Today has felt mixed. I can feel the excitement growing inside me with Spring coming and how different everything looks in the glow of Spring, especially after rain. However, I can also feel the tiredness like a puppet master has been pulling at me. All the hard stuff we have faced during this loooooooong season…and yet, I can sniff the air and feel the possibility of new things…or at least sunshine!

Exercise 1: Meditation on the Topsoil of Our Lives

This spiritual exercise is more of a meditation guided by imagery. Consider yourself in Springtime when seeds begin sprouting into new shapes of life. It has been a long time coming for these new shapes of life.

I have been thinking about the sermon last Sunday. As I reflect on seeds and top soil, I wonder about the characteristics of the seeds. I think about the emerging of a butterfly from its chrysalis as I think about a seed dying and opening up to take in nutrients.

These exercises will each require a colloquy. In a colloquy, we speak and listen as the Spirit moves us. We write/talk as a friend to a friend or as a child to a parent or mentor. Whatever the context, be “real,” speaking from the heart. Make sure to leave times of silence for listening.

I took a trip up north to visit some dear friends and to rest. It was a glorious four days. My hosts treated me like a special guest and I felt like I was at a bed and breakfast. I needed the rest and the love. I would venture that this past year has been exhausting for you as well.

Exercise 1

Isaiah 43:1-7 (“I have called you by name, you are mine.”)

Pray slowly over the verses. What words or images move you?

Consider: Who is God for me? How does God see me?

I have begun to listen to Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. As tiresome as so many things have become, I find myself focused on this term: Beloved. It is like so many other terms I wish were more than paper snowflakes or a roaring fire in a fireplace projected from a computer screen.

Exercise 1

Luke 12:22-32 (“Life is more than”)

Think of these as gifts to behold and take in. Notice what part of the passage stands out to you. Reflect on how that connects with you and your life. What are you experiencing, seeing, hearing, feeling as you place yourself in the imagery within the passage?

Exercise 1

Luke 6:27-38 (Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God.)

Perhaps focus on just one particular teaching in this rich passage and try to apply it to

your life.

St Ignatius’ prayer, called The Examen, helps with awareness and discernment of the movements within your day. The form I want to share with you has been broken into five steps. Detachment is important to this prayer. You want to detach so you can observe, remember, and consider your day. Here are the basic steps.