Today’s camp day was Spring, and midweek is always a great time for reflection, so below you will see a morning devotion and then an evening journaling exercise.
Wednesday Morning Shalom: Spring
Intention for the Day:
“a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,”
“Je čas rodit se a čas umírat, čas sázet a čas sadbu vytrhat,
čas zabíjet a čas uzdravovat, čas bořit a čas budovat,”
Ecclesiastes 3:2-3 (Kazatel 3:2-3)
Quotes: “What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.”
― Suzanne Collins, from Mockingjay
Moment of Stillness: Take 5 breaths at your own pace.
Breathing exercise for energy: Breathe in for 2 counts, out for 2 counts, in for 2 counts, out for 3 counts, in for 2 counts, out for 4 counts. Continue to increase the out breath each time until you get to 7 or 8.
Each season is filled with color. Fall displays visions of yellow, brown, red, and orange. Winter gives us blankets of white, bare brown trees, and evergreens. Summer features a green of growth, and Spring offers us a whole rainbow of colors. Every season has beauty, but Spring reminds us how easy it is to find beauty in an old tree blooming once more or a new plant offering its first flower. Every spring, we see the world beginning again, and we are reminded that we, too, are made to regenerate. Our skin shows the marks of our injuries, and the scars show evidence to our ability to heal. Every moment our skin is shedding cells and generating new ones. Under our skin, our blood cells, muscles, and organs are all regenerating, filled with life, even as skin cells are shed, hair falls out and eye lashes disappear. Some seasons of our lives make it easier to see our beauty, but in every season, we have something to add to the beauty of the world, and the world has something to offer us.
Challenge and Blessing:
Find time to pause and witness the beauty around you. May you discover the unique gifts you have to share with the world and find opportunities to value the contributions of your neighbors.
Wednesday Evening Shalom: Water
Quote: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”
― Augustine of Hippo
Moment of Relaxation: Take 5 breaths at your own pace.
Body scan: Feel your feet on the floor, notice your legs on your chair, enjoy the cool or warm air on your arms and face, imagine someone pulling a thread on the top of your head which straightens your back all the way down your spine.
Reflection: You have already done the first step of the monastic practice of daily examen. This is not a “test”-like exam, but a process of contemplation to integrate and make sense of the experiences you had today. This is your “practice examen” and you can use this pattern to incorporate this into your daily prayer or journaling routine.
Saint Augustine’s Daily Examen at Evening
Breathe and rest in the stillness.
Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day and give thanks.
Notice what feelings come to the surface. Select one feeling and write, draw or pray about it.
Ask God to prepare tomorrow with hope.
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