The Interfaith Talk

For thirteen years, Lisa has been doing a weekly meeting called Conversations in Faith and Spirituality at the Center for Iterfaith at Montclair State University. She facilitates the meeting and two of her biggest mentors, Professor Esmilda Abrue and Father Jim Chern, attend the meetings as well. Students and faculty of all faiths and denominations come and discuss different topics that have to do with faith and spirituality. In the last five years I have known Lia, I have never been to one of these meetings.

It's very hard with my schedule to have ever participated in these talks at the campus. However, an opportunity arose where I was able to attend one, and I have happy to go for a number of reasons. But one of the big reasons was this: after ten years of doing this Interfaith talk, Lisa has decided she is no longer going to be facilitating these meetings any longer.

I don't know but for some reason that was HUGE to me. It was like hearing when Barbara Walters was stepping down from 20/20 or something. I knew how she would do this talk every week and it has gone on for ten years! I am just thinking how thirteen years ago I wasn't even a Black Belt! I know all the major events that have occurred in my life since then, I just as well know all the events during that time Lisa had gone through also during that time and this Conversations in Faith and Spirituality was an event, more so like a person to me, that was there for all those things.

So when the opportunity called, I knew that I wanted to sit in for even a part of one of these last Conversations in Faith and Spirituality, so I took it! I was able to stay for a half hour of it, and students were there of all different religions, one of Lisa's big time mentor's, Father Jim, of course was there, and I think a few other religious leaders sat in. And of course, the Queen mentor herself, Professor Esmilda Abrue who I absolutely love.

I got to sit next to Esmilda and Lisa brought up a great topic to discuss in faith in terms of human beings have a calling or a purpose, and we discussed the possibility of people having a life purpose to fulfill and whether we choose or purposes and how our actions can be in alignment with our purpose. The discussion of doing what are good at versus what we love and whether they can be the same thing, was discussed. I was really getting into the talk!

I couldn't stay for the whole thing, but I had another "purpose" to fulfill, so to speak LOL (next blog). But I was happy to go to the Conversations in Faith and Spirituality because then I felt like even in some smal way, I was able to be a part of something that was a very big part of Lisa's life, and I least I can say "Oh yeah, I've been to one of those, it was awesome" like so many before me. And I always love spending time with my mentor's mentors, like Father Jim and Esmilda! (BOWS)

Yours in service
MASTER TRENTO