A Pebble Resting in the River (Part 1)
Vickie McArthur of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Suppose someone is holding a pebble and throws it in the air and the pebble begins to fall down into a river. After the pebble touches the surface of the water, it allows itself to sink slowly into the river. It will reach the bed of the river without any effort. Once the pebble is at the bottom of the river, it continues to rest. It allows the water to pass by. -Thich Nhat Hanh
We all carry within ourselves the seed of healing. We can choose to slow down and listen to our own innate wisdom, or be carried away by our own busyness, distracted by all the outer voices clamoring for our attention. Sadly, we tend to place responsibility for our own wellbeing and healing in the hands of others: our doctors, our therapists, our priests or teachers, our pills and medications. While it’s important to have a network of healthcare workers and healers, we often forget to listen to the most important voice of all, the knowing of our own intuitive heart. It’s time to reclaim that “knowing,” and trust in the “voice” that speaks to us out of the stillness of our own heart.
A Day of Nurturing Spirit is a beautiful gift to yourself. At Plum Village Monasteries (the Buddhist tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh), once a week there is a “lazy day,” a day for letting go of the usual monastic schedule, to simply breathe and rest and be. Like a pebble dropped into the river, you simply allow yourself to drop slowly through the layers of busyness, finally coming to rest at the bottom of the river. Other traditions might call this a Sabbath day, a day for letting go of all our usual responsibilities and preoccupations, taking time to listen to the deep “soul whispers” that we often ignore when we are too busy and distracted to notice.
When we dedicate a whole day to our own healing and wellness, we create a nourishing and comfortable environment where we can relax and renew our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. As we create a sincere desire to open ourselves to the highest healing for both ourselves and our planet, we open to a source of energy and love that can finally flow into us unimpeded by our usual thoughts and beliefs.
A Day of Nurturing Spirit addresses the vital needs of our deeper self through allowing ourselves the space to simply be. We let go of our to-do lists, our worry lists, our devices, our need to be constantly on the move and in the know. Like the pebble dropped in the river, we allow ourselves to fall and be held without any effort.
Prayer Phrase
My ordinary life is a sacred place.
Spiritual Practice
Sacramental Living
“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5
How are you invited to live sacramentally today?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
