The Door

This morning I was reminded that the symbol of St. Anne is the door,
she who was the door
through whom Our Lady Mother Mary
was born

Yesterday I asked, piteously, how a person becomes a professional retreat leader,
like Jan L. Richardson. "By writing a book" was the answer. "By being an artist, a poet - look at her work!"

Today I have been offered an opportunity to lead a vestry retreat.

The poem/prayer for this step on my pilgrimage inward, page 8 in Jan L. Richardson's self-guided retreat for a Women's Christmas, warns that it is probably a good thing we cannot see the entire road ahead in this pilgrimage, for we might not make the journey at all. And that there is a gift each of us has that only we can bring, and there will be a place to which to bring that gift.

So many doors
and I don't know the names of the half of them
I don't have the keys to them all
and some of the keys I have
are rusted
and some of the locks
are rusted
and the only way to tell
is to try them
St. Anne, pray for me
St. Anne, pray with me
St. Anne, pray in me

I am tempted to take all the piles and piles of keys that have accumulated in the church and toss out every last one of them.