"The next day the little prince came back.
'It would have been better to come back at the same hour,' said the fox. 'If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . .'"
Today I was not able to come at the same hour to the Plaza Prayer Station. I was not able to observe the proper rites. Sometimes we have to choose between two goods. It was one of those days where I wished I could clone myself. For months I have been scheduled to go to the Dean's meeting for our Diocese in order to do a short presentation about the Addictions and Recovery Commission that I am helping to restart with Jan Brown. Our appointed time was 11:40 at Bruton Parish in Williamsburg. CNU is about 40 minutes away in Newport News. I knew I would be late for my usual noon arrival in the Plaza. But there was nothing I could do. The presentation was very important. I'm glad I went. And I'm sad that I arrived over an hour late.
I think one of the hardest parts for me was that I had no way to let anyone know. I simply was not there at the usual hour. So I missed my regulars, the ones who are getting out of class or lab at 12 or 12:15 and scurrying off to lunch before their next class. I did get to see my skateboard crew who were sans skateboards but still sitting outside on this very windy day, eating lunch and filled with frivolity. As I walked up with my chairs and sign, one of them said, "I was just saying to myself, 'Where's Lauren?' and you appeared." It felt good to be expected. Just like the first day I had encountered them, this group bubbled over with joy and laughter and playfulness. It was a delight to share the Plaza with them.
As the wind blew strong and the shade kept overtaking me, I wasn't able to stay as long as I would have liked. While I was there, though, one of the Canterbury students sat down and had lunch with me, and I did have one prayer request from someone who told me she had often seen me sitting there.
When the scene from The Little Prince came to me as I was sitting in the Plaza, I realized that my ministry in the Plaza is much like the taming of the fox. Each time I come I get a little closer to them, and they get more used to my presence. It is helpful if I come at the usual hour and they can look forward to me being there. If I come at just any hour then they don't know when to find me. I feel sad when I miss them.
Of course the other thing that the little prince learns from the fox is that we are responsible for what we have tamed and that when departure draws near we will be sad. The sadness I experienced today is a preview of the sadness I will feel in a few weeks when the semester draws to a close. Next semester I will be back, but schedules will be different, and I will probably get to "tame" a new batch of students, though hopefully I will also continue to build relationships with some from this semester. Or perhaps it is me who is being tamed. We'll have to wait and see.
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