My first week - Sabbath

According to Wikipedia, Sabbath originates from the Genesis story where God created, and then God rested.  Although the definitions and viewpoints have varied over the millennia, most originate with the textual translation:  Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.  It then goes on to talk about Sabbaticals - they are traditionally one year long (!).  They are understood to be a time when someone steps away from their career in order to achieve something.  The "something" that I want to achieve during this time is a "silence in my soul".  I want to learn to experience the Sabbath in each day - to pause a wee bit in my living so that I can breathe, and be intentional about giving thanks for the gift of the day.  Just before I left on sabbatical, at the last worship service we used a short blessing and these words were a part of it:

Brittany:  May God fill you with a light spirit as you spend time with old friends and make new ones; as you study, as you rest in familiar places and as you travel to new surroundings.

Nicholas:  When you travel, a new silence goes with you, and if you listen, you will hear what your heart would love to say.

As I have been driving over the prairie highways this summer, I have been listening to the CBC podcast of the show Tapestry.  The host was interviewing David Gregory - an American TV broadcaster who was fired from his position.  This led him to begin his own spiritual journey, and one of the lines he used was that he was "seeking quiet in a very loud world".  That rang true for me.  One of the gifts of this sabbatical time is that it does feel like I am entering a new silence - and I am truly looking forward to what my heart has to say to me.

My last service was August 14th, and on August 15th, Art, Alex, and I (and our dog Stella), set up camp on the property that we own in Manitoba.  I tend to refer to it as "our land", which sounds a bit pompous or something.  However, when I am feeling anxious or tired or stressed, it truly is "our land" where I go to restore my perspective - to remember once again that all is well.  So, let me share with you a bit of our morning ritual, which speaks to the new silence that I am carrying with me...

When we get up, the sun is usually just coming up on the hill at the back of our property:

The first thing that I do is set up our lawn chairs and the camp stove in our dining tent.  The next picture shows how the sun is just beginning to light up the space at the front of our property.  The old hard top camper is right behind me as I took this next picture:

We have to have two pots on the stove since I am a coffee person and Art is a tea person!  There is something delightful about having perked camp coffee.  You have to tune it to listen carefully for the sound of the first perk.  I often have to drink with my teeth closed because of all the grounds, but that is just part of the whole experience of camp coffee!!

 As I wait for the coffee to perk, I have to spend time with Stella.  She is a very, very busy little girl, and that is especially true first thing in the morning.  She is so thrilled that it is morning, and she greets it with her whole body shaking she is so happy to be alive.  It is impossible not to grin at her - and to feel a wee bit exhausted at her exuberance.  However, I throw that orange toy for her and she runs and runs and runs.  The theory is that she will then lay down when I am ready to sit down and enjoy my coffee - sometimes that works!

This next picture shows the next phase of the morning - those are my toes as I stretch out on the lounging lawn chair.  Art and I spend the first hour of the day reading our books, chatting only occasionally, listening to the birds, and the wind in the trees.  It is a slow relaxing way to begin the day.  You can also see the back of my dog who is not quite ready to lie down!  The sun slowly lights up the valley ahead of us and the day begins anew...

One of the videos we have seen a couple of times at church is called "A Good Day".  The speaker invites us to consider the clouds in the sky.  He says that the reality is that we will never see the same configuration of clouds in the sky twice in a row.  So take a moment to look at the clouds, to marvel at what you see, and to give thanks for the gift of this new day.  There have been some amazing cloud formations on the prairies this summer.  here are a few pictures of the clouds - mostly at sunset.  But whether it is morning or evening, the concept is the same - it is good to stop and look and give thanks.

That first week on "our land" was a great way to begin this Sabbath time.  I absolutely love the work that I do with Sunset United Church.  However, it is a very busy place, and I don't often have the space or the time to reflect on my own spiritual path.  This sabbatical is going to afford me that space - to just step back for a wee while to breathe and to listen.  I head off to Halifax on September 7th - the next phase of my Sabbath journey.  I hope to post on this blog at least once a week or so - I hope that you are able to come on the virtual path along the East Coast!  In the meantime, here is a final picture - raising a toast to you!