In these days
of lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, you may find yourself
wondering how you can live through this time graciously. How do we lean into this time of loss, of seclusion
and quiet, listening and responding creatively to a – perhaps forever - altered
way of living?
A couple of
years ago, I wrote a book about Anne. What attracted me was her well-worn
spirituality, integrating the contradictions in her life, the way she didn’t
quite fit any mould, the way her life slid between various worlds, sometimes between
opposing loyalties. I’d known her for
almost a lifetime and her ability to get through difficulties with good humour and
fun encouraged and inspired me. I wanted
others to get to know her too.
Anne Hope is
known for her contribution to community development – she was the co-founder of
the internationally-acclaimed Training for Transformation programme – and for
her involvement in the struggle against apartheid. She was in leadership in the women’s
movement, the Grail, and a gifted social activist. She was also, like so many of us,
psychologically fragile. Early on in her
adult life, in her thirties, she developed a daily routine that remained,
throughout a pendulum of travel and exile, acclaim and disapproval, leadership
and disgrace, the source of her repair. It is this grounded routine that I believe
is what Anne can offer us in today’s fraught world.
Most mornings,
she would watch the sun rise, saying morning prayer and doing yoga – starting
beneath the blankets and ending doing puja on the floor or standing in the warm
sun. She would then read a chapter or
two of her book of the moment – theology, spirituality, economics, politics,
annotating the books or making notes.
After all that, she would do her twenty minutes of wordless
contemplative prayer, outdoors if she could.
And then she’d bathe and dress, always choosing her clothes with
attention (she loved cloth and the cut of clothes).
Her happiest
times were when she was able to spend a large part of the day with trowel and
secateurs, gardening. She spent years of
her life designing community development workshops, facilitating sessions,
writing the manuals for others and mentoring younger women.
But, between
all this intense (and productive) work, was her return to her beloved daily
routine of prayer, gardening, listening to music, song and dance. They engaged
her mind, heart and body and allowed her to go through the day with happiness. There were some years of devastating loss for
Anne in mid-life, when her prayer routine had to be supplemented with
psychotherapy and medication. Anne
worked with characteristic dedication in therapy. She was fortunate, in time, to find an
imaginative and wise therapist who helped her connect with her inner nurturer –
for her own poor self, primarily. Her
lost love was restored and she spent the rest of her life glad and appreciative.
She was nice to know.
This side of
Anne, Anne’s hidden life, away from public life, away from fanfare or criticism,
is, I think, her gift to us all. Papa
Francesco, in his Urbi et Orbi homily this year, spoke of prayer and quiet
service being the weapons we have to survive turbulent times. Service of others, of course. Especially of the poor and marginalized. But service without joy can be
insulting. We all need – and now we
might have a chance – to find a routine for ourselves that calls us to life, just
as Anne did.
I hope some of
you reading this blog will read my book about Anne. It is a small book, easy to read, I’m
told. You’ll meet someone who is
familiar but also someone who has gone before us, sweeping the path, unlatching
the gate, welcoming us in to the hortus
conclusus, the secret garden, that lies within all of us – whatever the
times we live through.
***
This is the
latest Lockdown Blog article by one of Darton, Longman and Todd’s amazing
authors, offering a personal reflection on our current situation in life. These
blogs post are written sometimes in reference to one of the writer’s books, and
sometimes about how they are living in response to the coronavirus and our
current world situation. We hope it will give you a taste of the depth and
diversity of DLT’s list – books for heart, mind and soul that aim to meet the
needs and interests of all.
Today’s post is
by Stephanie Kilroe, author of Anne Hope: The Struggle for Freedom,
which you can buy here.
No comments:
Post a Comment