Soul Invitations
Photo by Susan Izard
Dear Soul Friends,
Mornings are my soul time. I like to wake early for prayer and meditation before taking a cup of coffee to my office for a time of reflective reading and writing. The birds have been waking me before five with their summer symphony, inviting me to participate in their joy. They know the day will get busy. Their song calls me to rise and soak in the gentle stirrings of a new day.
Today, my husband and I ventured out for our early morning walk, crossing the street to a national park trail. The trail meanders through farmland, a small stand of forest, and a delightful boardwalk weaving through wetlands. Signs along the way point out historic sites and information about the resilient forest project underway. Our little dachshund, Ollie, who normally drags behind us, bounded ahead, barking at passing dogs and a deer grazing in tall wetland grass. The wide dirt trail, damp with early morning mist, gave him a wondrous new world to explore. At one turn in the path, sunlight illuminated a large, majestic barn proudly watching over its non-profit, no-till regenerative farmland that provides one hundred percent of its harvest to those experiencing food insecurity. The story of the farm and the early morning beauty of the sunlight shining on the barn made my soul sing. It reminded me of a favorite stanza from John O'Donohue’s blessing, A Morning Offering,
All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day.
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.
To be open to the possibilities of seeing the bright illuminations of our world is a soul invitation. Health concerns, financial worries, world events, work schedules, and any number of other issues can keep us from soul seeing. But it is worth stopping each morning, or at some point in our day, to give thanks and ask that we might see the gift of the day. When we invite the Holy into soul space and ask to see the glory of the gift of life, we are often blessed by insight even when we are busy.
The other day, after hours of unpacking and organizing I was so exhausted I forgot to notice soul illuminations. Gathering my last bit of strength, I climbed the stairs to my new office to sort through boxes of books in hopes of finding children’s books for my grandchildren who were coming to visit. It had been a rainy day but as I entered the room, the golden, pink glow of the setting sun broke through the clouds and a glorious rainbow stretched out of the sky down to the cattails off in the distance gifting the land with radiant beauty.
The books could wait. It was time to be still and give thanks for the day.
As you journey through your week, may you be blessed by moments of quiet illumination. May the still small voice within invite you to unity and calm and may you know that you are encircled and surrounded by glory.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
