The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Tonight HRH is chilling with Daddy after a long day
A day of ministry and meetings
A day that was bookended with prayer
A long but good day for my beloved in Florence
Today I was given a gift by a very dear friend through her writing on Breath Prayer
I breathe in peace
I breathe out love
With every breath there are many opportunities to pray and center oneself
May Peace and Love be with us all
Thank you for this timely gift, Christine
Now as my eyelids grow heavy I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“We must choose nonviolence as a way of life if we are to survive as a democratic and humane society on this fragile and beautiful planet we share with people of all races and nationalities and with all living things.”—Clarence B. Jones
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
As I come to the end of this Monday
While I am exhausted, there is much to be thankful for
Our sweet little Pixie got her allergy shot and she is beginning to feel better
It was good to have some fellowship via Zoom with clergy colleagues
It was nice to have a period of worship and reflection with the Abbey
My prayer is for better sleep tonight
Now as my eyelids grow heavy I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Verse of the day
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
– Romans 14:19
Voice of the day
Ye cannot live for yourselves; a thousand fibers connect you with your fellow men, and along those fibers, as along sympathetic threads, run your actions as causes, and return to you as effects.
– Henry Melvill
Prayer of the day Grant us a heart for all humanity, eyes to see injustice, and a will to be your changemakers.
Today was a return to worship after a long and challenging journey. That journey continues for Denise as she begins the slow process of sorting through her father’s things and processing much that needs to be done for the estate.
We had a wonderful Bluegrass Service at Carrollton Presbyterian Church today. It was a toe-tapping and inspirational morning. The Spirit was clearly with us as we gathered in person or via livestream for worship.
I find myself still processing so much of the past two months on this journey with family through The Valley of the Shadows. We also had a wonderful Zoom meeting with Denise’s godson and his fiancé. I am humbled and honored to be able to officiate at their wedding in two weeks.
This journey called life can be challenging… it can be difficult… it can be rewarding… it can be a blessing. Through each step of this journey there is always once constant. The Spirit surrounds us, undergirds us, and guides us as we follow Her pathway of love and grace. The words of Thomas Merton that follow speak to the importance of listening to Her gentle call.
The fresh air we need is the air of the Holy Spirit “breathing where He pleases,” which means that the windows must be open and we must expect Him to come from any direction. The error is to lock the windows and doors in order to keep the Holy Spirit within our house. The very action of locking doors and windows is fatal. October 27, 1957 (The Journals of Thomas Merton, vol 3: Dancing in the Waters of Life)
Come Holy Spirit, Come. Lead us along the pathway we have been called to follow. Sweet Spirit guide us with your love, grace, mercy, and peace.
“Learn to look behind your judgments to the need at the root of them. Learn from your limitations without losing self-respect. Learn to mourn your actions without blame, without guilt.”—Marshall B. Rosenberg
Today Denise and I awoke for the second morning in our own bed. The past two months have been a journey we could never have imagine in our wildest nightmares. 12,000+ miles driving back and forth between Georgia and Minnesota and Alabama. We (Denise, her brother, and I) sat with their father as he drew his last breath. Burying Chase and Christopher’s grandmother (the dear friend and former mother-in-law of Denise and a dear friend who was family to me as well). The boys lost their last biological grandparents within a ten day period.
So much has gone on as we have driven so many miles separately and together. We have also walked with my Dad through the Valley of the Shadows of hospitalization, rehab, and moving within the place where he has lived since 2017.
Denise and I have found sabbath moments in the cemetery at my Mom’s grave in Minnesota and at her Mom’s grave in Alabama. We have found sabbath moments along the Cedar River at The Old Mill in Austin. We have found sabbath moments along the banks of the Tennessee River in Alabama. We have found sabbath moments with very dear friends who are family.
Today’s class on Shabbat/Sabbath through the Abbey of the Arts offered me the opportunity to connect the dots from the past two months. Even as we continue to navigate all of the life situations we find ourselves in, the Spirit offers moments of Shabbat rest. She invites us to simply Be Still in the midst of all the chaos. For Her gentleness I am truly thankful.
Over the next few weeks/months as this journey continues, we will seek those Shabbat moments and embrace them. Perhaps these words of Thomas Merton from his book, The Sign of Jonas will continue to speak to us both as we journey together.
When your tongue is silent, you can rest in the silence of the forest. When your imagination is silent, the forest speaks to you. It tells you of its unreality and of the Reality of God. But when your mind is silent, then the forest suddenly becomes magnificently real and blazes transparently with the Reality of God. — Sign of Jonas, p. 343
This also reminds me of the last lines of Merton’s prayer (from his book Thoughts in Solitude) which has become a mantra of mine.
Therefore will I trust You always,
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death,
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
and will never leave me
to face my perils alone.
“I think part of Gandhi’s greatness was that he didn’t want to be a servant; he wanted to be of service. It is very easy to be a servant, but very difficult to be of service. When you are of service, you’re there whether you like it or not, whether it’s Sunday, Monday or a holiday. You’re whenever you are needed.”—Cesar Chavez
“When we rush from one thing to another, we skim over the surface of life losing that sacred attentiveness that brings forth revelations in the most ordinary of moments.”— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD,Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
Before moving into your next activity, can you take a moment to pause, centre yourself and open a space for God to work within you?
“The future of the earth depends on a change of consciousness. the only hope for the future is in a change of people’s consciousness and the change is bound to come. But it is left to humans to decide if they will collaborate for this change or if it will have to be enforced upon them by the power of crashing circumstances. So, wake up and collaborate!”—Mira Alfassa, The Mother
