The Voice of my Beloved - II

My encounter with Louella changed my life forever. Her simple but profound words set me on a quest to know and recognize the voice of my Beloved.

Fast forward 12 years. I'm married now, have a 5-year-old son and have been regularly practicing centering prayer and slowing learning to recognize my Beloved's voice. Ironically the earlier I got up in the morning, the earlier my son got out of bed. To be honest I was a bit irritated and frustrated that my son frequently interrupted my "God time."

One summer morning as I sat still, I heard my son's footsteps. At once I felt frustration swelling up within me but almost immediately I heard a voice say, "Invite Jeff to join you." As the footsteps approached my frustration melted away and when Jeff appeared around the corner I invited him to cuddle on my lap. As we sat quietly together a peace washed over me and the Spirit showed me that these quiet moments with my son were holy. God my Father was smiling at this mother and child, madonna iamge. At that moment, my "God time" paradigm was shattered and my understanding of what was holy deepened.

New Place

Just a short distance from our place there is a 500-acre perserve. The kids and I went out Thursday after school. I'll admit that the idea was not immediately embraced by the kids although they liked that Jake (our dog) could come with us.

As we moved into the forest, Jeff got a bit more excited, recalling other places that he and I had hiked in Ohio and Kentucky. Allie took a bit longer to warm up, but became more engaged as she tried to find me the "most perfect red leaf." Then we found sassafras trees and bushes. This tree has 3 unique leaves on it, so it was fun to see if we could identify the 3 leaves and find more trees.

The 1.4 mile trail took us about 40 minutes to walk and we were the only ones out there. That's important to an introvert like me. You can't be noisey in the woods! It just doesn't work.

Big thanks to my Westwinds' friends who told me about this great place. I am sure that I will make frequent visits with my family or more realistically I'll drag out ny family out there with me! At least the dog likes to go with me.

It's the Green Beans

There are times that I am in awe at how blest I am.

The other day the kids were out of town, Randy was at work and I worked at home. I sat at my dining table, with my computer, books and papers spread out working on my 6month "class" called Soul Dig. There were several deer and sand hill cranes in the yard (no big deal at my house!). I studied and wrote then took the dog out to my garden where I picked fresh beans for dinner.

What drew me towards God that day? Beans! Green beans fresh from my garden. My garden not only nourishes my body it feeds my soul.

Garden Therapy?

I’ve been gardening about 10 years now. Most gardeners will tell you that gardening is therapeutic. That it is good for their soul and mental health. I love to immerse myself into a gardening project. To play in the dirt, to create new beds, to move plants around, to get dirty and sweaty but feel satisfied with my gardening endeavors at the end of the day.

Recently Len Sweet twittered about the hidden benefits of gardening. It seems that common “bacterium in soil was discovered to act as serotonin-boosting antidepressant.” Sweet said wellbrutin or wheel barrow? Prozac or pick-axe? So getting your hands dirty can impact your mood? I’ll buy that theory! Come to think of it, we didn’t used to hear about a lot of farmers who were depressed? – another topic for another day.

How do you refer to your garden? Is it soil or earth or dirt? Maybe it’s something different each time you enter the garden.

Sometimes I need to work in the dirt. To do the hard work of creating new beds to invest my energy in. I need dirt and I get dirty and gross as I work off frustration, anger or whatever energy I may have.

Sometimes I need to work in Mother Earth. To smell the richness of her bounty and immerse myself into her life-giving womb, called Earth. She feeds my soul without words but with memories and sensations. I feel connected and one with my Creator God.

Sometimes I need to work in the soil. To lovingly prepare the soil to receive new life, seeds and tender plants that will grow strong and healthy and produce food for my family.

Gardening is really therapeutic! It is sacred space and time for my soul to touch the Creator’s heart. Nothing feeds my soul like a couple of hours of playing in dirt.

Landscapes of the Sacred

"To Have Been One with the Earth
"Nature in Contemporary Christian Mystical Experience, Janet Ruffing, PhD., RSM
. . .findings from a research project that explored individuals experiences in nature.

Repondents described both small and large epiphanies when they talked about their experiences of God in nature. . .Because for them nature is surch a profound and consistent sacrament of God's presence, they sometimes struggled for words in an effort to avoid the language of pantheism. They experienced themselves in ever deeper inter-communion with themselves, the natural world, the human community and the divine presence. God was clearly dwelling within and disclosing God's self through each of these realms of experience. They expressed gratitude both for the presence of God they enjoyed and for the places which had become their pariticular landscapes of the sacred.