids over for 3 hours because I was exhausted by the time the adult friends came over!

Pictures are worth thousands of words so here they are, to say it all.  Enjoy!  My balcony was blessed and so was I!