Let God Love You

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Esther Hizsa

“You can always come home to God, and God can always be found wherever you are, right at the centre of your soul.” I heard Danielle Shroyer say in this podcast while I was making dinner one evening. “The purpose of religion is to rediscover our wholeness. The Bible says, ‘We have come to know and trust the love God has for us.’ That’s the heart of our wholeness. So I want us to take a moment to receive it.

“Take a deep breath. Let your eyes close and, just for a few moments, do one simple thing: Let… God… love you,” Danielle said.

“Yes. Just let me love you,” I heard God echo Danielle’s words in my heart. “I’m right here with you.”

I’d been feeling unsettled for days, and God knew it. The constant rain, the long to-do list with deadlines inching closer, and the recurring sense that something was wrong were dragging me down.

For days, I was stuck in a loop. I kept trying to figure out what would make me happier. Then I’d remind myself that I don’t need anything to make me happy. But then I still wasn’t happy and began the cycle all over again.

I continued to chop vegetables, listen to the podcast and think about letting God love me. I remembered that my first spiritual director invited me to “pray in the cracks” –to pause in my day to let God love me. 

I remembered hearing that feelings are like waves in the ocean. I’m not the waves; I’m in the ocean of God. Waves come and go. What if I don’t need to still the waves to find peace?

The next morning, I woke to the familiar waves of dissatisfaction. I made coffee and sat in the silence with God and God’s invitation. With each in-breath, I imagined God saying, “I love you,” and with the out-breath, I responded, “I love you too.” I waited in the silence and allowed myself to sink below the waves and into the core of my being, into the reality of my oneness with God. After a while, I felt myself relax there.

As I ended my time of prayer, I let go of the desire for the waves to be still and for joy to return. Instead, I set an intention to simply let God love me in that moment and the next, no matter what I was doing.

As I named this intention, I felt something soften in me. I sensed an affirmation from God that this was all I was being asked to do and it brought God great joy.

We have come to know and trust the love that God has for us.
–1 John 4:16 (CJB)

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

Recently, I’ve been introduced to a practice Fr. Thomas Keating taught called Guard of the Heart. It compliments both Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer. Centering Prayer invites us to be still in God and rest there, unhooked from our false self programs for happiness. Welcoming Prayer invites us to recognize and allow the feelings that arise that reveal the unhelpful programs that are active in our lives. Guard of the Heart helps us notice moments in our day when we have turned our attention away from God’s presence. We are encouraged to use a simple action to bring us back home to God and let God love us in that moment, no matter what we’re feeling, thinking or doing. For me, that simple action is taking a deep breath and listening inward for Jesus’ voice and hearing, “I’m right here.”

What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.

Credits and References:
“Birds on a Rainy Day” by Macomb Paynes. Used with permission.
“Hummingbird Warrior” by Macomb Paynes. Used with permission.
“Heart Angel” by Hamed Al-Raisi. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2023.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2023.  http://www.estherhizsa.com

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Arrows

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Esther Hizsa

“Have you had lunch yet?” I asked Fred, hoping he hadn’t eaten the leftover spaghetti.

“Yes. I ate the spaghetti,” he said. “It was good.”

Argh! Now I’d need to figure out something else to make for dinner. One more thing to do on top of all the extra work I’ve had to do because Fred’s been sick with a stomach bug.

Notice. I reminded myself, remembering the podcasts I’d listened to recently. Notice what you feel. Notice what you’re saying to yourself. 

I noticed how Fred’s action upset me and made my life more difficult. This awareness helped me move from being trapped inside my feelings and reactivity to observing them. I continued to observe and noticed how much I focused on myself. I noticed the “me” and “my” in my internal dialogue.

Another observation came into my periphery. Fred felt well enough to eat the spaghetti. That led me to consider what the last few days were like for him. Sure, I had to do some of the housework he was supposed to do before our next house exchange but that was more pleasant than being sick. I felt compassion for Fred and was grateful that he was eating again.

I noticed something else coming into my awareness. Judgment. I can be so selfish, so focused on my needs, so concerned with fairness, so petty, and so fixed in my ways… Ah yes. The second arrow.

The first arrow came when something I didn’t like happened to me. That arrow, Tara Brach says, is unavoidable. But we don’t have to accept the second arrow, the arrow of self-judgment. It isn’t helpful and doesn’t lead to transformation.

