I was reading a favorite book of mine this morning and stopped when the author penned this line: "Implanted in the monastic heart is the desire to learn how to make a life rather than just a living." It's found in Macrina Wiederkehr's book, Seven Sacred Pauses. Her book is about living in rhythm by embracing a life of prayers similar to the Benedictines which have captured space in my heart over the past few years. Their old ancient wisdom and lifestyle offers us our best shot at learning a new way to live.Macrina's words are not new to me but this morning, they found a barren place in my soul. For the past three weeks, Gwen and I have been on the east coast leading three different ministry events--events for others, not for ourselves. We returned home near mid-night on Sunday knowing that the first thing we both needed to do was to find our center again. Life and the demands of ministry had somehow swooped down causing us to lose our equilibrium in nearly every way.Travel does that.... we cross time zones and lose our perspective. We have to meet other's expectations while burying our own. We feel out of sync. Imagine a life like this.... a life...not just a few days or weeks.Now, I can return to my Lenten Journey...how is yours going? A few weeks ago, we embarked on a 40 day walk to the Cross. It's fast, coming to an end. Now I must prepare a Maundy Thursday sermon that I've been invited to preach and I'm drawn to reflect on what it means to spend a time in vigil--an old word from an old world but it was a time when people seriously waited---waited for a soldier to come home; waited for someone dying to take their last breath; waiting for a new life to begin.Now, perhaps you, like me, can embrace the idea of entering an Easter Vigil--to regain the land that we have lost in our busyness and to live our lives and not to merely eek out an existance. Easter is our only hope!If you can scroll back to my last Lenten entry...the busy, busy painting and try again to find Jesus in the midst of the chaos. He's there. Do you see him?This is my Lentern Journey.Stephen W. SmithPotter's Innwww.pottersinn.com