Enjoy This Too

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

Peace followed me home

like a stray pup with soulful eyes

accompanying me everywhere,

barking at strangers,

snapping at flies,

resting her head on my lap

as if she belonged to me.

The little girl in me asks,

“Can we keep her?”


And Peace wags her tail.

Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you. 
–John 14:27

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

I don’t have a pet but I do have friends who do. This week I would like to honour the love mischief of dogs, cats and other pets. Although they can be challenging at times, these animals give us a felt sense of being loved and invaluable. What a precious gift.

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:
Bow Lake in Banff National Park by Esther Hizsa.
“puppy-111265_1280” by www.localpuppybreeders.com. Used with permission.
“Man’s best friend” by Emwilson_photography. 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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A Beautiful Yes

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

In Celtic spirituality, there is the “Little Book” of scripture and the “Big Book” of creation. Fred and I have been sleeping and waking in the Big Book for twelve wonder-filled days. I am reminded, as I was on the west coast of Vancouver Island this spring, that “In God, we live and move and have our being.” I don’t need to find God; I’m already in God.

Of course, that is true every day everywhere. But here, in the mountains, painted with wildflowers, cascading streams and glacial peaks, God generously displays Her beauty. She asks me only to enjoy Her.

As I wrote that last sentence, I felt a “yes” in my body, the way I do when I’m in a spiritual direction, and I say something aloud that my body resonates with. That warm spacious feeling tells me, “This is something you need to hear.”

I ponder our time in Yoho, Banff and Glacier National Parks and recall what has brought me joy. Top of the list were the vistas from the trails Fred and I hiked, soaking in the Upper Hot Springs and visiting the Whyte Museum, but there were other moments as well. That first cup of coffee when I’m bundled up and can see my breath. Eating the lunch we packed on the Dolomite Ridge above Helen Lake as it snowed. Finding block ice in Nester’s Market and chatting with Sidney from Ontario while she filled our propane tank.

I marvel at the many ways people travel. A fellow from Quebec who sleeps comfortably in his car couldn’t get over the myriad of paintbrush flowers. Two young guys from Israel enjoyed a game of backgammon by their van which had a plumbing pipe on their roof for hot showers. An all-out couple with a tent on the roof of their camper, a shower stall, a canopy over their picnic table, and a truck with their toys camped next to the bike-packers who fit all they needed into a few small water-proof bags. Taking a stroll around our campground at night, we felt like we belonged. Yet, so do all the people in the Hot Springs. The family who spoke German, the woman wearing a hijab, and the young couple planning to cycle the Gran Fondo from Vancouver to Whistler who don’t like camping at all—they are all in the Big Book of God’s wonderful creation.

I loved being outdoors 24/7 but my quiet times in the morning got displaced by the need to get parking at a trailhead or get packed up and on the road. My prayers were distracted thoughts along the trail, and the Little Book was never opened.

I asked God, “What do you want me to hear?”

I heard, “You are allowed to enjoy yourself.”

There, I felt it again–then as I heard those words at the time and now as I write–that beautiful “yes.” from God.

 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities
—God’s eternal power and divine nature—
have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been made,
so that people are without excuse.
–Romans 1:20 (NIV)

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Love Mischief for the World

I am grateful for the love mischief of Ben and Lisa, park wardens at Illecillewaet campground in Glacier. They went out of their way to find us a campsite after all the sites were snapped up. I heard similar stories from others as well.

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:
Fred at a viewpoint on the way to Paget Lookout in Yoho, National Park.
The stream is on the way to Helen Lake in Banff National Park.
“Site Occupied” was in Loop Brook campground where Ben found us a site until we could get into Illecillewaet campground in Glacier National Park. Photos by Fred and Esther Hizsa. 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
Posted in Creation, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s Endless!

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

It’s endless,” I said to Fred. “Every time I finish cleaning one thing, I see something else that’s dirty.”

I wanted our home to be neat and tidy for our friends who would be staying there for a week while we camp in the Rockies. I know what it’s like to stay in an Airbnb, and our place looked nothing like that. So the cleaning extravaganza began.

We got to work in over 30-degree heat, repositioning the fans as we went. We swept under beds and reorganized overflowing boxes. We wiped down the fridge and stove and cleaned the cupboards inside and out. We replaced threadbare sheets and old washcloths, swept down spider webs, and cleaned windows and mirrors and grimy fingerprints everywhere.

We planned to spend the long weekend with my parents, but they weren’t up to hosting us in the heat. All the campsites were already reserved, so we didn’t leave until Monday. The extra time was just what we needed to do all the spring cleaning that had missed a few springs.

By the time we left, it still wasn’t finished. But it was good enough. Our friends reassured us they were used to the lived-in look. I was glad to receive an email from them the day after they arrived thanking us for our generosity and saying they’d slept well.

I’m writing this post in Yoho National Park while sitting in the car waiting for the rain to stop. I’m not complaining. Yesterday we hiked the Iceline trail with spectacular views of Takakkaw Falls and the Emerald Glacier. I have to say this is way more fun than cleaning.

While we hiked, I thought about that overwhelming feeling I had when the cleaning felt endless and wondered what God was up to. I remembered something someone said recently. She was considering the contemplative value of being present with “what is” and not liking what she saw one little bit. I could relate to that. I liked life better when I didn’t see the dirt and hoped no one else saw it either.

