Summertime Reflection

In a recent gathering of the women’s group ‘Sisters of Diversity’ we took time to contemplate our childhood memories of summer. For most of us, it was a gathering in of the freedom of unstructured time, of the smells of earth as we worked in the fields, a time of being with elderly Grandparents or Aunts and Uncles. There were moments of extraordinary freedom in ‘riding fast on my green bike’. And one of the women shared the freedom of living in a small country town only to have that changed when the family moved into the city and ‘a curriculum of work’ was initiated by her mother! For most of the women, the sharing brought smiles, nodding of heads in agreement and delightful laughter.

What happens to those child experiences? So much of who we are as children is the spark of Divinity within us. We may not be able to do things as we did years ago, but something of how we lived is truly part of God who indwells us.

An invitation was extended for each of us to claim something of our youth and let it become a ‘summer practice’ this year. Suggestions of ‘reading a book during the day without feeling guilty’, ‘sitting in the back yard under a star-filled sky with my dog’, ‘finding time and space for solitude while on ‘vacation’ with family and ‘riding my bicycle’ filled the circle with hope. And there were many others suggestions as people got in touch with their essence. When all the suggestions and commitments were finished, each woman partnered with one another to hold each one in prayer during the coming month.

And so, we invite you to be part of our ‘summer reflection’. Think of yourself as a younger person. What was the gift of your summers in those years? How can you live that in 2010? As a community, we pledge our prayerful support of you this month. May the child within you lead you to your original blessing!