A Breath of Fresh Air Sabbath Peace

I’m a little out of sequence on the Alaska trip, there’s Ketchikan to write about: it was our first stop on the cruise. But yesterday was so warm and I, very uncharacteristically, spent much of it running around in and out of the heat at our church’s yard sale, that I was focused a lot on the notion of fresh air. (and the swimming pool, I thought a lot about the swimming pool as well! And you can bet I came home, cleaned up and went to visit my beloved town pool.)

We were taken by surprise on this trip. Everyone had warned us about how cold it would be. We didn’t even take shorts. Only one pair of capris. And there we were, off guard. But the water is frigid and there are glaciers (glaciers!!!) I’ve never experienced such a sweet breath of air.

Sadly, if you don’t get there soon, you may not either. Global warming has raised temperatures there nearly 11˚ in the last few years. That’s a lot. Hence the ridiculously warm temperatures. Alaskans were swimming in 39˚ glacial lakes. brr. But they were so warm.

If you can, find yourself a place this sabbath to enjoy a sweet breath of cool air or a sweet swim and take this hot day very languidly… it’s what we’re supposed to do.

Peace Sabbath Gratitude

And so a month of Sacred Vocabulary words ends with Gratitude and the thankful realization that there may be 30 more. See you in September? or maybe August, who knows.

But so much for which to be grateful.

And that’s a mouthful and a dayful for a Sabbath. Enjoy it!

Peace Team Sabbath

If today’s word is teamwork, today’s job might well be taking the day off to look at your work and decide that it is good. And while you’re puffing yourself up about your own work, look at what a great job your neighbor has done as well. Offer him or her a glass of tea or lemonade or beer and reflect on this week’s accomplishments… and then, take a nap, take a swim, take a walk…

Blessed Sabbath, my friends, and oh, did you see the moon last night. No? well, look again tonight.

Teamwork… one of the most important things about it is choosing your team wisely and then relying on their work… Peaceful Sabbath, everyone.

Peace Adventure

No really, I didn’t plan this when I set out to write about a month full of words we might want to live into. But on the day I write about adventure, I’m off on one! Today I climb on a bus to New York with about 35 other people to attend a gallery opening.

My sister’s bestie from high school, a woman with whom she got up to all sorts of shennanigans while being 11th grad Girl Scouts traveling across Europe, has her first gallery opening in New York City.

It’s so easy to turn your life into a rut and never climb out. And yet, the trip to school is an adventure if we exhale that breath we are holding. We’re alive. We’re with people we love (even if at the moment we’d like our cheeky child to be kind just for once be pleasant to her sister or brother), and life is therefore grand. What do we notice as we travel the same ground day after day.

I think one of the most important periods of my life was the time I went to feed my mom two times a day for two plus years. Not only did I never exactly know what was going to happen when I got there, I began to pay attention to the landscape. Oh, not always, there was plenty of routine, but there began to be places where I could tell that summer was folding his tents or spring was making her way. Suddenly the everydayness of it became exciting.

But it’s important to take adventures outside our daily lives. Because they teach us so much about not only others but also about ourselves and our ruts. Once we peek our head over the rut, life looks very different. Once we’re outside, we begin to notice that there’s a huge difference between peaceful and Peace. We’re working toward Peace. Being peaceful is helpful but not mandatory. Adventures? I don’t know if they’re mandatory, but they’re a lot of fun! (even if slightly scary in the moment!)

And of course for me, today is sort of a practice adventure for a HUGE adventure. On Friday, Deb and I go to Philly and spend the night. Saturday we get on a plane to Vancouver. Sunday we get on a ship to cruise the Alaska Inner Passage… and then days later a train to Denali National Park. Lots of fun ahead. And no internet. and I’m not sure how much cell phone coverage. Lots of being present to the moment and the beauty and my beloved sisty. Maybe some self-reflection. Definitely some memory-making. Lots of blessing counting for my sweet love and rich life. Oh, Hooray! Oh, Joy! Oh! A two-week Sabbath. Oh, Adventure!

