I would have loved to have sent you some of the heavy rain we received this afternoon, Bethaney, but not the pelting hailstones that eventually also fell on us. The tender new buds on trees and shrubs were dealt a blow, but I trust they will recover. I feel for you and your neighbors in Georgia as you deal with drought. Lack of rain is frightening and anxiety-producing. I will pray spring brings you showers very soon. ☔️
Thank you for this, Bethaney. I don't think I read it the first time you shared it, and it was right on time this morning. I have a ritual I've been playing with for the past few days that is helping me find slow time in small ways. I open a notebook and write at the top "Possibilities (MM.DD.YY)". Then I write this prayer: May my doing be love in action, my knowing be love made conscious, and my being be love made human. May I delight in the dance and sing my part with my whole heart. May I rest in my enoughness and embrace my limitedness. May love and joy go around the world. Dona nobis pacem. Then, under that, I write some of the tasks I plan to dedicate time to during the day. On the opposite page I write "The Messy Middle (MM.DD.YY)" and throughout the day, as I do things, I write them down in sort of a "done" list. In addition to connecting me with slow time, it is helping me use my planning and list-making strengths without being so attached to my plans and to-dos that I can't make space for anything else...which is one of my ongoing growth opportunities :)
Amara, this practice sounds immensely grounding. I especially appreciate the way your prayer names the values you seek to embody as you move through your day. How did you come to this practice, or how did it find you?
I guess I would say this practice and I found each other through experimentation. I love designing structures that enable new possibilities and have designed lots of different structures to enable me to relate to my work and activity in meaningful ways and live into my values. This is the latest iteration of that ongoing process :) Thanks for asking!
Good morning, Bethaney. Your words have helped untangle the too-tightly braided strands of time for me this morning. As did one mighty thunder-clap from the clouded sky over Minneapolis. As its echo died away, I found myself relieved to have heard an imposing sound that didn’t require human effort or depend on a schedule. It simply was, just like the sunset. I found myself accepting it with gratitude and peace. Perhaps it set a theme for this day and its time. May it be so. Thank you for your post and your presence in lives needing moments of presence and kinship. Karen
Karen, I thoroughly resonate with the feeling of holding “too-tightly braided strands of time.” Thank you for sharing that imagery with me.
We’ve been in a drought here in rural Middle GA. I would be overjoyed to hear a clap of thunder, accompanied by the sound of rain. All we can do is wait.
Hi Bethaney - like you, I've had a few challenging days (make that WEEKS) but I have begun to sit on my porch each morning and listen to birdsong, the wind rustling in the branches, the haze of new green in the trees up the side of the mountain. When I've had my fill, I write in my journal, with a softer heart and lighter body.
This was beautiful and so timely. I’m so glad you shared, thank you.
Thank you, Carolyn. 🩵
I would have loved to have sent you some of the heavy rain we received this afternoon, Bethaney, but not the pelting hailstones that eventually also fell on us. The tender new buds on trees and shrubs were dealt a blow, but I trust they will recover. I feel for you and your neighbors in Georgia as you deal with drought. Lack of rain is frightening and anxiety-producing. I will pray spring brings you showers very soon. ☔️
Thank you for your prayers, and may swift recovery find the tender new buds!
Thank you for this, Bethaney. I don't think I read it the first time you shared it, and it was right on time this morning. I have a ritual I've been playing with for the past few days that is helping me find slow time in small ways. I open a notebook and write at the top "Possibilities (MM.DD.YY)". Then I write this prayer: May my doing be love in action, my knowing be love made conscious, and my being be love made human. May I delight in the dance and sing my part with my whole heart. May I rest in my enoughness and embrace my limitedness. May love and joy go around the world. Dona nobis pacem. Then, under that, I write some of the tasks I plan to dedicate time to during the day. On the opposite page I write "The Messy Middle (MM.DD.YY)" and throughout the day, as I do things, I write them down in sort of a "done" list. In addition to connecting me with slow time, it is helping me use my planning and list-making strengths without being so attached to my plans and to-dos that I can't make space for anything else...which is one of my ongoing growth opportunities :)
Amara, this practice sounds immensely grounding. I especially appreciate the way your prayer names the values you seek to embody as you move through your day. How did you come to this practice, or how did it find you?
I guess I would say this practice and I found each other through experimentation. I love designing structures that enable new possibilities and have designed lots of different structures to enable me to relate to my work and activity in meaningful ways and live into my values. This is the latest iteration of that ongoing process :) Thanks for asking!
Good morning, Bethaney. Your words have helped untangle the too-tightly braided strands of time for me this morning. As did one mighty thunder-clap from the clouded sky over Minneapolis. As its echo died away, I found myself relieved to have heard an imposing sound that didn’t require human effort or depend on a schedule. It simply was, just like the sunset. I found myself accepting it with gratitude and peace. Perhaps it set a theme for this day and its time. May it be so. Thank you for your post and your presence in lives needing moments of presence and kinship. Karen
Karen, I thoroughly resonate with the feeling of holding “too-tightly braided strands of time.” Thank you for sharing that imagery with me.
We’ve been in a drought here in rural Middle GA. I would be overjoyed to hear a clap of thunder, accompanied by the sound of rain. All we can do is wait.
Hi Bethaney - like you, I've had a few challenging days (make that WEEKS) but I have begun to sit on my porch each morning and listen to birdsong, the wind rustling in the branches, the haze of new green in the trees up the side of the mountain. When I've had my fill, I write in my journal, with a softer heart and lighter body.