Prayer at Play

Pettit Chartres style canvas labyrinth of Soul Journey Labyrinth.

Have you ever stopped and watched with the eyes of your soul as children walk the labyrinth?

To really see them

how they run and play follow the leader?

To watch as they move so naturally, 

forward, backward, side to side...

much like dancing.

Have you opened your ears to the sound of their laughter and giggles?

Only then to notice them let the pace slow 

as their place of play welcomes 

first one adult,

then another.

The energetic dance of earlier slowing to a waltz as...

A child asks a parent to walk with them, almost pulling them in with expectation.

A family stops for a reflective, intimate moment of prayer together in the middle of their labyrinth journey.

Have you ever watched prayer at play,

to let it flow over you in all it's energetic glory?

If not, I hope some day you do

And experience the gift and blessing

of such a Sabbath experience.

This is What Resurrection Looks Like.

The time I spent in Sabbath over Lent provided me with time to renew myself and my soul.  As I have found myself moving into a more complete rhythm of work, family life and Sabbath I have found the promise of new life breaking forth from my soul.  The following gives witness to that experience.


RESURRECTION

A small flutter,
barely a hint,
but still there.

A stirring, rustling
a hint that something
is about to appear.

Then it is there
bursting forth
spreading wings
and getting ready to fly.

What was once burried
is now unearthed,
new and more colorful
and beautiful than before.

My soul,
my true self
found once again.

The time of fallowness
having done its work
to refresh and restore.

This is what resurrection looks like!
This is me ready to soar!

Savoring

I recently started reading Barbra Brown Taylor's book An Alter in the World.  I really do love her books and her writing. It is like a drink of cool water to my soul.  They are also books that I can spend months with. Not because they are hard to read, but because I want to take my time and journey leisurely through the words.  The following is a reflection of what it is like for me to read her words.

                                                                   A nibble at a time,

                                                                  stopping to savor the words.

No need to rush to the end,

to finish so quickly.

These words, they nourish my soul.

It makes it easy to slow down the pace.

Taking tiny bites 

to make the journey with these words last longer.

And yet, my soul loves them so much

It wants to gorge on them.

To fill until uncomfortably full.

But the pace of being mom

doing work

engaging life

does not allow for the gorging.

                                                                  And for now, this is good

                                                                          this forced slowing.

                                                                              It allows for the experience,
                                                                         the savoring of 

                                                                         and enjoying of 

                                                                         each small bite

                                                                           that the pace of 

                                                                        everyday life allows for.

And the Words Pour Forth

My Lenten Sabbath spent coloring had another unexpected result. As I moved back into my regular routine of reading from a book specially selected for my devotional time and then taking time to journal I have found that there has been day after day of more contemplative poetry pouring out of my soul.  To honor this out pouring of words I have decided to dedicate the month of April for sharing here some of those poetry prayers.

I invite you to join me here each week this month with a beverage of your choice and an open heart for some quiet reflection with these words from my soul.

Missed You

I've missed you,

This place of quiet contemplation.

You that give witness to the words of my soul.

But, it was also good to be away.

To let the words lay fallow.

To not strain to let them come out.

To not feel like I had to put them to paper.

It was good to just be.

My soul needed that time, 

that permission to rest and be.

That time to let other things nurture it,

other things like color and rest and simplicity.

But now friend, I am back.

And it is good to put words to paper here once again.

This time it is different.

This time I give myself permission.

Permission for the words to not be deeply reflective.

Permission for the words to be deeply reflective.

Permission for pages and pages of words.

Permission for just a few short sentences.

Length and content does not really matter.

What does matter is that I am here

In THIS space with you and 

Even more so with God.

Spending time in this Holy Space of honoring the words of my soul.

This time there are no should's.

Only permissive space and grace.