There is always a danger in romanticising nature...yes, the Mourning Doves are very mellow and share - yes they have a soothing call. But a quick look around the backyard this morning reminded me that whenever there is a hawk strike, a pile of Mourning Dove feathers is soon to follow. The red-winged jazz band always gets away - ditto for everyone except the doves. Mellow and laid back may not have as many survival advantages as we were led to believe...
...and yes, I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting to "down-time." My brain is ready to keep going; my body, however, is very grateful for the rest, and for the chance to slow down to the speed of sound. I am starting to unwind, and am thankful for some time to just be, and not have to "tough it out or power through."
As I settle into this time of rest and solitude, I find myself reflecting on these words by Henri J.M Nouwen. May you find them helpful as you continue your Lenten Journey:
"Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant (turn stones into loaves), to be spectacular (throw yourself down), and to be powerful (I will give you all these kingdoms). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity (You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone). Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter - the struggle against the compulsions of the false self and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self." - Henri J.M Nouwen, Show Me the Way, p 103.
May God bless us as we continue this journey -
Kim
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