So I turned away from the critical narrative and offered myself compassion and curiosity. Of course, you felt disappointed. This is more than you hoped you would have to do. What were you hoping for?

I was hoping Fred would have fixed himself something else for lunch so I wouldn’t have to make dinner again. I already had food for myself. He just needed something he could eat. Then I realized I could just ask him if he could do that.

Of course, he could and did since he was feeling better.

But that isn’t the end of the story. I noticed more. I noticed that my view widened and compassion came as I stayed present with my initial reaction and offered myself compassion and curiosity. For so long, I’ve judged myself for reacting selfishly. But isn’t that the way we’re wired to survive? And isn’t it wonderful to discover that we don’t have to stay there?

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others,
you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
–Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

My blog post today was inspired by this podcast by Tara Brach The Wise Heart of Radical Acceptance. She talks about the arrows at 12:18. What I heard from Tara was echoed in a Hints of Gladness podcast called You’re Okay: Stop Trying to Fix Yourself. In this podcast, my friend Rod Janz interviews Don Joseph Goewey who just published a book he edited called Stop Fixing Yourself by Anthony de Mello. 

What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.

Credits and References:
“Arrows” by Hans Splinter. Used with permission. 
“Open Gate” by Tym. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2023.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2023.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Count Yourself In

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

The gull stood on a rock in the sea.
Ferry wash struck the rock
and drenched her.

She shifted her stance
but remained,
webbed feet on cold mount,
as another wave splashed over her,
then, another,
and another.

Why does she keep standing there?

The next moment, she
swam away
as if the waves
were skipping rope, Double Dutch,
and she
was counting herself in.

That’s how You spoke to me
as I drank my tea
safe and warm inside the cottage
cold and wet inside my heart.

Count yourself in, You said.
Swim.
Fly.
Waves come
and waves go.
Feel the rhythm.
Hear the rhyme:
Count yourself in.
Count yourself in.
Count yourself in.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
–Galatians 5:1

∗ ∗ ∗

A New Year’s Reflection

Take a few moments and be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

  • As you look back over the past year, what have been cold waves in your life?
  • Imagine God with you, feeling what you feel, understanding and compassionate. How does God want to console you?
  • As you look ahead to the new year, what feels overwhelming? From what would you like to flee? Share this with God.
  • Now with God as a firm rock under your feet, turn to face your life as it is.
  • What do you need from God to “count yourself in”?
Credits and References:
Seagulls “0139362”, “0075321” and “0075172” by Alan Harper. Used with permission.
Poem “Count Yourself In” by Esther Hizsa, 2022
.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Turn to Wonder

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

“I have wonderful news:
the Hoped-for-One,
the Birthing you’ve longed for
in the depths of your soul,
has come, oh yes, has come!”
— Joyce Rupp

Really?
I can’t see it happening.
I long to be birthed
into long stretches of unrattled moments,
moments of ease
and wholeness
untinged with disappointment.

Will Your coming
calm the sea of my life
free me from my paralyzing thoughts
satisfy my hunger?
This wafer is so small,
this wine, only a sip.

What do you hear in the depths of your soul, My love?
There is a deeper longing.
Listen.

Then I saw it
and felt you nod and smile.
The gift of Emmanuel–
God with us.

You are with me
in every passing moment
holding my hand
opening my eyes
to see in each rattling
the seed of a miracle.

What is being birthed
is the freedom to choose
to turn away
or turn to wonder.

When the going gets rough, turn to wonder.
–Parker J. Palmer, Circles of Trust

Credits and References:
“Angel and Shepherds” by Howard Stanbury. Detail from stained glass in the chancel window, St Mary, Adderbury NEX-3 and Minolta Rokkor 135mm f/2.8
Joyce Rupp quote from “Keeping Watch in the Night” in Out of the Ordinary
Poem “Turn to Wonder” by Esther Hizsa, 2022.
“Nativity Scene” by Berit Watkin. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Advent 4: Silence

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

As I began my four-day retreat last week, I became aware of how uncomfortable I was with the silence–especially in the evening when it was dark, and I couldn’t go for walk or gaze at the sea. I wanted something to occupy my mind so my mind didn’t occupy me with endless rabbit trails of thought or, worse still, unkind thoughts that won’t go away.

On the morning of the last day of my retreat, I prayed with the gospel narrative of the healing at the pool. Even though I entered into this miraculous story, I got caught by how it ended. Jesus told the man, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine Jesus saying this kindly.

