Dear ones of St. C's,

As I do every year, I have been resisting the coming of fall.  The coming of the rain, the cold, and the dark. But then the other morning, as I woke to the sound of rain and then later saw my daughter excitedly running outside to jump in puddles, I found the excitement of fall rising in my stomach.   It got me thinking about how as humans we both resist change and crave it.  And how our lives are about creating room for both change and stability. 

As the seasons change I was wondering - how do you resist needed or inevitable change in your own life?  Where do go to rest in unchanging things? I know that I rest in the loving presence of God, my daily cup of tea, and our weekly liturgy.  These are my grounding rituals that gently remind me of who I am and how I am called to live.  What are your grounding rituals?  And how do you make space and allow yourself to be excited for change?  Is it in the pumpkin you buy every fall?  Or the buying of wood for that first fire?  During this changing season let's notice how we feel about change and be intentional about how we ground ourselves and open ourselves up in order to make space for something new.

As Alissa mentioned the Way of Love last week in her “from the Vicar”, I also wanted to think about how the Way of Love could help to ground us individually and as a community.  In the Way of Love there are seven different Christian practices that we are encouraged to integrate into our lives.  These practices are causing me to reflect on the different seasons and all the change in our lives and wonder what turning, learning, praying, worshiping, blessing, going, and resting could look like.  I am hopeful that by focusing on this Way of Love we could learn together how to be both grounded and open to change and growth.