T-Dot

I've been in Calgary since last Friday, mostly just hanging out with Steph, and mostly waiting for a meeting I had yesterday morning. I met with a couple guys from MoveIn, which is a movement/organization/idea all about mobilizing teams of Christians to move into poor and unreached neighbourhoods in our cities. Which is what I'm interested in doing. Incarnational living in the context of community.

The meeting was great, I'm excited about what they're doing, and I'm excited that we could get something started here in Calgary. As a result of the meeting it seems that I am going to head east to Toronto for 2 weeks to see just how this is working out there, to meet folks who have MovedIn, and to help with some current admin-type projects. Breakfast meeting yesterday, and bham - I'm going to Toronto! I'm crazily excited, this is a great opportunity being handed to me, to learn and for fun and to make sure that this is what I want to get into!

Next Steps: Part 1-2-3

Much to my delight I now find myself at home. Every time I travel I reach a point when I want to return to the people I love, which then requires me to also return to this city they live in! So, here I am back in GP.
I am so glad I detoured and found myself "waiting" in Nelson, the two weeks I spent there were necessary for me to finish thinking, praying, processing. And when it finally came time to leave it was because I wanted to be home, and not simply because I had nowhere else to be.
It is easier to return home to GP, and to be excited about it, when you know that your stay will be a short one. To prove that, I will be leaving again this Friday, heading down to Calgary for a handful of reasons and a handful of days, and then back up north. When I return I will try to find some work to keep me busy until Christmas, (if you know of anything...).
So the question now is obviously: What next? And amazingly I think I know and I'm excited about it too! I am planning on moving to Calgary in the New Year to find full-time work, and part-time studies. I am hoping to finish my ABC degree in the next couple years as I have a half dozen or less, classes left. That is part one.
Part two, I am pursuing an intentional community living situation. I have been reading, praying and having many conversations about community living for the last 2 years. And in particular, thinking about forming a community where hospitality and knowing those who are poor is part of the point. Very excitingly I have some leads towards building or finding this kind of community in Calgary.
Part three, this is the part that is a true miracle: Midwifery re-enters my life! Alberta's first approved, university level, midwifery education program is supposed to begin this coming fall, in Calgary! And if all the necessary pieces for that to happen go ahead and happen, then I will be the first to apply for the program! That means starting from scratch, it means four more years, but I have figured out how much I want this and I am willing to start again.
With all these things on the horizon home is a great place to be, I'm here to enjoy my family, friends and the next two months. I am continuing to try to live with the quote "Be Here Now" in mind, I'm trying to learn about waiting and living out my questions, and daily choosing joy.

Waiting...

Update: We left the ranch, left WWOOFing, left California and Nevada. Ran to the open arms of Dani and Johnny in Boise. Kurtis went home. I hung out just long enough to make some plans and then change them. And left heading NW to Spokane, and on to Nelson, BC. That was the last 2.5 weeks and here I am.

I thought I would simply pass through Nelson too, but after a couple days of being here and enjoying the incredible beauty and the welcome of friends I decided to stay put for a (very) little while. In order to regroup, figure out how to deal with wanting to be a midwife and the reality of making that happen, and use the "left-over" time between leaving California and the New Year. You see I have an idea of what my plans are for the New Year. But really don't know what to do with myself until then. So I sat down, wrote out a resume for the first time in years and went around looking for work. It turns out that nobody's really hiring in Nelson, so that so far hasn't been too productive.

So I'm making some alternate plans. Ones that make me happy. And in the meantime I am trying to enjoy the lack of responsibility, the wide open days, this very beautiful place with low clouds, fall leaves, the very great Lakeside Park, and an outdoor prayer labyrinth. The warm welcome of a friend, the many places to get a warm cup of something. I'm calling this a vacation, aimless wandering, and waiting.

I have been reading more Henri Nouwen, who says this on waiting:

"Active waiting implies being fully present to the moment with the conviction that something is happening where we are and that we want to be present to it. A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is the moment."

So I am waiting and enjoying, and trying to remember to enjoy and to wait. And I will move on when this time is up.