Crosses to Bear

Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. ~Mark Twain

My wife is having surgery tomorrow involving a rather standard procedure. That said, I do not fancy hospitals or the anxiety that they cause me. Hospitals are typically never fun for anyone, save the visits for childbirth. And, as safe as all medical procedures have become, I still find myself on edge a bit the day before a loved one is scheduled to go under the knife. It is on these days that I will often deviate from my daily routine in search of peaceful thoughts. By most Christian standards, I am not a religious man. Surely, I am not one of the more familiar faces in our local parish and my visits there are clustered largely around the holidays. However, I do try to live a spiritual life and during emotional times, I do return to the dogma of my childhood taught religion. Today, I felt compelled to do just that so I traveled out to find a quiet place to say a prayer, light a candle and collect my thoughts. My wife and children are the greatest gifts I can imagine and I do pray for their health and happiness. Today, those prayers were a bit more formal.

In downtown St. Paul, there is The Little French Church. The church itself is impressive but my favorite part of it is the prayer grotto in the rear of the building. The tile work behind the crucifix is of rich earthen colors and the lighting is subtle, if not peaceful. The crucifix is suspended over the altar and is made of a rich cherry wood. After a short time, I was alone and decided to grab my camera and tripod from the car. I thought the perspective being directly under the cross was appropriate for today as I felt a bit as though I was bearing my own cross today. Perhaps, I worry too much.