most beautiful pothole

brother Alvaros warned me to drive slowly

I was thinking 'how did he know my CT driver habits?'

he said it is mud season and the road is full of potholes.

indeed there were many potholes

and I had to drive slowly

since there was not enough space on the road to avoid them

for the first prayer time at 5:30

I decided to walk a half a mile to get to the Priory

as I was walking I noticed that each pothole not only holds muddy water

but also the image that doesn't seem to belong in there

trees

clouds

sky

I've never seen potholes as beautiful as these

potholes that hold the beauty of the other side

we find potholes in life as well 

in us and in others

and we want to avoid them as much as possible

because they are bumpy

they are messy

they are annoying

they seem to be nonsense

they interrupt our smooth driving...

but if we are curious enough to pay attention

and brave enough to look closely

they have something to offer to us

they hold something beautiful in them

only to be found by us

then they are not just potholes

but they are reflections of the mystery of God

3 years in 3 hours

while I was driving to the Priory 
for the first 2 hours
the sky was changing constantly...
it was cloudy for a while, 
then sunny for a few minutes,
then foggy for a bit, 
then rainy often and on,
I have all kinds of New England weather 

I was thinking...
'this looks like my life over the past three years'
I certainly had all kinds of weather
good days and bad,
exciting days and dull moments, 
weathered through many storms

then I was thinking...
'the only thing that's missing is snow'
and guess what
as the thought crossed my mind
I turned left to Vermont Rt 100 S, 15 mins to the Priory
it snowed...
the temperature dropped 10 degrees in 5 minutes. 
when I arrived at the Priory
it snowed hard
and I chuckled at God
'You really didn't want me to miss this one, did you?' 

after I got the instruction from brother Alvaros, 
went to Romero House,
chose a room I'd stay, settled down, 
all of a sudden, 
the room got brighter and the sun was shining through the window
I couldn't believe it...
the whole time, the 3 hours
perfectly mirrored 3 years of my life
who can design something like this other than God?

3 hours of driving made me realize that 
whatever I am going through is a normal part of life 
and it will pass eventually 

even when I feel like it will last forever 

as long as I trust that God is in the midst
I was deeply touched and humbled
Thanks be to God

Jesus on the cross