Loading...Dear St. James’,
There is nothing like a little COVID to make you stop and rest. It used to be that summers were that way: a time to slow down and breathe a little easier, at least when I was a kid. Books to read, games to play, outside all day long. They weren’t all glory days, but there’s something about the nostalgia of childhood memories that remind me that summer was just a little slower than the rest of the year.
I look forward to the “green, ordinary” season of the church. It is a time I can set aside for me to plan, to get ahead, to prepare. It can also be a time to get away and refresh, repair, reimagine and refine. Vacations are one way. Taking walks, gardening, and yes, reading, are other ways.
Over the years, I’ve learned that “rest” can look like a lot of different things to people. I’ve found that I need to try new things to learn alternative ways to listen for and be in the presence of God. That sometimes learning is also a form of “rest.”
In a couple weeks, I will be attending a three-day “Creative Expression and Contemplation” retreat at the Nazareth Retreat Center. I’m looking forward to learning and doing some things I haven’t tried before: some drumming, “soul collage,” and labyrinth work. I figure this is something that will feed me and will also teach me something I can bring back to you.
My hope for you is that no matter where you are along your life’s journey you will find time to rest and renew your soul and your “self.”
Thank you for your prayers while I was sick, and your kind words of thanksgiving when I returned.
Finding peace in rest,
Rev. Debbie+
