Saturday and Sunday

Saturday was quite an awesome day.  In the late morning, Florin stopped by my hotel to pick me up on the way to pick up Revs. Nancy and Pat.  We went to a center called Seeds of Happiness. It is a kind of Buddhist-flavored center.  It's a beautiful building with great meeting and meditation space.  We were there to meet an American author and spiritual teacher whose name is Regina Sara Ryan, a former Ursuline nun of my era.  She is in Bucharest this week to teach a seminar on her latest book called "Praying Dangerously".  There were a great group of young people in her class.  One was a beautiful young woman who has been around the world climbing mountains.  We had lunch and discussion with Regina and her class.  It was really great.  After lunch we all dispersed back to our hotels for a bit.  The weather is beastly hot and humid.  Florin stopped by again around 5:30 and we took a taxi to pick up Nancy and Pat to go for a communion service and discussion at an LGBT center Florin started called ACCEPT (pronounced ahk-chept - stress on the second syllable).  Only fivepeople came, three guys and two young women and the four of us.  We had a really good open conversation and heard the story of a young man who had been severely spiritually and emotionally abused by a priest he trusted.  He had been refused communion 4 years ago when he was 17 because of being gay.  He had not had communion since and didn't ever expect to.   When it actually came time for communion, he chose to receive.   After the service, we all went out to a pizza restaurant and had a meal together.  it was excellent.  Oh, the young guy I mentioned asked if I had heard of the Assyrian church.  I said "Of course" since that is the church of Iraq.  It turns out he was baptized in Iran by an Assyrian priest - his parents were diplomats under Ceaucescu.

Sunday.  There were plans to go out with some Embassy folk this afternoon but I decided this morning that I wouldn't go.  I am a bit peopled-out and needed alone time.  After a restful morning and early afternoon, I went out in search of a meal.  The desk clerk suggested a place which I didn't end up finding but I did find, on my own, a Lebanese restaurant that was awesome.  I got to speak some Arabic and eat Lebanese comfort food.  I had fatush, lamb kafta, spicy potatoes, good bread, baklava and kunafa, finished with a small cup of strong Turkish coffee with cardamom. It was wonderful.  The waitstaff were so happy to have a foreigner who spoke some Arabic and knew their food.  I nice little serendipity in an otherwise solitary afternoon.

This evening, I will connect with Florin, Nancy and Pat either for dinner or dessert since we will be saying good-bye to our dear Florin tomorrow and all flying off on different flights to the USA.