President’s Note
Today
by Mary Oliver
Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word.
I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.
The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.
But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.
Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.
I really like this poem. It speaks (or not speaks!) to what one of my experiences in Kyiv, Ukraine has been: silence. Because I don’t speak Russian/Ukrainian well, I find myself being very silent during the day. My children and husband are off at school/work, and I’m home with the dog and cat. I don’t have many people to casually talk to!
So, when I find myself out with people I can speak with or having long conversations with family & friends, I get a very sore throat from talking! It’s happened several times! I wonder each time, when I’ll learn to either listen more, speak less, or to start training myself to use my voice more on days when I’m alone.
I also find myself enjoying the quiet. And although it’s somewhat isolating, it’s giving me time to think. Time to reflect and wonder. Time to wander through what it is that feeds me. And I’m still thinking, reflecting, wondering and wandering.
How do you find your stillness and quiet? How do you reflect and wonder about your world?
I hope you will join us to do some of this self care work and reflection at our Conference in Milwaukee in May. It’s such an important time to make sure you’re feeding your soul, so you can take good care of the stories and experiences of your congregants and help them find their place.
There’s lots happening in 2019, so read the newsletter and stay in touch!
In faith,
Corie
wahlcori@gmail.com
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