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.

OOTD: St. Patty's Day, Easy Being Green

I guess it was inevitable.  I was bound to be the first customer for Sonshine Shop Vintage.  That's the tough part of having first dibs on all of these amazing items.  When you're the first to get your hands on them, it's hard to not want to buy them all for yourself!!

When I saw these green silk pants, I knew that I would eventually buy them.  And when I did, I wore them for three days in a row practically.  They are so light and comfortable.

Of course, I wore these lovely green pants on St. Patrick's day!

This amazing beaded purse was...my mother's!  If you couldn't tell by my outfits, I've been really into the style and fashion from the era of Downtown Abbey.  The long beaded necklaces, loose sparkly tops, and delicate, fancy hairstyles.

Aside from wearing green on that day, I've learned some about St. Patrick and his life and have a huge amount of respect and admiration for it.  This article tells you a little more about the patron saint of Ireland, and the movement through Celtic Christianity that changed the world.  Celtic values and love for nature, community, and hospitality were the heart of their spirituality, which is so inspiring.  

I had the privilege of visiting Ireland at a very young age, and I really sensed these values.  Everyone I met smiled at me, and I felt so welcomed.  I fell in love with their culture and people.  Maybe because Irish culture and history feels so close to home, to Korean culture.  A friend posted this article on Facebook which is hilarious, but is completely true!  Koreans and the Irish have much in common that we are called the Irish of the east!  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]