I sit in my chair, tea in hand, accompanied by the silence of the morning as the sun trickles through the window. Sophia, my kitty, claims a small patch of sunshine that landed on the living room floor as her personal haven. Sophia, Arthur, Micah, and I sit in the quiet as the earth awakens to this new day. We rest peacefully in the space we call home, the space that nourishes my mind, body, and spirit. Home, the space that blesses us at the end of each day with comforting rest and welcomes us renewed and refreshed each dawn.
As I take in the quiet moments, I fall into the depth of the inner realms and I rest in the presence of the Divine. I allow the presence to soothe the aching spaces of my spirit, to calm the rustling of my mind, and to relax my body. As my shoulders drop, I notice how far they have risen in response to this life unfolding in unpredictable ways. I feel my face soften as the gentle touch of Spirit sweeps my brow. I settle more deeply into the silence and allow the Divine to do what the Divine does in these restful moments of quiet.
Time passes and Micah, my golden retriever, abruptly calls us all from the silence with an enthusiastic bark that startles the entire room. As I turn to see what the fuss is about, I notice two bright red cardinals flutter from the peach tree. I suppose they were equally startled by Micah’s loud yelp. In a moment, the cardinals rest once again on their chosen branch and are soon joined by a blue jay. I savor the scene of this gathering of nature and I am reminded of the sacredness of every aspect of life. By now, Micah is satisfied with himself and returns to his seat on the sofa where he rests his head on the arm so that he can keep watch over the front yard activity.
On the table beside me rest the marvelous book by John O’Donohue “To Bless the Space Between Us”. I pause and sit awhile with that thought and I see with my eyes and feel with my heart that the space between my crew and me is truly blessed. There is an energy of genuine affection and caring between my animals and me. The space between the birds enjoying the morning sun perched on the peach tree’s now naked branches is so very blessed. The space between the warmth of my living room and the cool of the morning air outdoors is brimming with blessings yet to be explored. The space that binds us together as the web of humanity is anything but void or empty. The space that sits between us is filled with joyous abundant blessings of life more numerous than can be counted.
We have made our way through New Year 2020 celebrations, through the rights of spring, although truncated by the descent of Covid 19 that brought the world to a halt. We honored the risen Christ on Easter morning by quickly remaking virtual versions of treasured celebrations. We heard the cry of our brothers and sisters of color with undeniable clarity. We stepped out a bit with the onset of summer which became a welcomed opening for many. We pulled the plug on our routine way of being, our usual events and adventures. We tumbled into fall with never before the known drama of a presidential election.
All of these dynamic experiences descended upon us and drew us into action and into deep reflection. Perhaps we are drawn into 2020 to “bless the space between us”. What a remarkable beginning to shift and change the energetic vibration of our world it would be if we pause to bless the space between us. There is an invitation at hand. In those moments that someone comes to mind, stop. Reach out to them. Call, text, or message them and bless the space between you. if you have a moment unencumbered with tasks of the day, pick up the phone and call someone you have been wondering about to bless the space between you. Regardless of our distance, be it a room apart, a city, or many miles that come between us take, a moment, connect with love and bless the space between us.
I share these words of John O’Donohue as an offering to bless the space between us today:
I give thanks for arriving
Safely in a new dawn,
For the gift of eyes to see the world,
The gift of mind to feel at home
In my life.
The waves of possibility
Breaking on the shore of dawn,
The harvest of the past
That awaits my hunger
And all the furtherings
This new day will bring.
May all the space between us be blessed with love, enriched with grace, guided by wisdom and savored in peace.
Sunday, we join together to “Give thanks in all things”. I will share the wisdom and stories from a few friends who are mastering the art of giving thanks. Join us at Unity on Greenville Facebook Live at 11:00 am. See you there!
Know that I am here with you. Know that I am here for you
Love,
Rev. Karen