No day but today...

A reflection of part of the experience in Stony Point, NY, for orientation.

Isaiah 44:19- "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" (or maybe that was better said by Fleetwood Mac)

The first day of orientation, as outlined on our ever so thorough schedule, was discernment 101. I spent an entire 4 days discerning in Louisville, KY back in March. How on earth was there more to be done.

Hah. Little did I know...

Discernment 101 talked, again, about the notion of "being, not doing," and what that means as a part of being a Young Adult Volunteer. As Janet continued discussing aspects of our upcoming experience, and frames of mind by which to understand them, all I could think about was the song from the musical RENT- "No Day but Today." As she continued talking, and as we followed in discussion with our small groups, I could not escape the constant hum of that song in the background of my mind. The experience of being a YAV, as I'm told, largely releys on "being" and not "doing." I was told this 2,000+ times, or so it felt, during discernment weekend at Louisville Seminary. I heard it said so much that I never thought about what it meant. But, this Discernment 101 served to speak to me. I understand that a good portion of my upcoming year will not entirely be clear to me until I am stepping off of the bus in Nogales, Mexico, or leading a group for the first time, or really until I get comfortable in the placement in the first place. The experience will develop day to day.
As we split into our small groups and continued talking about different ways to be and not do, I continued hearing the words, notes, and verses of the song from RENT, as if it were on repeat.

"There is no future, there is no past, we live each moment like our last.

"Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

"There's only us. There's only this. No day but today."

This is now the theme song for my upcoming year.