11/01/2020
Dear Friends,
As we enter into November, we have so much ahead of us in the near future. I write this letter to you just before the presidential election and although we do not yet know the results of this election, we can be sure that this has been a year which has challenged the world more than ever. We are all in need of healing-spiritually, emotionally, financially, socially and physically. My prayer is that at the other side of enduring the hardship of this season in our lives and history, it will have made us kinder, gentler, more compassionate individuals.
We must do our part in caring for ourselves and our neighbors by voting, being kind to all, more tolerant of differences, listening well and praying for the best possible outcome in all situations. Are you a person of prayer? If so, the harvest is plenty!
We have all been through so much in 2020! If you are like me, it is taking a toll. Please consider the well-being of the collective whole and wear your mask to protect yourself and others. Care for yourself by being cautious and steadfast in prayer, knowing that we are not out of the woods with this pandemic. Not a single one of us are immune from this potentially deadly virus, making us ALL vulnerable. As we care for ourselves, we care for others by doing all that we can to stay healthy and safe. As we watch the news or read headlines, it presents each of us with the ongoing trauma of lives lost. This may make you feel afraid or powerless, but together, we can respond to those feelings by nurturing a love for others and a social responsibility toward the world around us. As we assume this responsibility, we will feel an increased sense of the things which we CAN control. All of this being said with love, compassion and a deep sense of concern for the welfare of the collective whole. One life lost is too many. Set an example to everyone so that we can all share a future together. There are so many happy memories yet to be experienced!
November is a time to look back and give thanks for the good, lovely, pure, true and honest blessings in our lives. As I look back on the year, I remember all of the plans that I had, books I wanted to read, books I wanted to write, concerts, plays and other venues I had hoped to attend. I think about my senior parents, living out their final season of life and all of the plans that I had made to spend time with them to make up for years that I had lost. I thought I could fit it all in…and looking back on these notions, I understand now that I am just one person–one woman with one life–doing my best. We miss so much when we speed through our days trying to make up for things we didn’t do. The reality is, I am chronically ill and I have more bad days physically than good days. I do what I can. We all do what we can.
This pandemic helped me to see that it’s okay to go slow and steady. I have learned to be a better listener as I adjust to new ways of seeing and hearing my loved ones who are far away through technology. I have spent much more time in prayer, meditation and grounding myself in the healing words of Jesus. I allowed myself to rest on sick days and soaked up vitamin D by reading books in an old adirondack chair in the garden. I disconnected from social media and learned that life is beautiful without the noise of thousands of other people and the life negating, time wasting habit of scrolling. I enjoyed quiet afternoons on the front porch with my daughter, sampled various herbal teas and picked flowers from the garden. I fully lived. Present. Breathing quiet gratitude for such a magnificent life. Perhaps these are the lessons that were preordained from this season. God chose them for me.
I wrote a workbook, “Finding Your Path to Faith, Hope & Healing” during the midst of the pandemic and quarantine. It was a project that I had started and one thing after another kept me from finishing. Sometimes, we face resistance to the things we need the most or those things which are closest to our hearts. In doing so, there were many afternoons where I was comforted by the prayers or scripture that I was infusing into the workbook. Good things are often uprooted out of the recesses of our hearts; the pulling, tugging and unsettling of the roots can be painful.
As we slowly turn the page toward 2021 and new beginnings, what lessons have you learned in 2020? What are you thankful for? I urge you to think upon these things and journal about them. You will find that although you may have faced difficulty in 2020, there were also many blessing born. The practice of writing those things for which you feel grateful is grounding as you imagine a better tomorrow.
The workbook is available through pre-order and will ship sometime in November. I am just getting the proof copies back…so not too long! I know that some of you have been waiting a really long time for this. Thank you for being my cheerleaders. I love you all so much. I will link it here for you, if you want to go through checkout and get on the mailing list before Christmas.
Remember friends, we still have so much to celebrate and so much to learn! Slow and steady wins the race! Onward! As always, you are always on my mind, my heart and in my prayers. I urge you to take inventory of the things that bring you joy and usher in a spirit of gratitude. Think ahead about how you desire to spend your days this winter and make plans. Evaluate your learning library and if you don’t have one, establish a place in your home to gather books and materials that will enrich your mind and feed your heart and soul.
In Love and Gratitude,
Mary
ggh