I ruminated about it as I walked the hilly roads on Bowen Island and as I sipped tea and looked out at the ocean.

I know that when we pray with our imaginations, what unfolds doesn’t have to follow the gospel story. God meets us in our story. I also know that if we encounter a Jesus who is harsh, it’s likely a false image of him. I remembered, too, what Father Richard Soo said to those praying the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. He said, “When the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, I feel loved. If I feel condemned, that’s another voice, not God’s.”

I knew all this, and yet, I couldn’t shake the belief these words were meant for me–that God was tired of my neediness. It was the Bible, after all. And this was what the Bible was saying to me.

Finally, in the long dark evening, I told God, “I can’t stop sinning.” My eyes filled with tears.

Then, I said, “If these words are not for me, let me hear your words, your voice. Tell me what’s true.”

As I waited in the silence, a scene came to my mind from Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Woo Young Woo is a twenty-seven-year-old lawyer with autism. In the first episode, she meets Lee Jun-ho, who works in the law firm’s litigation department. He’s smitten with her. In Episode 11, Attorney Woo recognizes she has feelings for Jun-ho and keeps looking at him through the window in her office. And this is what happens.

As I recalled the scene, I sensed God reaching out to me and loving me just as I am. Tears flowed. I felt known and deeply loved. I soaked in that love for a good long time. The dark empty evening that had seemed so challenging now provided the spaciousness to enjoy this exquisite moment.

Silence was not a barrier that kept me from God but a window of encounter. And what a lovely encounter that was.

Silence is a window to the soul, and the soul is a window to God.  
—Fr. Christopher Jamison, Worth Abbey, UK 

∗ ∗ ∗

Advent 4 Reflection

Take a few moments to be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

  • What draws you or disturbs you as you wait in silence with God?
  • What thoughts, feelings and felt senses arise as you welcome or resist this awareness?
  • Imagine God listening and feeling what you feel. What do you sense God offering you in this moment?
  • As we wait in Advent for the coming of Christ, we sing, “O come, o come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lowly exile here until the Son of God appears.” May Christ find you in the exiled places of your life and bring you home to God’s heart.

Credits and References:
“Silence” by frank_hb. Used with permission. 
“Starry Sky Stock” by Parée. Used with permission. 
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Advent 3: Restless

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
–Luke 9:58 (NRSVUE)

I want to lay my head on the satisfaction
of believing that what I do
is a gift to others 
and gives glory to God. 

But reality whisks that pillowy thought away
when I’m rudely awakened by the truth
of how my helpful tendencies
are no help at all. 

Then, like Jacob on the run
after deceiving his father and lying to his brother,
I find myself outside the city gates,
resting my head on a rock.
Yet, that night You came in a dream–
angels ascending and descending on a stairway to heaven.
“Surely God was in this place, and I did not know it,” Jacob said.

When I lay my head on a pillow
it turns into a rock,
and that rock
becomes a pillow

until it changes again.

I’m both–
helpful and unhelpful
healer and wounder
disabled and gifted
human and divine

and in the tension
I find
my suffering and my salvation. 

 

You have made us for yourself, O Lord,
and our heart is restless until it rests in you.
— St. Augustine, Confessions

.∗ ∗ ∗

Advent 3 Reflection

Take a few moments and be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

  • What new awareness has awakened you to an unhelpful tendency in yourself that causes suffering in you or others?
  • What thoughts, feelings and felt senses arise as you welcome or resist this awareness?
  • Imagine God listening and feeling what you feel. What do you sense God offering you in this moment?
  • Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) As you open to Jesus’ invitation, how is God saving you?

Credits and References:
“The Restless Sea” by Kain Kalju. Used with permission.
Poem “Restless” by Esther Hizsa, 2022.
Jacob’s dream is in Genesis 28:10-16
“071020” (Baby) by Tamaki Sono. Used with permission.
Nativity” by Stephen Brent. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Advent 2: Trust

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

Life is a succession of dyings and risings. At the center of the Eucharist, we proclaim,
“Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.”
–Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, November 27, 2022

This morning I saw minuscule buds
on my Christmas Cactus.

Last year’s $5.99 Walmart purchase
has a long way to go
to replace the glorious plant
that got me through many winters.

Like you, perhaps, Advent makes me
keenly aware of what I used to have
and can’t get back–
the loss
a cold draft
that keeps finding its way in
no matter how often I close the door.

