Dear Spiritual Family,
Thank you! Even as the words, “spiritual family” find their way onto the page, I am struck by the beauty and power of this salutation. You are so dear to Mary and me. We are blessed to know you and humbled to be a part of your life.
Happy New Year! The phrase will no doubt be offered many times over the next number of days. It’s reasonable to ask, how do I make this year “happy” or at the least, “happier” than the year that’s gone by? Many resolutions are being made as we all know – healthier eating, more exercise, better sticking to our budgets, some fences, literal and figurative, mended, less yelling at “bad” drivers, more quality time with family and friends.
What are some of your desires for 2023? When the year is winding to a close what will give you a deeper sense of satisfaction? I (Rev. Steve) will share a couple of mine with you: “to be more mindful in this new year, to live more consistently from my heart, and to read and write more.” There are far too many empty pages in my journals that are begging to be filled with words that reflect a more mindful heart.
In just a few days, I will celebrate seventy-five years in this incarnation. As I reflect on my life, I am struck by how God has blessed me repeatedly and am simultaneously aware of how vital it is to be present to these blessings. This leads to another desire for the new year: “to more consistently be attentive to the present moment.”
Jon Kabat Zinn in his classic work Wherever You Go There You Are reminds us, “to allow ourselves to be truly in touch with where we already are, we have got to pause in our experience long enough to let the present moment sink in, long enough to actually feel the present moment, to see it in its fullness, to hold it in awareness and thereby come to know and understand it better.”
If Christmas in mystical Christianity is about re-discovering the indwelling Christ, then being present to that Essence at the center of our being, is the way to let It live through us.
We look forward to being in this new year with you, precious family. Please know that we love and support you just as You are – the Beloved of God and a radiant Light that blesses and heals.
Rev. Steve and Mary
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