Yesterday I was once again blessed with the opportunity to get to know another woman’s story. It has been a while that I have been wanting to write this blog, but I didn’t have the time, got caught up with work, and forgot about the wonderful feeling I get when one of the artisan’s shares their story with me, until yesterday. What I’ve been wanting to write about lately is the amazing opportunity I get to communicate with my friends, artisans, strangers, etc., over maté or tereré. To refresh your memories mate/terere is tea where the tea leaves are put in a cup called a wampa, then there’s a metal straw called a bombilla, and last there’s a thermos where the server either pours cold or hot water in the wampa and you drink from it. You can be in a group of 5 people and each person drinks from the same cup. I know that in our culture that doesn’t seem too hygienic, but it is a beautiful experience.
I decided to make my blog a journal entry of mine where one day I was feeling very inspired. I feel like it describes my feelings perfectly. My disclaimer is that it’s a little sentimental, but my honest feelings. I really haven’t been able to write anything else that comes close to what I feel.
March 30th Wednesday
Today I began to write my newest blog (see how long I’ve been wanting to write about this). It’s about the spirituality of mate/terere. The most beautiful moments have been over mate/terere. Whether I was resolving an issue, laughing, conversing, sad, or giving advice, it has all been through this act of sharing. Lately being with the people and only the people, being a friend to them, a person whom they can confide in, gives me so much energy and happiness. I’ve been feeling more spiritual, more present, not worrying so much about material things, friends, and relationships. I haven’t been getting caught up in the pettiness of before. I’ve been on this “thirst” as Mother Teresa would say, for spirituality that I started reading her book. I want to quote some things from her book: “I cannot help them, because I do not have anything, but I go to bring them joy.” Then there’s the following, “The Sister’s are to cling to perfect poverty-poverty of the cross-nothing but God…love should be the word, the fire, that will make them live the life to its full. If the nuns are very poor, they will be free to love only God-to serve him only-to be only his.” I’ve been stripped away from a lot of things I’m use to, and I think its like Ashley said, that it’s more about being put in total isolation. At the same time living on the stipend and making much more simple choices has led me to change significantly. I’ve grown so much. I’ve learned to be a person for others, to be present, and know what it is like to fully give myself to my job and the people. I learned today that conversation could be a prayer—that’s where I find my spirituality. I love the people and I wish I could always be with them. As I interpret what I write and analyze the quote of MT, especially the passage about clinging to God and being only his, I realize I see God in the people, the people are God. It is through them that I find peace. Where I am now is beautiful and I am very thankful for that experience. If I find God, I hope it is at this time. How I have grown and where I am today is completely different to where I was last year.
“ Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love…the smaller the thing, the greater must be our love.”
