Your Personal
Saints
“You have traveled
too fast over false ground.
Now your soul has
come to take you back.
Take refuge in
your senses, open up
To all the small
miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to
watch the way of rain
When it falls slow
and free.
Imitate the habits
of twilight
Taking time to
imitate the well of color
That fostered the
brightness of day.
Draw alongside the
silence of stone
Until its calmness
can claim you.”
John O’Donohue
My friend, Sharon, took this photograph
at the Gulf coast a few weeks ago. For most of the week she and Harry were
there the sunrises and sunsets were spectacular. Examples of the small miracles
that we rush through each day. When was the last time you sat still long enough
to watch the sun rise and the sky change from black to pink to red and then
disperse? Me, too. It’s been a while.
We are in a season of change when the
light is golden, the earth is slowly rotating toward the southern hemisphere,
and the leaves are changing from green to orange and red and yellow. It would
be a shame to miss that simply because you have to fight traffic this Monday morning.
We assume that there will always be another opportunity. Hopefully, there will
be.
Today, Nov. 1st is All
Saints Day, when the Catholic Church recognizes the saints and their gifts to
humanity. But it’s also a day to consider your own saints. Who has made a
positive difference in your life? Who taught you how to live, how to cope with
disappointment, how to express joy? Who blessed you and supported you and
helped you to discover your own special gifts? Who told you, “You can do this!
I have confidence in you?” Who loves you even when you screw up and make mistakes?
Those are the people to honor today—your saints.
Today, take time to think
about your personal saints and thank them. The ones who challenged
you were your teachers. The ones who nurtured you gave you the strength to
accept those challenges and learn from them. All of them helped to shape who you
are today.
Draw close to the saints and let them
bless you. And be on the lookout for small miracles. They are all around you.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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