My Church

As children, we were raised a Catholics. I'm choosing to use that sentence very loosely. My mum said that it was a small town rationalization that lead us to this church choice. The story goes that my older sister was interested in attending, and soon the three of us girls would be shuffled out the door in our best dresses and into the Church we would go. As an adult I usually only pray while in airplanes. Ironically, can get pretty anxious on an airplane, which is when I start bargaining with God.

I went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia for two wonderful weeks while in South East Asia where I hiked an active volcano, felt like a local on the back of a boys' bike and drank amazing coffee. In a population well over 3 million where 91% of that population is Islam (the Islamic University of Indonesia is established there), I've never met such genuinely nice people or felt so safe. I do believe the majority of people who practice an organized religion are good people and have positive intentions, not oppressive or terrorist-like goals. It truly is the few fundamentalists who ruin it for everyone and for that I'm sorry. 

I like the Mormon Religion from what I know of it. When I was growing up, my dear friend was, and still is to this day, very involved in her Church and her and I openly discussed her religion. I was unable to attend her wedding as it took place in the Temple, but all the same, I was so pleased to be her Maid of Honor.  I appreciate that they don’t use the crucifix as a symbol of their religion, I can respect that their churches are practical (they have gyms in them) and not materialistically flashy like other Churches, but mostly I’m envious of their family unit and that their family values mean so much; there’s no hesitation when someone is in need. There's no second thought when someone needs help, Mormon or not. My mom often talks to the Missionaries who are around her neighborhood. She’s nice to them and often politely invites them in for a visit and a beverage. I try to follow suit with that practice.

In 2012, myself and five other individuals from around Canada joined the Samaritan’s Purse Bolivia Water Team and traveled an hour outside the city of Trinidad, Bolivia in South America for a short term volunteer project. For two weeks we worked in the small village called New Sunrise to help build and implement BioSand Water Filters and Latrines for families within the community. The project provided me the opportunity to learn the vast difference between being poverty stricken in South America and being underprivileged in North America. This community taught me that one can have merely the basic necessities to survive and still be genuinely happy. The people I worked with taught me about religion. We attended a sermon, which was translated from Spanish to English, where the speaker was explaining that the people worry about not having enough rice to feed their children, but there comes a time where they need to stop worrying and start praying. I often yearn to have this level of blind faith.

I tried a two day meditation retreat when when I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The ten to twenty-five minuet Mediation Sessions took its toll on me. The first night ended with me feeling like I was incapable of calming my crazy. I was restless and fighting with myself to remain still, and observe only one thought during each meditation. Happiness. Happiness. Happiness. My body was uncomfortable, as was my brain. As a side note, we ate our simple meals eaten in silence, which was another struggle. It was against human nature to eat food, fuel our bodies, in silence. I learned that night, that we humans are social creatures.

At 5:00AM I woke up to a set of long, deep gongs as the Monk rhythmically hit the bell. I only woke up once that night and my roommate was sleeping in a deep corpse pose, I was sure I was doing the same. We slept hard. Clearing one’s mind is exhausting. Day two was much of the same.

With Bhudism, Karma is essentially about cause in effect. When Monks find the truth about life, they stop being reborn and instead reach enlightenment (nirvana). Their actions in their present life  determines if they will reach enlightenment or if they don't, where they end up in their next life.

I believe in Karma. I agree with cause and effect in that everything will become equal in the end. I believe I am exactly where I need to be, in life and right now, sipping red wine, with dimmed lights and country music filling the background silence. What a perfect place to be. When on this night, some people are bringing to mind their belief in that Jesus willingly suffered and died, by crucifixion, for the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. Whatever your religions, I hope you’re having a Good Friday full of Happiness.

While traveling, there were a few times after the Meditation Retreat where moments after I woke up, I sat on my pillow, under the privacy of my mosquito netting in my four bedroom dorm, faced the wall, closed my eyes and focused on emptying my brain. Happiness. Happiness. Happiness. That mantra still echoes in my thoughts.

Kirstin

Yeah, I guess that's my Church - Maren Morris