Looking Back--Good or Bad?
"Where's Steve?" I asked the mechanic at the auto clinic's front desk.

"Steve's not here anymore," he said.

Now, I've been going to the same place for 17 years. Steve's always been there, including six months ago when I went in for an oil change. (I don't drive much.)

Later that morning, I drove to the place that's done my safety inspections for 17 years. A man came out. He said he's the only mechanic and inspector now, so no weekday afternoon or anytime weekend inspections. And I wondered what happened to the inspector I'd had six months earlier for my emissions test, the guy who always did my inspections, the guy who back when I had no money and a different car in essence said he passed me because I had Waylon Jennings singing on my car CD player.

That morning, I also went by a lot of closed businesses, some I'd patronized, some I hadn't. Dreams lost, livelihoods lost.

I thought a lot about Steve and my fellow Waylon lover when I got home. Had they been downsized? Found better jobs? Moved? Won the lottery? I wouldn't let my mind go (much) to whether they were sick or worse. And what about those business owners, their employees, and their patrons? Where was my familiar past?

Eventually, I turned to Genesis 19:26: "But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Lot and the rest of his family kept their eyes forward as they left Sodom and Gomorrah, and survived.

There's a fine line, I think, between getting stuck in the past, and using your experiences to comfort or help others. I'm going to do some self-examination about whether I cross that line too often.

But I still hope Steve and the Waylon lover are all right.
On the Nightstand: 'Til I Want No More
I've seen a lot of positive reviews for this novel from Robin W. Pearson. The publisher calls it "a Christian fiction novel with a poignant story of romance, a search for truth, and a journey to redemption"--all things I look for, don't you? It's the story of Maxine, who has a fiance and an orderly life that is upended when a man from her less-orderly past comes back to town.
Forward, Backward... and WAY Back
This Friday at 3 p.m. ET, my dear friend MEG Gilroy and I will be talking about faith, family, and community and the new realities we're all facing in the post-March 2019 world. This virtual gathering is free and hosted by our friends the Paulist Fathers, whose Landings International program was so instrumental in MEG's and my return to faith. I hope you'll join us.

And YEAH! Walking with Purpose, the Bible study program that feeds me, starts up at my parish again at the end of this month.

You may be wondering why you're hearing from me September 12 rather than September 1. Well, stuff, that's why. My sister and I are still unpacking from our two-floor move (and loving the open space in the new place; lots of opportunities for downsizing!). The day job's been busy. The National Council of Catholic Women's national conference here in Arlington was lovely but all-consuming. So, here we are.

Remember what I said about Lot's wife at the beginning of this eletter? Well, this week I'm going to my first live concert in close to two years. It's Lindsey Buckingham, whom I've seen solo before (other than his 10 guitars, for that show). You know, Lindsey Buckingham. The for-now-former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer who for the past 40-plus years has been mainly known for his torturous relationship (or non-relationship) with Stevie Nicks. How much of it is real and how much of it is for our consumption, who knows. I do know he's still a great guitarist.

Praying that you (and I) find the right balance between remembering yesterday's gone--and treasuring what it taught us. Blessings, Melanie