As you receive this message, I am away in Buffalo, NY, spending time with beloved friends and family for the holidays. I can’t speak to the current weather conditions in either New York or Minnesota, since I penned this text last week! Then, the weather was chilly but not cold, the skies uniformly light gray, and the wind brisk. And outside my window, flying through the branches of the only apparently barren tree, were six or seven fat birds. Could they be robins? They seemed so sturdy, so lasting, so bound and determined to make their way in the cold and the wind. They gave me pause—How might I be sturdier, in the face of what buffets my spirit? How might I be more resilient when I am disappointed? How might I be more patient when it seems that the sun and blue sky has disappeared for too long?

Catholics talk of a time in the third and fourth centuries when people would go to the desert and seek out monk-like hermits for guidance and wisdom. This tradition is referred to as “seeking a word.” These wise desert mothers and fathers would offer people a word or a phrase to ponder for weeks, years, and even a lifetime. The idea behind this practice was that a simple word—when reflected upon with discipline—has the power to create possibilities in us and in the world. These words weren’t instructions as much as invitations to open oneself in new ways. They are about deepening and unfolding, rather than fixing and improving.

So, in this week betwixt Christmas and the New Year, let’s lean into the work of unfolding, rather than fixing. Forget about making a list of resolutions to improve yourself. Instead try out this ancient practice of picking a word that will help keep you open to new possibilities throughout the year.

Here’s a link to inspire and guide you along the way: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/schmich/ct-met-personal-word-of-the-year-mary-schmich-20180109-story.html

I believe my word will be “pause”—stop, reflect, listen to what is speaking inside me as well as to what others are speaking around me. Pause to observe how fragility is often strength, how puffery is often protection, how “getting by” is also joyous.

I pray you find a word to guide you into the New Year, a word to orient you as your life unfolds in ways both predictable and surprising. I pray this for you, each and every one, as you remember you are loved, you are worthy, you are welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so, today and every day.

See you in the New Year!

Blessings and best wishes, Rev. Rita