I am once more looking out on a hazy Seattle scene, as wildfires continue to burn in Eastern Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, Canada polluting the air with their smoke. It meant that once more I spent most of the weekend inside. This time however, I pulled out my Godspacelight Community Cookbook and got to work making olive tapenade with dried tomatoes and Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches a la Tom Sine. Minus the lettuce this year however because some little creature has eaten all my lettuce. I had also hoped to make chocolate zucchini bread, but alas our zucchini has not done well. So I got creative and used our Asian pears to make chocolate, pear bread instead. It was delicious. I love how the rhythm of the garden and its produce encourages me to relax, have some fun, think outside the box and create new recipes.
The garden has so much to teach us about the rhythms that God intends for us and each year I feel I learn something new that helps feed the rhythm of my own life. I love to go outside in the morning to see how the tomatoes have ripened and admire the dahlias, fuchsias, geraniums and other flowering plants. One of my summer rituals that I will miss when the days become grey and wet is this early morning garden walk. The changing seasons encourage me not just to create new recipes, but new rhythms and rituals too. As I mentioned in yesterday’s Meditation Monday: Rethinking Rhythms “The rhythms and the seasons of our lives are rooted in our lived experiences and our search for meaning but they will not unfold themselves fully unless we take time to stand back and become aware of who we are and how God wants to guide us. That is why I frequently harp on our need for retreats.” It is also why I hope that you will join me on Saturday for my upcoming retreat Rhythms and Seasons. Or sign up for all three retreats for a special discount. After each retreat you will receive a copy of the recording from the session so that you can listen at your leisure.
This week our most popular post, What is Theopoetics Part 1, by Kellie Brown, was a fascinating read. I love the suggestion that “effusing the pursuit of God with poetic aesthetics and sensibilities could spark a Christian renewal. “ and her quote from W. David Taylor which reminds us that poetry is “a native language of God and of the people of God.” We find our authors are increasingly expressing themselves through poetry, as June Friesen does in her beautiful post Embracing Compassion and Karen Wilk also does in her gathering Earth: A Hand Reflection.
Another very popular post this week was Elaine Breckenridge’s An Unexpected Season in which she shares some of her journey with breast cancer over the last few months. She too uses poetry to express the ups and downs of her journey. I particularly love these words:
But what if in fact
I am a sailor
pausing to read
the skies and the currents
Taking the time to prepare
For the weather ahead?
I am not a drifter.
I am a navigator
Honing my skills
As I prepare for the next
grand sail of my life.
For me they sum up the way we should approach the changing landscape of our lives and seasons that unfold before us. They really resonate with me as I prepare for Saturday’s retreat Rhythms and Seasons.
The God of rhythm and balance
Flow through you with rest and work and enjoyment.
The God of fun and festivity
Surround you with laughter and play and delight.
The God of life and love
Enrich you with a future of satisfaction and joy and sustainability.
May you dance with the angels,
And shout with the children,
May you sing with all creation
Of the wonder of God’s presence.
Many blessings
Christine Sine is offering three seasonal, virtual retreats to explore living in balance and in line with the natural and liturgical rhythms of the year. Join her for one or all of them September 2, October 14 and December 9. These retreats will encourage us to center ourselves and our lives as we move through the seasons beginning in Fall and moving through Advent. They will be times of reflection, creativity and fun.