A busy Monday ended a few hours ago. Our family enjoyed dinner and conversation around the table, and I felt the weight of the day settle on me. I accomplished a lot, and there’s always more to do. Some days it can be difficult to quantify the progress made. Some days I sink into my chair and nap because my brain is just worn out and needs a break.
Yesterday I pulled myself up and out to take a hike. It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity to pray, commune with nature, and relax. My whole body let go of the tension it was carrying. I enjoyed the music of the stream trickling over rocks and limbs, carrying leaves to new places of final rest.
Tonight after dinner, I organized my supplies. Gel pens. Clean white paper. Mary Oliver poem. A glass of tea. The computer. Instrumental music for meditation ready to share across the virtual room.
Shortly before 7 pm, people stream into the Zoom room, ready for a sacred hour of spiritual practice. Their supplies are lined up too, and they are ready to engage with whatever I have for them.
Themes for the night included gratitude and healing, for November is a month full of opportunities to be grateful for God and all God gives us. Some will pray for healing for themselves and others. We immersed ourselves in Mary Oliver’s words about the red bird. Is it the one singing, or am I?
My pens draw and color a red bird. My mind goes to a song… “How Can I Keep from Singing?” Chris Tomlin expresses what I feel about all the reasons in front of me to praise God! They pour out of me as I draw and pray. In no time at all, our group has spent 30 minutes in silence, communing with God. We share our thoughts and meditations, enjoying the time together across the virtual space.
After I bless the group and say good night, I notice how light I feel. It’s a rare evening when I feel like this, fully awake, reflective, calm, peaceful, and blessed. The weight that settled earlier is now gone, and the tension released yesterday hasn’t returned. It’s yet another reason to be thankful!
What a wonderful reminder of the gift of regular spiritual practice! When I consistently set aside and spend this time with God, I find that the burdens are easier to carry, the healing comes more quickly, the gratitude is on the tip of my tongue, and I’m more aware of God’s presence with me all the time.
Orchestrating peace is too tall an order for me. What I can do is set aside time and space to be with God, and then let God handle the rest. I’m never sorry when I do!
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