A Great Advantage

“We are like fledgling birds who may not be ready to immediately soar but, by watching the parents, little by little learn to emulate them. This kind of assistance, I know, is a great advantage.” Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (1577)

Two hours ago my parents drove out of our family’s driveway in Duluth and headed down the highway, leaving behind good memories of a great Thanksgiving. They will soon be in St. Michael, Minnesota, where they plan to take my youngest sister, Amy, and her husband, Joel, out for dinner to celebrate Amy’s fortieth birthday.

The nicest thing about Thanksgiving is that it is a holiday with very little in the way of expectations except for a big meal and a grateful heart. Some of you dear readers may not know that I am not by any stretch of the imagination a cook—I call myself an “assembler”—however, I am married to someone who enjoys the chemistry of cooking and is curious about ways to improve his recipes. This Thanksgiving Brad and my mother experimented with tried and true recipes (white wine in the butter for turkey basting, for example, and a new ingredient—garlic—in the stuffing) and livened up the day most wonderfully.

This morning Brad was working on his caramel roll recipe because it came from my mother and he thinks his rolls still need improving. The problem he has is more one of looks than taste, but he wants his caramel rolls to be excellent in every way. Today Brad and my mom spent time in the kitchen, working on the best rolls yet. (“Eleanor, do you think this might work?” he asked…“Why don’t you try turning up the heat?” she responded.) Watching Brad and my mother in the kitchen was a good experience for me, and it reminds me of the way we improve in anything we love to do. It takes time, patience, and a little bit of mentoring.

In prayer’s third dwelling-place inside The Interior Castle, Teresa says, “We are like fledgling birds who may not be ready to immediately soar but, by watching the parents, little by little learn to emulate them. This kind of assistance, I know, is a great advantage.” Just as Brad has a great advantage in having my mother in the kitchen with him, I enjoy a great advantage in having the sisters at the monastery helping me with becoming a better soul friend to others. The reading, the listening and the praying are all improving my ability to be a spiritual companion…and I am very grateful!