After close to an 18 month break, I return to blogging. A lot has happened in the last 18 months and that will be reflected in the coming posts.

This week I am experiencing the loss of something sacred.

A while back I began taking pottery classes at a local Franciscan Retreat Center and Arts Studio in southern Indiana, just 15 minutes from downtown Louisville. Mount Saint Francis is a beautiful place. They are situated on 400 wooded acres. It was a wonderful place to connect with the Creator even before I started throwing pots there, But since, well, it is about my favorite place outside of Florida beaches.

I particularly remember a day last February when it was so cold the lake froze and kids were playing football on it. I took a walk on the frozen lake before and after throwing pots and was in a wonderfully content, spiritual place.

I also connected well with my young instructor. Norm understood the connection of pottery to the Earth and to our Spirit. He didn’t talk about it much, but he lived it in the way he threw and in the way he taught. He became a spiritual guide for me in the months I was a part of the studio.

This week I was told that Norm is moving on from Mt. St. Francis. I found this out as I was hoping to plan some studio time to reconnect and throw some pots for the first time in a while. Sigh.

With my time in the area limited and my teacher gone, I know Mt. St. Francis will no longer be the same. I feel like I have lost something sacred. The woods and the lake will always be a great place to go, and I am sure I will find a studio in DC where I can throw again. But that time of discovering the artist within and also finding God in a place and way I wasn’t expecting to, but could then depend on . . . that is gone.

Today I ate lunch with Norm and we reminisced about those classes and the late night firings. Thanks, Norm. You gave us all a great gift with your time at a very special place. I’m glad to call you a friend and to have you for a teacher.