It’s getting darker
in the northern hemisphere
but on December 22
there’ll be a little more light,
on December 25
even more.

After death comes resurrection.

New buds.
Warm breath.
Light.

Can I trust the ancient rhythm?
Can I trust the Ancient One
Who came, is coming, will always come
even if I don’t know
how or when? 

I cannot tell you
how the light comes,
but that it does.
That it will.
That it works its way
into the deepest dark
that enfolds you …
—Jan Richardson, “How the Light Comes”

∗ ∗ ∗

Advent 2 Reflection

Take a few moments and be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

  • What have you lost?
  • What thoughts, feelings and felt senses arise as you welcome or resist this?
  • Imagine God listening and feeling what you feel. What do you sense God offering you in this moment?
  • Where have you noticed signs of resurrection?

Credits and References:
“Bud developing” by Steven Severinghaus. Used with permission.
“Candle 006” by Jonathan Assink. Used with permission. 
Poem “Trust “by Esther Hizsa, 2022.
 “The Glory of Dawn” by worldoflard. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Advent 1: Touch

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I waited for You at the door of words
but they were little more than
letters on a page
undecipherable

my feelings
far away.
Did I have any?

I fidgeted
distracted
powerless. 

Then, through the locked door,
You came.

“Touch my face,” You said

Lost feelings
found tears.

Fingers found
skin
cheek and chin.
Yours
and You leaned
–ever so slightly–
into my palm.

In Your face
my fingers found
my belovedness
and then they found
every face I longed to touch–
one gone
one far away
one forbidden
another entombed
and others
right here
in my everyday life.

I reached out
and touched them
all.

This gesture
so loving, so intimate
breaks the rules
undoes the hardest heart
exposes and meets us.
You can’t just touch people’s faces
like this.
It’s not allowed.

But it’s allowed here
in my prayer.

That wonderful wordless
touch
has the final say
on who we are.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
–John 1:14 (NSVCE)

∗ ∗ ∗

Advent 1 Reflection

Take a few moments and be with the words and images in today’s blog post.

  • What are you drawn to?
  • What thoughts, feelings and felt senses arise?
  • Imagine God listening and feeling what you feel. What do you sense God offering you in this moment?
  • What might be your Advent prayer?

Credits and References:
Sgt. Brian Prescott, of the New Hampshire National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, smiles as his nine-month-old son touches his face during a welcome home ceremony at the Manchester armoury on Dec. 20. Prescott, who had last seen his son when he was born, was among the first wave of 3rd Battalion soldiers to return to N.H. after completing a Middle East deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Photo by The National Guard.Used with permission
Poem “Touch “by Esther Hizsa, 2022.
“Touch” by Sarah Barker. Used with permission.
“And they found baby Jesus laying in a manger” by Percita. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Bloom

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I grew up in rural Ontario and attended Wellburn United Church which was part of a three-point charge. I remember the aisle I walked down on my wedding day, the pew where I received my first communion, and where the choir sat. At thirteen, my friend Edith and I were so proud to be the youngest choir members. I recall the back stairs leading down to the basement and the hall where bridal showers and church dinners were held.

In that hall, there was a big framed picture of Jesus—a classic with little children from around the world sitting near Jesus or on his lap. Next to it was a 99-cent poster with the image of a flower growing out of the ground and these words in bold letters: “Bloom Where You Are Planted. ”

Bloom where you are planted. This imperative from long ago invites me to embrace where I am, be who I am, and flourish. 

This is a challenge for me when I find myself discontented with where I find myself sometimes. How can I bloom here in this moment, in these circumstances? Yet, I don’t hear God asking me to shove my feelings aside and put on a happy face. I hear possibility. Even in this difficult place, there is joy.

Sometimes, when I was a teenager, I’d ride my bike to the church on a Saturday afternoon. I knew where the key was and let myself in. Alone in this sacred place, I shared my thoughts and feelings with God, I sang and listened to my voice fill the sanctuary. 

Now I know that sacred place is not only in my church, but it’s also inside me. At any moment, I can return there–not to escape reality but to see something wonderful in it.

I’ve been doing that lately, and I find myself feeling more settled, more joyful, and a little more like maybe I could bloom right where I am.

