This morning I took my last run around our neighborhood here in Richmond. Tomorrow, the monastery pick-up truck will carry me and my belongings back to the Monastery. Three years of life and ministry in this city come to an end. I’ve been preparing for this departure for quite some time – on a practical level. The vocation office at SGHS has been deconstructed. I’ve packed most of my room at the convent. But the movement from one place to another happens mostly in the heart. So many good memories…so many relationships deepened by time and life shared. As I made my way around the big square that is my running route, I felt like blessings everything – the flowering trees, the Honeysuckle bushes, the fellow-joggers who usually pass me by. I prayed a goodbye to the Yeshiva on Patterson Avenue where daily I could see the rabbinic students praying Morning Prayer by the second floor window. I prayed a blessing on the “Boo Radley” house – an abandoned cottage that I’m certain inspires the creepy fantasies of the local children. I prayed for Sister Charlotte and all who work at St. Mary’s Hospital as I cut through Maple en route to Monument Avenue. I’ve never been strong enough to run to our high school, which feel like a blessing today. I can’t run and cry at the same time. SGHS is in my heart now and that’s a good thing. It’s been said that when we leave a place something of our spirit remains. I hope that’s true. I know Richmond will come with me – the memories, the friendships, and the good work done by the sisters here. It might be a long time before I run these roads again. Until then I remember Richmond with love.
