It’s been another week of harvesting and processing the abundant and rather overwhelming produce from our garden. I have given away apples, pears and tomatoes reminding myself each time that in God’s economy there is always enough for our own needs and an abundance to share. I love the way the garden encourages me to be generous, and I find that as I share from this abundance that it also inspires me to share from other resources God has provided me with as well. I know that many churches celebrate at this season with harvest festivals. Make sure you check out the prayers, liturgies and ideas in the harvest and thanksgiving section of our resource pages.
This last week was a very busy week. Interspersed with the harvesting were more meetings with friends and colleagues, the sharing of tomato salads and apple cakes. The highlight was our luncheon with good friend and Circlewood architect David Vandervort. Before his visit we listened to the recent Circlewood Earthkeeper’s podcast in which Forrest Inslee and James Amadon interviewed David not just about the Camano project, but also about his more extensive work in green architecture. In Meditation Monday: Building Green With Delight I share some of what David told us and our excitement at hearing what is happening at the Circlewood Village. Tom and I are still very much involved in this project and encourage you to learn my by reading the post and listening to the podcast episode.
One of my favourite posts this week was Catherine Lawton’s Are The Rocks Crying Out for Collect Rocks Day on September 17th. I too love to collect rocks and am tempted after reading her post to acquire a tumbler so that I can smooth some of my rocks and make them glow. So even though Collect Rocks Day is over I highly recommend that you go out and collect some rocks to reflect and meditate on.
Karen Wilk shares another beautiful piece of art and poem about a tree with us in her post I Hear With an Accent. I really enjoyed this as I am currently fascinated by trees and am gathering a collection of photos that I hope to put together in a short meditation video. June Friesen in her post The Wonder of Colour admonishes herself for not taking more notice of the incredible array of colours around her. I know that I often have the same problem and her words encouraged me to slow down and take notice of the colours around me too. In Freerange Friday: Join the Harmony Way Lilly Lewin, just returning from her own pilgrimage to Iona, shares an opportunity for virtual pilgrimage that sounds very interesting.
My next retreat A Season of Gratitude is only a few weeks away and as I start to prepare for it, I am reminded to once more do a scavenger hunt around the house and garden to collect items that I am particularly grateful for this year. Some of these I will incorporate in my sacred space for October and November as part of my gratitude display. I hope that you will join us for this important virtual retreat.
As you can imagine, the harvest is very much on my mind at the moment so let me end with one of my harvest prayers:
God we thank you for harvests of plenty,
Small seeds multiplying to feed thousands,
Sweet tomatoes ripening on the vine.
Trees laden with abundant fruit.
God we thank you for bounty overflowing,
Enough for our own needs and much to share,
Enough to feed the hungry and provide for the destitute,
Enough to reach out with generosity and care.
God we thank you for seeds you have planted in our hearts,
Seeds of righteousness yielding goodness and mercy,
Seeds of love yielding justice and peace,
Seeds of compassion yielding healing and renewal.
God we thank you for the bread of heaven,
Christ our saviour planted in our lives,
Christ our redeemer growing in our hearts,
Christ your Son making us one with you.
God we thank you for the gift of life,
Like water poured out on thirsty ground,
Spring and autumn rains that revive and bring life,
A river that flows from your heart and out into the world you love.
Amen
May we all go out and bear the fruit that God has placed within us.
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.