Summer Sabbatical

        God is not found in the soul by adding anything 

but by subtracting.   Meister Eckhart 

The journey to clarity is always interesting. 

I thought my plan for the summer seemed
reasonable and workable. First, I would revise the current version of my memoir and when that was complete, I would buy a new laptop. Mine is ten years old, and I know I am overdue for an upgrade. Finally, once I felt comfortable on the new laptop, I would develop a website and include my blog, along with information about spiritual direction and groups I facilitate. 

At the same time I decided to offer two groups at church--a writing group and a T'ai Chi group--along with ongoing participation in two writing groups, and publishing a new post every Tuesday.  

So far so good.

But then the site of my blog announced a change--one that required technological skills above my paid grade and one that affects all of you who receive an email notification each time I publish a new post. 

The change happens in July. EEEEK!

I asked my daughter, who is much more savvy about these issues, to help me sort through what I needed to do on the blog for my faithful subscribers. We worked our way through the complicated process and then...the next steps were unintelligible to either of us. We were stuck. What to do!

Kate helped me sort through some possibilities, and I came up with a temporary plan, which wasn't ideal, but would allow me to continue revising the memoir--my main goal--at a steady and satisfying pace.

I turned off the laptop for the day, we left the garret, chatting about other topics, and she went home. My practice most days is to read in the snug for a bit before fixing dinner, but after reading only a few pages, I knew what I needed to do. 

The words "Summer Sabbatical" couldn't have been clearer than if they had appeared on a dry erase board in front of me.

And just as clearly I knew what that meant: not a sabbatical from my summer plans, but a break from this blog. Was this a Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about it tomorrow," decision because I don't want to deal with the technical issues? Yes, I suppose, in part.

What the summer sabbatical from my weekly posts is really about is clearing the space. (Remember the name of this blog!) A bit more time for the revision process is welcome, but so is some space for re-imagining next steps and and preparing for those steps. 

So here's my new plan: I will resume writing in the blog, but probably not until fall, and it may look different, as well. 

In the meantime, feel free to browse posts from years past, and if you haven't requested my "Savoring Summer Spirituality, A Guide to Enhance the Gifts of the Season." now might be a good time. It's free. To request it simply email me, nagneberg48@gmail.com. 

The purpose of the guide is to notice the movement and the gifts of God in these days and in our lives, and it seems I experienced the movement of God in these moments of clarity. 

Before I Take A Break--Some Book Notes. 

1.    In the June 22 post I listed my summer reading plans. So far I loved re-reading Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver and also reading for the first time, but maybe not the last, The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. What a book--on many levels. I also read the first two books in The Highland Bookshop Mystery series by Molly Macrae. They were entertaining enough, but I don't think I will read other books in the series. 

2.    Just because I have a summer reading list, doesn't mean there won't be detours. A few days ago I picked up a couple library holds and will read both of those now: About the Author, a mystery by John Colapinto, and Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, a re-read for me. 

3.    During morning meditation time I have been re-reading An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor and her chapter "The Practice of Saying No" is reinforcing. I also just acquired The Divine Dance, The Trinity and Your Transformation by Richard Rohr with Mike Morrell, and I look forward to starting that. 

4.    I am browsing and lingering in a new book of poetry, A Family Scrapbook, https://store.bookbaby.com by a dear family friend, Ralph Pitman. Ralph is a retired Episcopalian priest and officiated at our son and daughter-in-love's wedding fifteen years ago. Our sons played high school football together, and this is a poem he wrote when his son graduated from high school.

                                    David

                    You stand among men
                    like a young tree in the forest.
                    Your roots sink deep in the soil
                    of laughter and memory.
                    Your trunk is straight,
                    your bark is clean and even.
                    Your branches reach
                    well beyond the limits
                    of my shaded sight.
                    their tips reach
                    to suns not yet risen.
                    Green life runs through you
                    and pour out into the sky.
                    Some trees are taller,
                    and some are bent and twisted.
                    You will know your own
                    seasons of rain and drought.
                    You may never again stand so straight,
                    but that doesn't matter.
                    You stand today,
                    and our souls ascend
                    on your branches. 

Thanks everyone for reading my posts. I am grateful to each of you. And I will be back. Have a wonderful summer. May it include some sabbath time. Light Blessings, Nancy

An Invitation
What clarifying experiences have you had and how have they illuminated the movement of God in your life? I would love to know.