In my space for personal reflection while in Italy, far from the United States, from Seattle, from my life of only 2 months ago is that there is now space to move easily to the back row. By moving to the back row, I mean literally as well as figuratively, as my life as a pastor within the United Methodist Church has ended and Sabbatical time is spent listening for where God is calling me next. For the first time in my life I literally sit in the back row in church, only because it is where my dear friend Maria sits. Not only do we sit in the back row at church, but also when we are having cappuccini in the mornings at the caffe. Everything is easier with a friend, and moving to the back row has been so much easier with Maria there.
One great characteristic of Italian life is that it is lived so much in community; my friends are either very engaged with one another as family, friends, or acquaintances meeting in public places that it affirms my deep desire to move to the back row in good company. My personal perspective from the front of the church has been those folks back there are in a place of “avoiding”, but with Maria I’m getting a different perspective. It is fun to note that when in the caffe we both sit with our backs to the wall, side by side and looking out to greet folks who enter, it opens up space for more relationship, just as sitting in the back of the church gives Maria the opportunity to greet all as they enter. There is a wonderful sense of welcoming that I never realized happens in the back row as I’ve spent so much time up front.
The grace in a life of faith seems to be able to feel a sense of place no matter where one is. Having time to reflect has so been influenced by those around me and how they see things differently, one more way to look at life in new ways. Not only are there cultural and language differences, but some differences are closer to home, and the life I’ve been living for so long.
Do you take friends for support when you do this?
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