When you turn around - A New Year's blessing

“And now we welcome the new year,

full of things that have never been.”

―Rainer Maria Rilke

Happy New Year dear friends!

As you cross the threshold into this new year, "full of things that have never been", what hopes do you carry with you? What do you most need? Are there spiritual practices that might help you open to what lies ahead, to notice the gifts along the way?

Starting here, what do you want to remember? How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?

What scent of old wood hovers, what softened sound from outside fills the air?

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world than the breathing respect that you carry wherever you go right now? Are you waiting for time to show you some better thoughts?

When you turn around, starting here, lift this new glimpse that you found; carry into evening all that you want from this day. This interval you spent reading or hearing this, keep it for life –

What can anyone give you greater than now, starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

~William Stafford

I come into this new year, knowing that it (like all years) will be braided with days of pain and days of joy, and many ordinary days in between. My continuing hope is to learn how to discern, trust, and move with Spirit's flow -- discovering and treasuring each gift along the way. As I grow older, I become more and more familiar with the precious brevity of life. It can be unsettling and more than a bit alarming, but practices of gratitude and presence help me navigate the challenges and embrace the gifts of my life. Keeping a gratitude journal, or remembering at least one gift from each day, helps me appreciate the rich abundance of my life.

Here are my daily gifts of 2022 so far:

January 1 -

As I began to throw a small juice can in the recycling bin, my 5 year old grandson shouted, "No... don't throw that away... I can do something with that tin can!"

(He's a pint-size inventor :).

January 2 - on a walk with my husband in Valley Forge, we heard and then spotted a

pileated woodpecker. A first for my husband. He was awe-struck. I was so happy for him.

Listening in 2022:

“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to,

let your life tell you what truths you embody,

what values you represent.”

―Parker J. Palmer

Spiritual practice: Give Me a Word 2022 - Abbey of the Arts https://abbeyofthearts.com/blog/2021/12/01/give-me-a-word-2022/

(An alternative (or companion) to setting new year's intentions, can be asking God for a word to companion you and unfold throughout the year. I (Donna) have done this for about 5-6 years and have found it a valuable practice. It is similar to the early Christians going out to the desert and asking for a word from the desert abbas and ammas. It is also similar to the practice of Lectio Divina: you let the word find you rather than your mind trying hard to pick the perfect word. The Abbey of the Arts offers a free 12-day self-led retreat on discovering a word for 2022. I highly recommend it.)

May we ask for the vision of Christ to guide us through the new year!

P.S. A final gift (which I just discovered) is a list of questions posted by Courtney Martin (an amazing writer who has been a contributor for the On Being website and a good friend of Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer). Carrie Newcomer recently shared this list of insightful questions from Courtney as a way of reviewing this past year and looking ahead to 2022. Courtney's current site is called "The Examined Family." Carrie's new website "A Gathering of Spirits" can be found at carrienewcomer.substack.com.