A Conversation with Brother Adam

As I was planning to come here, Dean (my priest) suggested that I schedule some time for a spiritual conversation with one of the Brothers. I did, and was contacted by Brother Adam. We had our discussion this morning at 10:00.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous beforehand... what do you say to someone you don't know, probably won't see again (at least not that frequently, unless I come back), and is inviting you to have a deep personal conversation with him? I found myself lapsing back into my school days... are you graded? What if you fail? If you say the wrong thing, do the monks just ask you to pack up and go?

No, I won't tell you any details about what we talked about.

But at 10:00, Brother Adam found me in Pilgrim Hall (a sort of main lounge area), and we went to St. Mary's lounge which is a small comfy room that sort of looks like your great aunt's parlour. I had shared this blog with him before hand, and forgot to delete my comment about some of the monks being overweight... yes he had read it (oops... now I was looking around for the security monk with the cardboard box for my things).

But in actuality, I was amazed at how quickly I felt at ease with him. We had a wonderful hour together talking about all aspects of religion. I shared part of my history and he shared some of his. We spoke about the intersection of faith and career, balancing ones desires with those of loved ones, discerning God's will in all aspects of our life... it was an incredible conversation. At the end he pronounced me mostly normal, though with a touch of Lutheran in me (ah... passed, whew).

Afterwards I went down to the river to reflect on the conversation. Again I won't give you details, but I realized the value in these sorts of conversations. It wasn't like a conversation with your priest who you see regularly... I didn't really come with an "agenda" or try to make a good impression, and he didn't seem to have an agenda either. But precisely because of that, I was able to be more open and honest, and hear his fresh perspective.

By the way, you can read Br. Adam's thoughts here... http://adamsmonkthoughts.blogspot.com/