Summer Spirituality

Of all the seasons, summer is the most nurturing to my spirit. I love summer because it has a naturalness and a recklessness that invites us to “get barefoot” and to “reduce the barriers” between us and all the other life forms. We open windows and doors, sit and sleep outside, peel off layers of clothing, swim in cool waters, eat corn and watermelon, and feel the sun and rain directly on our faces. Summer welcomes us to re-connect with life in all its holiness and simplicity.

When I think of the warm weather and its effect on my spirituality, I always think of the ocean. I have no obvious connection to the ocean. I am not descended from a family of seafarers. In fact, I’m not even that great of a swimmer. But I always look forward to getting to a beach and staring at the ocean for long periods of time, without talking. I can think deep thoughts or none at all. The warmth of the sun, the sound of the surf and the smell of the saltwater allow me to know that all is well in my world. (You know my saying..."saltwater cures everything...whether it is tears, sweat, or the ocean...saltwater cures everything!)

If spring is metaphorically the time of re-birth, then summer must be the time of re-adolescence...that innocent, pure, and carefree time of life when everything is possible. Summer IS a spiritual experience. Enjoy it!

I’m holding the high watch!
Rev. Donna

Easter Thoughts

A little girl is washing dishes with her grandmother. The girl is washing a bowl that has been in the family for many, many years. It slips from her hands and breaks on the floor. The grandmother, without batting an eye, gets the broom and dust pan and sweeps the broken shards into the trash. She smiles to her trembling grandchild and says, “The bowl was already broken.”

Contemplating this Zen coan led me to thoughts of life, death, immortality...even risk-taking and failure...topics that seem appropriate during the Easter season.

When I was a young person the fear of death was not something I gave much thought to. Youth seems to carry with it a sense of immortality and with that, a belief that we can do anything. As we grow older the fears of death and failure become more real and both seem much nearer. The risks we took when we were younger now seem crazy. Would I do some of those things today that held no terror for me in my youth? Beyond the fact that I probably couldn’t do most of them today, the answer is no!

Our attachment to the future causes us to suffer in the present. When we are consumed with the fear of death, whether it is our death, the death of a loved one, or the death of any of our “stuff”, our focus is almost entirely on the future. As a result of all this future attachment, our lives are filled with a great deal of anxiety and a lack of joy. We can’t fully live in the now moment. We need to develop the Zen attitude that the bowl is already broken in order to fully live today and not focus on tomorrow.

Someone once said, “Life is a terminal disease because no one gets out alive!” Actually, we all get out alive. We don’t experience death, only transformation. The soul we are did not begin nor does it end when we give up this spacesuit we slipped into upon entering the human experience. This was always meant to be just a visit--we were never intended to be permanent residents here.

Rather than obsessing about your eventual demise, or the demise of your loved ones or your “stuff”, spend some energy on this holy instant. You don’t have to wait for death to have a spiritual experience -- you are a spiritual experience! Put your attention on the NOW. Let tomorrow take care of itself.

I'm holding the high watch!
Rev. Donna