Prayer In Motion, LLC

LET THE SPIRIT MOVE YOU

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Prayer in Motion, LLC Newsletter
February 20, 2006

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s hard to believe it has been 6 months since my last newsletter. So much for keeping in touch! Life has been proceeding at breakneck speed with no time to record it as it goes by! I’ll try my best to recap the last half year without going on too long and promise to get back to at least a quarterly newsletter from here on out.

Programs have been plentiful, thanks be to God! Probably the most moving program I did was at Mercy Bellbrook Retirement Community in August. Most of the 30 or so people were in wheelchairs. We did the whole experience seated as I led them through various meditations on healing and faith. A retired priest who had had a stroke spoke with me afterwards with tears in his eyes saying that all these years he had been praying to God but never felt Him like this. These are the words that remind me of the importance of my work and keep me going during the hard times.

October was quite busy. I was even booked in two places the same day on October 15^th. I began the day in Lansing and ended up out near Romeo in the afternoon. As you might imagine, my gasoline bill is horrendous! The morning was spent dancing at a prayer service for the Lansing Diocese. This was my first opportunity to gather a group of dancers together and actually choreograph a couple of dances. Many thanks to 3 of the Christian Dance Network dancers who joined me, Joan O’Connell, their director, who taught the Worship Dance class I attended this summer that gave me a good foundation for creating the dances and to Sister Kathleen Matz, dear mentor and friend who helped me choreograph this in her kitchen, living room and driveway – we were dancing all over the place! Her advice to me, “Always say ‘yes’, then figure out how you’re going to do it” has become my guiding wisdom. I got some lovely press from this occasion with a lengthy article in the Catholic Times, the Lansing Diocese’s weekly paper. They even put a small photo of me with my arms raised and teaser line “Saline woman puts prayer in motion” right above the front page photo of the Pope. Not bad billing! J

Other highlights include a return trip to Manresa in November for a group of 19 who spent the day moving from healing to joy. I added a journaling component to the retreat that enabled many to go deeper. I had the lovely opportunity to do some Advent programs at an Episcopal church in Ann Arbor and at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Most noteworthy was an Advent Tea at St. Mary Mystical Rose in Armada with 80 women gathered to pray and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Their experience with a guided meditation and movement prayer centered on Mary’s experience of Christ’s coming was powerful. To cap off the Advent season I had the great fun of “choreographing” and teaching dances to two groups of angels, ranging in age from 5-10 years old, in the Living Nativity Procession at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor. I learned the finer points of angel wing repair and other such tear-inducing last minute traumas on the night of the program. (See above – “Always say ‘yes’…J) The children were lovely as their movements gave glory to God.

Personally these past 6 months have been a time of great healing for me, physically, emotionally and spiritually. When I last wrote you I had just begun physical therapy for my injured ankle. I am happy to say that after 8 weeks of PT and daily exercises on my own since then, my ankle is stronger than ever! The vertigo persists without change, January 24^th marking the 3^rd year since its arrival. Fortunately I am able to function quite well despite periodic dizziness. I began the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in September. In doing so I committed to meet with my director at Manresa weekly as well as pray an hour daily. This has necessitated considerable readjustment to my already full schedule. However, the exercises have brought much enlightenment and healing, spiritually and emotionally for me, as I seek to be open to God’s will and truly free from all that separates me from who I was created to be.

Finances continue to be an issue as I seek to earn a living doing this work to which God has called me. I had some major panic in August when I lost my top 3 sources of income for the year unexpectedly. The two part time jobs I had been working ended due to financial difficulties with their funding sources and my most regular directee left me to take the Spiritual Exercises. However, at about this same time, on the Assumption of our Lady, I received an anonymous gift of $500, enclosed in a lovely card with a picture of Mary. The very generous gift came at such a key time and provided tangible assurance that God would provide, despite the dismal appearance of things. And such has been the case.

Prayer in Motion…Let the Spirit move you!
Janene

Isaiah 25:1 (NIV) O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.