It’s a beautiful morning here in Sydney Australia and we are anticipating a delightfully warm day. It is a joy to be here with my family, be able to catch up with friends, and soak in the joy of my favourite city in the world with the jacarandas flowering, the birds raucously singing and the fragrant jasmine scent filling the air. There is something special about the place we grow up and when we return to it we truly feel we have come home. Yesterday I got together with Mercy Ships’ friends I have not seen for more than 30 years, and it was as though we had never been apart. We sat and reminisced for 3 1/2 hours, sharing stories, catching up on the joys and the heartaches of our lives past and present. It was a very special time. Friendships become more precious the older we get, and and one of the things I appreciate most about social media is its ability to maintain networks of relationships we would otherwise lose. It has been hard not to have Tom with me enjoying these special times but he is doing well and is being well looked after by his own network of friends.
Meditation Monday – Getting Ready For All Saints Day reflected some of this same specialness of friendships and relationships as I talked about ways to remember those who have gone before whose lives anchor us in the story of God and also the planet Earth in which we live. Remembering the lives of ancestors, mentors, guiding lights of the faith is an important and special celebration of life.
In the U.S. in particular, people are getting ready for Halloween. I did not grow up with this celebration, though the pumpkins and scary decorations around Sydney indicate it is catching on here too. It does seem a little bizarre to see orange pumpkins all over the place at the beginning of spring though. In my Spiritual Practice – Painting Gratitude Pumpkins I shared one Halloween practice that helps give the season a more meaningful slant. Painting gratitude pumpkins is for me, a wonderful way to focus as we prepare for American Thanksgiving.
Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday – The Good Road is About Serving Others reminds us that it is always important for us to keep watching for God surprises and noticing the beauty of each day. She incorporates a beautiful quote from Richard Rohr that begins “Seek joy in God and peace within; seek to rest in the good, the true, and the beautiful. It’s the only resting place that also allows us to hear and bear the darkness. “
One of my delights during this trip to Sydney is being able to share my new book Celtic Advent: Following An Unfamiliar Path with friends and family, many of whom plan to use it in the upcoming season. I appreciate those of you who have already purchased copies. Amazon seems to be having trouble keeping up with the flow so make sure you order your copy well in advance of November 15th and the beginning of Celtic Advent, as it may take a little longer than you expect to arrive. I plan to post some additional reflections and activities during the weeks of Advent so that we can all enter in, in a very special way to the season. I hope you will join me in this extended Advent celebration so that we can read along together in our journey towards Christmas and the birth of Christ.
Today we posted Liturgical Rebels Episode 19, an interview with Celtic artist and calligrapher Mary Fleeson. Mary lives on Holy Island and has a rich history in textile design and study of ancient manuscript techniques. Her beautiful artwork and books can be found at the Lindisfarne Scriptorium. This was a fascinating interview that taught me much about the techniques used by the creators of the Book of Kells and other beautiful ancient manuscripts. It gave me a deeper respect for the monks who toiled on these amazing documents, using creativity not only in the artwork but also in the techniques that produced them.
Many blessings on you today
Christine Sine