Sabbath on the Patio

Welcome to our patio! 

The patio is where we entertain these days. Perhaps I should say the patio is where we gather for a physically-distanced time with one or two people. 

To entertain doesn't have the same meaning as it once did. Since we now only entertain outside, cleaning the house is no longer required. My husband and I are the only people who cross our threshold. I don't set the dining room table or plan and fix a homemade meal, for in these COVID-19 days, friends bring their own beverages and snacks. As someone who considers hometending a spiritual practice, I enjoy the preparations that comprise entertaining, but right now what is most important is being with friends and family and doing that in a safe way. 

So welcome to the patio, and yes, isn't the garden lovely? How fortunate we are to have this space. 

Discussions are lively. 

How are you and how are you managing this time, these challenges? 

Along with guessing about how long this will last and what the repercussions will be, we share what we are learning about ourselves; what has been most surprising or challenging or even easier than anticipated? Has this been a time to unveil new purpose or to let go of old baggage? What has lightened your spirits and what worries you the most?

We all seem to be eager to process and to hear how others are coping, along with thoughts about what is happening in our city, our country. 

What are you doing to understand, to become more aware? What actions are you taking? 

The current norm of shelter-in-place with its limited interactions and activities is replaced for a brief moment with connection, and these small, intimate face-to-face gatherings feel like a new version of Sabbath time. Sabbath is a time-out from what is routine, a time set aside for rest and reflection, and that's what seems to happen on our patio as we share our lives with good friends.

I recently finished reading a book about Sabbath called Soul Tending, A Journey into the Heart of Sabbath by Anita Amstutz, and in it she says Sabbath is "More than a rote ceasing of activity, it is also about being in a receptive mode for an infusion of God." (p. 117) 

That happens on the patio, and I suspect the fruits of patio time, of this kind of Sabbath are more than the pleasure of being with good friends.

My hope is that we integrate these Sabbath moments into a greater understanding of who we were created to be and how to live that in the world today. 

            Thus the first act of service is to bring love and

            healing to ourselves, gently and mercifully

            healing our own suffering and dysfunction. 

            Then we will bring less anger, confusion, and 

            pain into the world. We will have more space 

            inside us to face the others' suffering with 

            understanding, compassion, and mercy. We 

            become peace bearers and peacemakers. 

            Sabbath can offer us this sacred space for 

            our own healing, so we can return to the world 

            ready for our true work of repairing the broken 

            places. We experience and cultivate compassion 

            by spending time in the great and loving heart 

            of God. (p. 118)

Welcome to the sacred Sabbath space on the patio.

An Invitation

What kinds of Sabbath are you discovering and what are the fruits? I would love to know. 

NOTE: On Sunday, June 21, a piece I wrote several months ago was featured in the Monk of the World section of the Abbey of the Arts website. You can read it here.