A Fresh Saturday Morning
Ahhhhh! Every once in a while, I do this! Sweep my calendar clear!! Clearing a day of any duty, chores, responsibilities—sweeping away all the catch-up jobs, the endless lists of cleaning and sorting, Good Samaritan deeds I could get a lot of “grace” for. Even all the social catching up, events that are sometimes more “shoulds” than “wants”.
Sometimes one’s REAL need is for SPACE—to just BE, not running around to even fun distractions, but a day of SPACE—to sit with that first cup of coffee (or tea)—and savor the beginning of a day with no commitments, a day to be present to the nature around me…to SEE the Earth I am in today…to have time to quietly NOTICE the sky, the trees, the plants and flowers, and all the creatures entering this day with me.
And on a fresh Saturday (which can happen ANY day of the week) I let my body slow down—letting stress seep away. As my shoulders relax, my heart slows down. Sure enough, the quieted-self slips into contemplation. The quiet place of this FRESH, cleared day becomes a time to hear myself—to notice how life is flowing for me these days.
Some days there may be a problem I need to sit with, in undistracted pondering—where the deeper Knowing can be accessed. I’ve also learned the necessity to stand guard against the intrusion of fears and anxiety that come from old stories, old patterns that do not help.
To keep the fresh day of peaceful, contemplative, Soul-full SPACE, one needs to brush away intrusive thoughts and outer world concerns that cloud the clear fresh wisdom of the Soul. In this cleared space, new thoughts, new visions can arise. Our Soul is our deep Self, our true essence, our connection with the Holy One. But in our blistering fast-paced world, we can miss this deep connection which unfailingly brings peace. Do I honor myself enough to sweep aside all Outer “stuff” to create a fresh “Saturday” with no “to-do’s” —only a lovely long, comforting, restoring healing stretch to BE?
Could this not be a wonderful Advent — practice preparation for Christmas much more meaningful than racing through mall or hours of on-line shopping, the seasonal pressure that can leave us stressed and overwhelmed? How does one prepare for God’s coming into our world, our country, our hearts this year? Rather than scurrying around OUTSIDE ourselves maybe this year we will take a day of entering our Soul space…and not let the time be invaded by all the things we could get “done”. Maybe we will hold a precious day of PAUSE, a “Fresh Saturday”, and rest in the quiet of our Souls. And in Advent waiting, we will listen to the deep cries and longing within us and our human family, for the PEACE that only God-with-us can restore.