Ending of a Season

It’s been a long time since I have written here. My hiatus happened not on purpose but by happenstance. At first I was struggling to find topics to write on, then it was simply life had too many other things that needed my attention more and my intention to start writing here again got pushed back further and further.  During this hiatus I took some time to read a book that I was interviewed for clear back in the fall of 2013. I also took some time to do some deep reflection on how I was spending my time. The result was the discernment that it was time for Chaplainhood to come to an end.

Just like nature, I believe that our lives have seasons, times that we are supposed to be doing certain things and then our time in that season is over and we need to move onto the next season of life. For me, Chaplainhood has been one of those seasons and I have come to realize that my time blogging here has come to an end.

As a chaplain I am a firm believer in the power that storytelling can have. Chaplainhood has been my personal storytelling exercise. It has helped me come to know myself better and find healing of soul. However, I would have never taken this journey had it not been for Twylla Alexander. And so it seems fitting that this last post here at Chaplainhood, tells the story of the very beginning and gives recognition to the person who helped give birth to my public storytelling journey.

 In 2013 I received an e-mail from a stranger, asking to come interview me and walk my labyrinth. This is how I came to meet Twylla and be a part of her journey to interview 50 women, one from each State here in the United States, and walk the labyrinths that they built. For Twylla it was a personal journey that she writes about in her book Labyrinth Journeys: 50 States, 51 Stories. For me, it was the start of learning how to tell my story as a bereaved mother in a very public way. I do not know if I would have helped write Still A Mother: journeys through perinatal bereavement or taken on sharing myself so openly here at Chaplainhood had it not been for Twylla. She gave me the opportunity to tell my story in a whole new way and in doing so helped me find my courage to keep on telling it.

I have just finished her book and in doing so have “met” 49 other women who share their own journeys and stories of courage, strength and wisdom. One of the reasons this blog has taken so long to write is that I found myself slowly savoring each chapter of this book. Labyrinth Journeys is a book that could just as easily be consumed in a day letting the full journey wash over you. I choose to journey through the book slowly letting each story sit in my soul and found myself connecting on many different levels with the wisdom and life lessons shared. The writing itself is conversational having the feeling of sitting at the table with Twylla over a meal, hearing her weaving these women’s tales in and out of her own personal story and journey. Labyrinth enthusiasts will find a quick connection to this book, but it is not just for those interested in labyrinths. Anyone who appreciates a good telling of wisdom, life lessons and sharing life’s journey with others will find this is an inspirational read.

I will forever be grateful to Twylla for including me in her journey and book. But deeper than that, I will forever have gratitude for the seed of courage she planted in me in asking me to step out of myself and tell and entrust such an intimate story to a complete stranger (who quickly was no longer a stranger to me).

Where does the next season of my life take me? I am still working on figuring that out. I know part of it is to be more focused on being mom as we head into the next set of growing up transitions with C. Part of this next season will also be starting a new journey as an instructor of Taijifit. This music and drama girl, who thought she did not have an athletic bone in her body, is till trying to figure out how she came to be excited about teaching a fitness class. However, given that Taijifit is considered moving meditation it fits with my contemplative self and I am excited to help others discover it’s benefits. As I fully embrace this next season of my life, who knows maybe the occasional contemplative poem will pour out and find places to be shared.

Wherever life takes me, I am excited for the journey. Thank you for reading here at Chaplainhood and being journeyers with me. I have been blessed to share it with you. As we part ways here at Chaplainhood may you find the space to share your own story as you make your life journey. PEACE.