If my joy is contingent on circumstances that bring me happiness, my joy will go up and down, and up and down. But joy is a deeper thing. It does not have its source in circumstances that happen to me. It has its source and origin from something within me.
–Bishop Micahel Curry, in an interview at the Joy Summit.

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

Watching for the Light: Entering the Advent Story

Hippopx

This coming Advent season, how might we enter the story again, this age-old familiar story, and allow it to help us pay attention to our stories? How might we be watching for the Light in our ordinary everyday vulnerabilities, and how might we do that with one another?

Settling in with poetry and scripture and art, join spiritual directors Doug Schroeder and Deb Arndt as they host four evenings on the Advent journey. You only need bring yourself, your longings and your honesty and your beautiful, messy story. We’ll travel again through Advent, then and now. In this quiet contemplative space, let’s watch together for the Light.

DATES: Monday evenings November 28, December 5, 12, 19 on Zoom.

TIMES: 6:30-7:30 PST; 7:30-8:30 MST; 8:30-9:30 CST; 9:30-10:30 EST

LOCATION: via Zoom Register here.

COST: None (We welcome donations to SoulStream)

Through our God’s heart of mercy,
the Sunrise from on high will come upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet in the way of shalom.
—Luke 1:78-79 (TVL)

What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.

Credits and References:
Poster image from PublicDomainPictures.net
Impatiens growing out of a crack in sidewalk Art Anderson, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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Weather

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I looked out at the vast ocean and up at the big blue sky as Fred and I walked the aptly named Long Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. A few minutes later, we stopped to shed another layer of clothing, grateful for the warm sunshine.

“It’s not going to last,” I said.

It didn’t. Two days later, we were grateful for raingear. Instead of leisurely walks on the beach, we sought the shelter of cedar and salal and watched the waves crash on the rocks through viewpoints on the aptly named Wild Pacific Trail.

Weather systems come and go. We open to the sunshine and hunker down in the rain, but we don’t take it personally.

Yet when it comes to emotional weather systems, we take it very personally. But what if we didn’t?

I began to observe my internal weather systems, and here’s what I noticed.

One moment, I feel bad and wonder how to fix what’s wrong with my life. In the next, I feel fine. I love my life. There’s nothing to fix.

When I experience “bad” feelings, I want to get rid of them as quickly as possible, and that’s what I unquestionably set out to do. I was having a lovely life before these feelings showed up, and I want my lovely life back. I assume that bad feelings are telling me I’m doing something wrong.

I also noticed that when I was judged or someone crossed a boundary, I felt hurt, somewhat violated, and angry. I blamed the other person for making me feel this way and fixated on what I’d like to say to them so they don’t do it again. The idea that I had some control over future situations eased my feeling of helplessness, even though it won’t prevent similar situations from happening. I will feel this way again. I can’t prevent myself from feeling hurt, yet I keep trying. Henri Nouwen’s advice to befriend these feelings didn’t even cross my mind.

I was still thinking about weather systems–internal and external ones–on the day we left Ucluelet. That morning, we needed to scrape ice from our car, and snow had collected on the side of the road. We arrived at Departure Bay Ferry terminal in time to get the 10:40 ferry home. However, B.C. Ferries cancelled that sailing and the next due to high winds.

We headed to Duke Point a little farther down the coast and waited with hundreds of others who hoped to get on the 3:15 ferry to the mainland. Would B.C. Ferries cancel this sailing as well?

At 3:20, we watched the car count reach and pass the number that had fit on the previous ferry. Yet, we were signalled on and squeezed in.

I had no control over any of it. I could only choose how I would respond. 

Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today
because I know it’s for my healing.
–Father Thomas Keating, The Welcoming Prayer

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

I offer you this photo I took in Florencia Bay. The roots of this washed-up tree were two to three times my height. Perhaps you would like to pray with this picture using the following reflection.

  • As you linger with this image, what do you notice? What draws you? What repels you?
  • Remain a little longer, welcoming both the sunny and stormy feelings that arise.
  • Imagine God’s loving presence beside you, feeling what you feel.
  • Look at the image again. Is there anything new that you didn’t notice before?
  • Stay a little longer there, allowing this moment, this loving God, this image to speak to you personally.
  • What do you sense God offering you for this moment in your life right now?

What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.

Credits and References:
“Long Beach Vista” by Adam Jones. Used with permission.
“Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet” by Kim Rollins. Used with permission.
Image of washed-up tree in Florencia Bay by Esther Hizsa.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2022.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2022.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
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