Summer – Beguine Again

Aug262014 by a quiet walkNo Comments

Summer’s End—Prayerful Tuesday

Abundance, Blessings, Creation, Fall, Grace, Gratitude, Holy Mystery, Nature, prayer, spiritual practice, Summer, Thanksgiving, wonder

The month of August is one of my favorite times of the year a time of reflection and gratitude. This has always been a slower time of year for me. A time to sit on the porch with a cold glass of iced tea and just sit, letting the warm air surround me, and the end of summer sounds lull me into a lazy half-sleep. There are fresh vegetables from the garden, or farmers market, that make even the simplest meals a feast. Ice cream tastes better with ripe fat blackberries, or sweet peaches on top. The trees are making a tired sound as the August breezes blow through leaves that are drying out and getting ready to turn into autumns crowning glory of red and gold.In May there is excitement, joyousness and expectations in the air, but in August the air begins to get sleepy, tired and a little sad...

Church Camp, 2014 – Prayerful Tuesday

Abundance, awareness, Blessings, Christian Church, community, Creation, Disciples of Christ, Education, Friendship, Grace, Gratitude, Holy Mystery, Joy, listen, Love, Play, prayer, Scripture, spiritual practice, Spirituality, Summer, Uncategorized

Mark 10:13-16 13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. I spent last week at Gwinwood Christian Retreat Center, [(Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)] as one of the Chi Rho (Jr. High) counselors. The whole week was a wonderful experience and not just for the kids. Spending time with children and young people is a prayerful time. In the voices and fa...

The Gift of Be-Longing – Prayerful Tuesday

Abundance, Blessings, community, Creation, Creativity, Friendship, Grace, Gratitude, Grief, Holy Mystery, Hope, Joy, listen, Love, mindfulness, spiritual practice, Summer, Uncategorized

Saturday, June 21st, was the summer solstice and I spent the day in a solstice retreat. It was a time of quiet meditation, laughter, the beginning of new relationships and the renewal of others. One of our discussions covered how all of us have a ‘longing’ for the companionship of others. I, like most people, was born into a family that served as my primary home of ‘be-longing’ for many years but now the events of normal life has separated me from most of my birth family. As a result I created my own ‘family’ through relationships with good friends, companion animals, and my husband and his family. I had never thought of either a birth-family or a self created-family as a holy thing until I read a book by the late John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on our Yearning to ...