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.

 

I Love Sundays: Tuesday's Reflection

I love Sundays. 

Here's why:

Sunday begins with worship. How blessed we are to be members of a congregation where we are inspired to live our faith in the world and challenged to continue growing and deepening our practice of faith. This is a place where I find sanctuary when I need it, but also  connection to the world outside our doors. 

And friendship --for in our few years in this place we have developed so many warm friendships. How wonderful it is to be known, to have community, to share stories and life's ups and downs, and to know this is where I can receive and offer support when needed. At the same time I often have the sense that the next person I greet may become a new and meaningful friend. 

Sunday continues with brunch always at the same place, Turtle Bread Bakery, where we can settle into reading the New York Times.  I begin with the book review and my husband with the front page. Yes, we are creatures of habit.

Once home I move into the garret where I organize myself for the coming week. I open my bullet journal to the next couple pages and create my calendar and To Do lists for the coming week. Doing that helps me relax into the week. Yes, I see, it will, in fact, be possible to do what I want or need to do.  I see the spaces that are open for writing time. I begin to open my heart to the spiritual directees with whom I will meet in the upcoming days. I smile when I think of the happy and special events ahead of me.

This week is Holy Week, and the evenings towards the end of the week are set aside for worship services, and I think about how I want to prepare for them. Extra time for meditation in the mornings, for example. 

With my lists made (lists that are added to as the days go by) I often write my Tuesday post--this post--on Sunday afternoon. I don't do that to save time later in the week, although it is nice to know that I have a post prepared before the week really gets underway, but I feel open and refreshed on Sundays. Ideas seem to come more easily on Sundays.

The rest of the afternoon varies--finish reading the paper or read a book. Maybe go for a walk. I remember years past when I was working full-time and our family was young. Sunday afternoons were packed with grocery shopping and doing other errands, as well as house tasks and kid activities. Such a different pace in my life now. Sometimes we have friends or family for dinner on Sunday evening or take my Dad a meal, and I enjoy the preparation for that. On this particular Sunday we are going out for dinner with our family to celebrate my birthday. Now nice is that. 

Sunday evening is like most evenings. We find something good to watch on tv, like Masterpiece Mystery, and then to bed at our usual time, knowing another week with all its possibilities and gifts, and perhaps unknown challenges is ahead of us. We are ready. 

Sundays offer a certain rhythm. One that agrees with me, a sort of Sabbath time. I hope the ease with which I enter the week brings a bit of calm and receptivity to the coming days. I feel blessed on Sundays, and my intention is to extend my blessings as I move forward from Monday to Saturday. 

May your coming week be one of many blessings.

An Invitation
What are your Sundays like? I would love to know. 

NOTE: I wrote this post before the tragedy in Paris. I'm sure many of you have memories, as do I, of being at Notre Dame. It is hard to imagine the loss of its presence and my heart aches for the people of Paris and for all those fo whom Notre Dame was a place of pilgrimage, for worship, for solace, for majesty.