My world is both contracted and expanded today - contracted due to pain, and expanded due to God's ability to widen even the view from my window.
I missed chapel this morning due to pain that made the prospect of the short walk to the chapel seem eight miles long. Instead, I fully opened the window blinds and curled up in the glider for morning prayers. As I finished my prayers, I was startled by movement outside my window, and looked up to see four magnificent wild turkeys right outside my window. They were amazing! They hopped up onto the railing at the footbridge, and spend several minutes preening and stretching in the sunshine. Then they hopped down and headed across the field.
In native and popular folk medicine, turkeys are seen as messengers who bring four truths into awareness:
- The importance of the sacrifice of self for a higher purpose/greater good
- Understanding of the gift of giveaway
- Invitation to honor the Earth Mother
- Messenger of harvest bounties
Which message if for me? In time, I will know.
Dragonflies have kept me company all afternoon as I prepare for the arrival of the retreatants. This is the first spiritual retreat I have led since coming to Idaho (it has been a long time...). I opened it to our UCC Conference and Association, but only two churches expressed interest (and one is the church I serve). But I feel hopeful, as together we will take come time to deepen our awareness of God's love.
I love leading retreats - I do the prep work and facilitate the sessions, but then I step back and let the real Director of the Retreat engage in transforming work with each retreatant. God never disappoints....
Dancing with the dragonflies,
Kim
I am so sad that I will not be at the retreat. My spirit has been pulling me there but your words reminded me that perhaps my "retreat" is only one of falling back from "me" driven endeavors to just being the day/night watchman over the preciousness of my daughter who I was given, like a precious irreplaceable jewel. I pray to remember there will be a day for "me" driven endeavors. As for turkeys, I told you of the year that I received 3 frozen turkeys from various sources. One was redonated, one was cooked and separated from the bone and frozen for the hard times that sneak up on us when we forget how close we are to poverty. The other cooked and unashamedly enjoyed for the season. Perhaps the turkeys came to me as the lesson the 4 truths two years ago and perhaps your post has brought me back to slowly remember those 4 truths. Thank you for that. Dragonflies scare me and I immediately duck and cover... nothing inspirational about my thoughts about dragonflies, however, I am pleased you dance with them. It must be so much more easy on the eyes than my ducking and weaving with arms covering my head as if they were going to kill me. Love nina, I will miss retreat although I never have been to one. Perhaps its the same longing I feel for heaven.
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