In the heat of the day

The Forum was hot and sunny this afternoon as I stood beside one of the fences, watching the archaeologists at work. Two young men were wielding pickaxes, but how they had the energy, I don’t know. At one point they stopped to discuss the different levels of the wall they are currently excavating, their hands moving upwards and downwards as they pointed out details that, from where I stood, were invisible. One man stooped to pick up two, similar, small pieces of stone. One piece was dumped, the other placed in a plastic tray for later examination. A few yards further on a young woman scraped away at the joint between two large stone blocks. She stood in the shade provided by the scaffolding, but in today’s heat, even the small brush and a cement trowel were too much hassle, I would have thought.

There are moments when the most exciting job in the world can become little more than hard labour, needing willpower and perseverance to keep on going. At other times, even the most mundane tasks are quickly and easily accomplished. Why else would I have been cleaning windows at 06.30 yesterday morning, singing whilst I worked?

Isn’t there something about motivation that energises even when everything is working against me? In spite of the heat, if the archaeologists had suddenly made an important discovery, wouldn’t they have suddenly begun to move quickly and energetically? Wouldn’t tiredness and thirst have been forgotten in their eagerness to explore?

When I was a small child, I found it difficult to understand why, when my parents took us to the park, they wanted to sit on the grass and rest instead of running around and playing. Nowadays I have no difficulty in understanding them…I’m only amazed by the energy of children who can keep on going, seemingly endlessly.

What is there in my life that gives me energy and helps me to keep on going? Who helps me to find interest in life and the enthusiasm that will take me from today into tomorrow? Do I try to do everything on my own, or do I operate in partnership with God?

God bless,
Sr. Janet