Dear One's of St. C's, 

I have heard it said that humans resist change and adaptation (1).  And I see it all the time in our world and in myself.  But what I find so interesting is how good we are at changing and adapting.  For example, when my kids outgrow something like, a high chair, how it quickly adapts to become something else.  All of a sudden it is more counter space or the place where the kids leave their snacks.  And then one day I notice it, realize we’ve outgrown it, and how much space it is taking up and how really do not need it any more.  I then find someone else who can use it and I adapt again.

We are adaptable and we can change.  If we didn’t know this before we all know it now.  We have all had to adapt our lives during this time of a global pandemic.  It may not be comfortable, but we can do it.  There are so many crucial life lessons to remember during this time of disruption.  My hope is that one of these life lessons can be that we can adapt and change for the good of the world.  

God has called us to be a new people of light and love to the world.  The story of Jesus is one that invites us to a new identity as God’s beloved, acknowledging all humans as bearers of God’s image.   This is a God that calls us away from the way the world desires to form us.  This means we must be constantly adapting to God’s way and remain open to how God is calling us to change and adapt.

As I do every year, I have been resisting the coming of fall. This is my gentle reminder of this initial desire to resist change.  But then I was on a walk yesterday and the weather was crisp and I walked under a tree with beautiful fall leaves and I couldn’t help to notice the excitement of fall rising in my stomach. As much as we resist change, we also crave it.

As the seasons change I was wondering - how do you resist needed or inevitable change in your own life and in the world?  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 necessary 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, open ourselves up and make space for something new.

With care, 

Meghan

1. Podcast: Writing Feminist Life Together host by Kimberly B George