These last couple of weeks I have found myself drawn back to a book that has occupied space in my library for a few years now. It is called “Returning to the Healing Oasis. Guided meditations for body mind and Spirit” by Sharon Moon.
Where Shall I Look for Enlightenment?
Part of my Lenten journey has been to intentionally take the time to spend in meditation and reflection. In one of the chapters, Sharon shares this story about an elder and a disciple:
Where shall I look for enlightenment? The disciple asked
“Here” the Elder said
“ When will it happen?” the disciple asked
“It is happening right now” the Elder answered
“Then why don’t I experience it?” the disciple persisted
“ Because you do not look” the Elder said
“But what should I look for?” the disciple continued
“ Nothing. Just look” the Elder said
“”But at what?’ the disciple asked again
“ At anything your eyes alight upon” the Elder answered
“” But must I look in a special kind of way?” the disciple went on
“No. The ordinary way will do” the Elder said
“But don’t I always look the ordinary way?” the disciple said
“ No, you don’t” the Elder said
“ But why ever not?” the disciple asked
“Because to look you must be here. You’re mostly somewhere else? The Elder said
As I read these words I began to think about how much time we spend thinking about tomorrow, or next week, or next year and how little time we spend celebrating and enjoying and living in the present. When it is summer we look to the fall, when its winter we long for Spring and in Spring we dream of hot summer days. Our days are most often filled to the brim and we are busy chasing schedules or making plans for the next event or meeting. At least that is, if I am honest, how I spend a lot of my time.
What Have I Missed?
Then I began to think about what it is that I have missed because I am not fully here. Today was such a beautiful day! In conversations though at the beginning of it people began to talk about the impending weather that we are being promised for the weekend. I found myself saying, yeah but that is three days away and isn’t today wonderful! Then I made a conscious decision to try and spend more time in the here and now.
As I drove to Halifax, instead of day dreaming or thinking about the sermon for Sunday I tried to look at my surroundings. I noticed how the landscape changed as I drove from fog into Sun and back into fog again. I noticed how, despite the look of winter, Spring is indeed sprouting! Snow banks are a little lower; the highway is clear; you can see the birds and feel the warmth of the Sun!
What I discovered is that there is so much in the here!! I felt the presence of the Sacred as we gathered with colleagues and friends from long ago to celebrate the life of one whose journey is closely tied to ours. Conversations afterward were about how things are going now. Where are we finding ourselves in our ministries? They were about sharing stories of our friend and feeling his presence with us in the here. One friend of ours is now retired and my husband asked him “ So how are you enjoying retirement?” His response “ Not what it is cracked up to be! Celebrate your ministry now!”
And so, as I sit at my desk and get ready to head into worship I celebrate and give thanks for the present. Perhaps, if I stay in the here I will find enlightenment!
Blessings
Valerie
© 2015 Rev. Valerie Peyton Kingsbury. All rights reserved.