This is my midair time, my time to soar between the stability I’m leaving behind and the unfamiliar landscape of Seminary and the adventures in ministry to come. Midair I soar and at times I look at the ground beneath me as it shifts picking out bright colors and exciting new patterns– sometimes I look with the eyes of faith and blessings and excitement. Sometimes I look with wide eyed panic wondering if I have completely lost my mind this time.
I am looking forward to the next month as I take time to heal, to rest, to connect, and to recenter. I will be going to sacred ground, well, sand. For years, most of my life really, I’ve gone to these beaches to find God, to find healing, to find myself. Heartbreak, discouragement, hope, fear, joy, have all been brought to the water. I have let the salt of my tears be washed away by the waves’ gentle lapping diving into the source of life. I have kicked at the waves, I have taken swings at evasive fish working out my anger at life, cushioned and rocked by the arms of my loving mother, rocking away the rage, rocking away the fear. I have floated peacefully embracing sun and wind, one with the world, one with my God. I have celebrated milestones. I have shared love and laughter, hours of stories, read great books, dreamed powerful dreams. My heart sings with the murmur of the swaying palms. I am whole.
There are so many places to find God. The comforting ritual of a mass. The lighting of a candle. The push glide rhythm of a skateboard. Sharing a beer with a loved one over a campfire. A hike. A powerful song. So many opportunities for divine encounters. The sweetness of a strawberry. The burst of color in the first blooms of spring. Laughter shared with a friend. A slow dance. The brush of angel’s wings.
As my physical, financial, social, spiritual landscape changes, I am looking forward to discovering new ways of meeting God and new ways of sharing God. But first “I’m gonna lay down my sword and shield, down by the OCEANside…”
