Sundays offer a tradition of a day set aside for spiritual gratitude, renewal and even repair. As more areas of the country loosen Covid-19 restrictions, we have the opportunity to explore new possibilities for our lives as we balance an ongoing risk with the need to move forward in our lives. I find myself ready to tackle many tasks that were necessarily set aside during the peak months of the Pandemic and seek inner guidance for the best use of this time. As a part of my own re-entry contemplation, I'll continue to post, but for right now, only on Sundays. And I will post the schedule for the next Zoom service here as well. If you would like to be on our e-invitation list for e-mail notification of Zoom services, email the request to: hillsideew@aol.com
Whether Covid-19 will continue to fade or whether it will surge again as it continues to mutate in areas that are resistant to vaccinations, is not clear. But now, it is summer and there is new freedom. Gratitude, renewal and repair seem the order of the day. In that process, as old as mankind, we automatically begin to spin a vision for our future. Let it be filled with Light, Love and Laughter. Below is a passage by Aelred of Rievaulx: England. c. 1110-1167, from Sacred Poems and Prayers of Love, edited by Mary Ford-Grabowsky (1998)-- a reminder of the ageless Divine power of renewal. (Susan Nettleton)
"Just as day declines to evening, so often after some little pleasure my heart declines into depression. Everything seems dull, every action feels like a burden. If anyone speaks, I scarcely listen. If anyone knocks, I scarcely hear. My heart is as hard as flint. Then I go out into the field to meditate, to read the holy Scriptures, and I write down my deepest thoughts as though in a letter to You. And suddenly your grace, O Lord, shatters the darkness with daylight, lifts the burden, relieves the tension. Soon tears follow sighs, and heavenly joy floods over me again."