Tennesseetransitions

Every now and then I have to go back and read, once again, what this blog is all about. It can become difficult to write about transitioning in fresh and meaningful ways after doing it close to 250 times, so rereading that ‘about’ statement helps keep me focused on the topic at hand. But, as we are drawn more deeply into this season of miracles, I wanted to deviate from my normal topics of energy, frugality, gardening and community. I’d like to offer up some ideas for making this holiday season, well, a little more miraculous than it already is.

My childhood Christmases were not happy occasions, so I tried to make up for them by making sure that my own four children had ‘good’ ones to remember. ‘Good’ then, meant lots of presents, activities, decorations, food and more. Being raised under strict Southern Baptist beliefs had somehow left me as an adult with practically no religious beliefs, so the ‘good’ Christmases I tried hard to give my kids lacked the focus the whole season is based on. Over the years, that lack of religion has gradually turned into something more meaningful and helpful to my soul than any Bible verse I ever memorized: Spirtuality. It’s a word I can’t seem to properly define so I went to my dictionary for a definition:  “of or relating to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred”. I guess my developing spirituality covers all those things, and that’s a miracle!

I’ve had the most remarkable week already, and it’s only Tuesday! Saturday I walked to the Dharma Center for a two hour guided meditation called “Mindfulness In Times of Madness”. Afterwards, I walked back home feeling like Buddha himself.  Sunday I attended the Solstice service at my Unitarian Universalist church and was brought to tears by the music, the candles, the food and the love that filled that space. Celebrating the season with spiritual practices of prayer, inner reflection and song help me realize that I can bring my own light to the winter darkness.

  In an effort to continue that morning joy, on Sunday night I decided to attend a ‘Concert for World Peace’ at a nearby healing arts center. Walking there in the cool early evening cleared my head and my heart for what I was about to experience: the concert was presented in Swahili, an ancient Hindi language, using instruments normally heard in Classical Indian music. Though I didn’t understand many of the sacred chants, I’m pretty sure the English translations went something like this: PEACE, LOVE, JOY and THANK YOU. PEACE, LOVE, JOY AND THANK YOU. REPEAT. Remember when the Beatles sang “Love Is All You Need”? And when John encouraged us to “Give Peace a Chance?” I certainly do, and I experienced the outcome at this concert. Did our sacred chant music bring about world peace? No, but the spirit of peace in that room was palpable; it actually had a heartbeat, I swear. By engaging together in a spiritual practice with the forty or so (mostly) strangers we managed to create an opening and a chance for peace to grow, passing it on from right here in my little city around the world and back. If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

Then yesterday I attended a Christmas Tea, put on by a dear friend of mine. Amid the hustle and bustle of arguably the busiest week of the year, this woman catered to and pampered seven of her many friends with a feast of appetizers, soups, sandwiches, desserts and of course, 3 kinds of TEA, or ‘liquid love’. Served on her heirloom china, we ate, talked, laughed, cried and ate some more. When it was over, we were  absolutely FILLED with the light this woman had spent many hours creating for us all. She told us she considers this kind of thing her spiritual practice, her way of serving others and lighting the world. Holding tea parties is as much a spiritual practice as gardening or playing music or writing. Sharing the experience of our tea party with you is my way of lighting my candle off of hers.

Spiritual practices offer me a tangible and concrete way to create harmony and balance in my life, while enabling me to connect more easily with the world as well. I’m working on using my daily walks as yet another spiritual practice, (and it’s called a practice for a reason you know) by greeting passersby, picking up trash, or just simply being aware of my feet making contact with the Earth. Tomorrow will be my first annual Christmas Eve donation to the Red Cross, followed by another walk to a nearby church to attend a candlelight service there. It’s the spirituality, rather than the religious lessons, that I get from these kinds of activities that make them sacred and special.

As many of us rush now through these final couple of days before Christmas to finish the shopping, wrapping, baking, cleaning and more-always more- I’d like to suggest that you take time for your own spiritual practices, whatever they may be. The rituals we create in our lives, from knitting to whittling wood, can offer us peace and a sense of purpose, throughout the year, not just Christmas. May your light shine brightly this holiday season. Pass it on.