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Slowing down to listen

“I will never understand the silent dying of the green pie-apple tree if I do not slow down and listen to what the Spirit is telling me, telling me of the death of trees, the death of planets, of people, and what all those deaths mean in the light of love of the Creator, who brought them all into being, who brought me into being, and you.” Madeleine L’engle, walking on Water

There is forced slowing down from outer circumstances and there is voluntary slowing down, to be and to listen. What emerges as you slow down and listen?

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Vigils

What does it mean to be a person of prayer?

The hours of prayer in the monastic tradition begin with Vigils between midnight and dawn. We awaken to join where God is already at work. We watch, we wait in the dark like a seed in the ground, a child in the womb, an owl on a branch.

How does your prayer begin? How do you look for and join what God is already doing?

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Nobody sees…

“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small. We haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O’Keeffe

What do we take the time to see? What do we avoid seeing? Where might we be invited to take more time to see?

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Being

“I sit on my favorite rock, looking over the brook, to take time away from busyness, time to be. I’ve long since stopped feeling guilty about taking being time; it’s something we all need for our spiritual health, and often we don’t take enough of it.” Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water

How do we make time for being amidst the demands or forced being of our times? How do we keep from running on empty?

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Inspiration

Breath is in the news these days. It is threatened by a virus and taken by police. Breath…shut down….taken away…leading to death.

“The drawing of air into the lungs” is the medical definition for inspiration. The Latin root inspirare also means ‘to breathe or blow into’. So, being inspired is being breathed into. And inspiring others is to breathe into. Breath…opened up…shared freely…leading to life.

We need breath and inspiration these days. What gives you breath and inspiration? How do you inspire and give breath to others?