Freedom

I missed mass last weekend while hiking at Glacier National Park.  I was privileged to be there with a good friend that I hadn't seen in years.  She told me that, although she has established herself financially, she feels alone in her city.  Lucrative business ventures, new sports cars, costly weekend parties, and exotic vacations seemed to be the passions of her peers and that she, with a broader vision, felt alone.
   When I returned, I went to confession and talked about missing mass as the only Catholic in my hiking group.  The priest said "Christianity is not about rules but about freedom.  We express it by being free from this world's materialistic, power hungry definition of success.  We are free to pursue justice, truth, virtue and beauty."  Later that evening, I went to a party with my friends in Sioux Falls; public school music teachers (in the worst paying state in the union), a primary care physician at a free clinic, a social worker, a few musicians, and the proprietor of the state's lone recording studio.  Each month and each holiday they gather, bringing home preserved jams and salsas, hand made jewelry and cards, and hand sewn aprons as gifts.  Some are athiests, others agnostic, others religious, but, to me, they exemplify this spiritual freedom.  When I think about the great circle of friendship and support which I have found in Sioux Falls, I feel very wealthy-- I think that such relationships are more difficult to cultivate than mere financial means.
  As I begin my new adventure and as I consider which specialty in medicine I will choose and where I will practice, my goal is to remain free.  Free to follow passion and to do what I love despite the lack of power or money involved.  I hope to gain the gift of rich friendships and a meaningful community.