Resting Sabbath

At some point, we’ll gather and wonder what comes next. But not not yet. Today’s for the telling of stories, the reveling in new connections and the exalting in work well done. The UUCSV and its friends got on a bus, came to Staten Island with some elbow grease and more food than anyone could imagine and made Peace. We were taken on a tour of the affected areas. The need we encountered was staggering. The ongoing problems daunting. We didn’t change the world, but: There’s a little less mold and a lot more shelves. A kitchen remodeling moved along. Data entered. Calls made. Parties set up and carried out! Friends made, Heroes encountered. Labyrinths walked, Maypoles danced, Songs played and sung. And then they got back on the bus exhausted and happy.

Today, we’ll rest and reminisce. Thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks to everyone who gave. (it’s still not to late, go to Love Flows if you’re able to share some resources with people so hard hit by a storm.) Three of us will provide the service for our host church as one more chance for people to sit back and put their feet up. What happened, happened because you participated.

Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be finding new things to give thanks for about this trip for a long time.

But you know what? I’m a tired girl… and other people were doing great things in the world while we were working on this little one. So sit back, put your feet up and relax. Enjoy the Sabbath. Yesterday was all about the hard work. Now, we could all use a little Peace and quiet.

Connected Peace Sabbath

Well I considered using “you can run, but you cannot hide” as my tag line for this, but i refrained (well sort of!).

I spent an hour yesterday on skype with a friend across the country. Got to see her girls and her husband, got to feel the sweetness… it’s grand. And I’ve been grieving friends’ moving across the country, not being on hand to watch their little grow up, and I finally realized, Oh! right! Skype. They can check in when they’re making dinner and Miss Charming is running around the kitchen. Pretty fun!

So on this Sabbath day, stretch out your heart and call a friend, get in touch. The comment, oh, you can’t really talk on (insert whatever technology here), when it’s all you’ve got, you can make it not enough, or you can make it the world. Why would you choose not enough? A Peaceful heart is well worth it. I have a couple friends whose friendships have been developed via the internet and skype… and you know, they’re plenty good friendships! I think we haven’t realized what we can do with this little tool to make the world sweeter. I think we can make Peace via tiny little electrons. And we can certainly enrich our day, which is not a bad thing in and of itself.

A blessed, restful, Peaceful, connected Sabbath to you all…

Peace on the Water Sabbath

Yesterday, my sweet drummer and the two guys he plays with, serenaded the people returning from a successful trash picking in and along the river. He said there was a tractor trailer’s load of junk piled up by returning folk. People were so pleased and excited to have removed so much debris. And we’re so grateful.

We all need to get out on our waterways more. And where they aren’t what they should be, we should get involved and take some responsibility about that. Our land and our water are precious gifts. Now as the weather becomes outdoor weather, and we’re all going walkabout again, remember to shove that trash bag in your pocket. (I’m talking to you, Ann!)

Get outside, enjoy the community, enjoy the weather, enjoy this beautiful Earth and its life-giving, life-saving water.

A Leafy Sabbath

Here in the East, Spring is exploding. The landscape changes hour by hour. Another cool but sunny day here intent on coaxing Spring up to speed. Take a break and pay attention. I’m going to try and take a break and take a nap… Spring’s carrying on very well without me. Peace will manage today as well!

A Splendid Sabbath

At least around here, Mother Nature really has made up her mind. It will be Spring this year. Get out and revel in the wonder! One of the things I try to remember is that Spring comes everywhere with its messages of rebirth. If we find joy, so do others. Our appreciation is something we share with the world. So let us see the Peace of the Blossoms in this upwelling of Nature and let us give thanks by taking time to breathe it in (I know, I know… allergies! Achoo!)

Peace of a Sabbath on the Cusp

So many people are celebrating today. This is a day in which many find an essential piece of their understanding of the world. It gives me so much joy to know that people are aware and opening to others’ celebrations. Here in the East, in the natural world, the sweet exhalation of Spring begins. Life will be easier and perhaps more joyous in the coming month. This is the season of Joy. Air, which is the element, is scented with the flowers that the Sun is calling forth to cover the ground. Oh rejoice. Feast! Celebrate what moves your lives. Celebrate what moves your neighbors’ lives. Enjoy this lovely Sabbath. (and if peanut butter eggs make your way into your life, well, so much the better!)

Sacred Village

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