We hadn’t noticed how much dust had collected because our focus was on “more important” things like work, rest, and play. But now I noticed it, and once I noticed it, I also noticed that I enjoy things being clean.

I doubt that cleaning is ever going to be a priority. But it’s a part of the life of an everyday pilgrim.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
Psalm 84:5 (NIV)

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Love Mischief for the World

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the summer, semi-retired author Michelle and other historians from the Friends of Yoho lead guided walking tours of Field, BC by donation. The RCMP office, which was decommissioned in the ’90s, is now a guest house. The community hall used to be the Legion. In the ’70s some boisterous dances were held there and two sweet but formidable women in Royal Canadian Legion uniforms were the bouncers. The local coyote often makes an appearance. Michelle carries bear spray because a bear has been known to join the tour.

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:
“A new broom sweeps clean, but the old broom knows the corners” by Kate Ter Haar. Used with permission.
Photo of Fred and Esther on the Red Chairs at Takakkaw Falls Aug 3, 2022, taken by a kind tourist. 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
Posted in Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Amen,” You Said

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

The good news is that everything is forgiven
—everything.
—Steve Garnaas-Holmes, “Erased”

“Amen,” you said,
and you believed it.
You taught it,
preached it,
and blogged about it.
“I can love myself just the way I am
–warts and all–
because that’s the way God loves me,”
you said,
and you believed it.

You put all your eggs in My basket.

Then life dropped you
into a dark valley.
Sure enough,
I was there as promised.
You found yourself
enfolded in My prodigal embrace.
saved from My judgment

but not from theirs.

I forgave you
before you made the turn
but the forgiveness of others?

That may take a while,
may not come at all
and that’s so damned painful.

I wish I could save you from
the doubts that emerge
the fears that get validated
the pain of rejection

I can’t save you from that
but I can walk with you
through this shadowed valley.
Surely goodness and mercy
won’t be far behind.

Trust me.
You put all your eggs
in the right basket.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son,
threw his arms around him and kissed him.
–Luke 15:20 (NIV)

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Love Mischief for the World

We don’t walk alone through dark valleys. God comes to us with skin on. This week a friend of mine passed away surrounded by friends and family. They walked with her in that dark valley, listened to her fears, celebrated her life, and sat with her as she found the door to the other side where there is no more pain, no more regrets, no more tears of sadness.

I am grateful for friends who walk with us through our dark valleys of pain, tears and doubt and keep loving us just the way we are.

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:
“The Difficult Path” by Crusty Da Klown. Used with permission.
“The Return of the Prodigal Son by Pompeo Batoni Pompeo Batoni, 1708-1787. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“Friendship” by Rainier Martin Ampongan. 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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Love Finds an Opening

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

As I continued to keep watch, I noticed a calmness here, a sadness there, delights and disappointments. But nothing wanted to be written about.

I told a friend about my day helping at our church’s thrift shop. “I was standing by a shelf of used books when I noticed a copy of My Grandmother’s Hands–the same book I wrote about on my blog and planned to buy. I was even listening to it on Libby on my way to the church. Incredible, eh?

“I only intended to stay and help out for an hour or two, but it began to rain. So I decided to wait for it to stop before I walked home.

“In the meantime, I had one meaningful conversation after another. Each person opened a door and invited me into their thoughts, feelings and experiences. I felt so privileged.

“Then the rain came down in buckets, and we needed to bring in all the wares that were under the canopies outside. When it was time to close, we began taking down the tents. Rain had collected in pockets of the fabric, so we began tipping the tents to let the water pour off. When we came to the third one–you know where this is going–I missed my cue and got drenched. You should have seen me. I looked like a drowned rat.”

“What a day,” my friend said.

I thought I might write about it, but I didn’t know what that day was saying.

During the week, I watched myself in meetings being present and distracted, hearing others and offering suggestions that moved things forward.

I watched myself write up notes from those meetings while Fred researched air travel requirements and deciphered airline speak. I saw myself sitting near him as he booked my flight to Minneapolis for my niece’s wedding in October. I felt so cared for and thanked him. “I know this kind of thing is stressful for you,” he said.

Still, nothing in my week was becoming a story or poem.

Wednesday morning, two days before I was due to publish a post, I still hadn’t written anything. I sat with Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seeds.

In the quiet, I saw Jesus scattering seeds on the hard path, the rocky soil and in the weeds. Then he found a tiny patch of good soil in me and sowed there. I pictured him pouring more and more goodness into that wee bit of receptive soil.

As I lingered with this image, I began to see that a deep hurt had caused me to protect myself with rocks, weeds and hardness which kept my experiences from taking root. But God found a soft opening and seeded hope, wonder, and stories.

I had thought there was nothing significant enough to write about. But I realize now that I wasn’t able to feel the significance of what was happening.

Love came–through people and circumstances–found an opening and helped me feel and see again.

I watch the rocks and weeds fall away. Birds fly off, looking elsewhere for sustenance. I see big patches of rich, dark soil and stories sprouting everywhere.

Some seed fell on good earth and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
–Matthew 13:8 (MSG)

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Love Mischief for the World

Once a month St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church’s Thrift Shop is open for shoppers to come and find treasures. Volunteers work diligently to receive donations and make them available to our customers. The items are priced affordably with those who are on limited incomes in mind. For over 45  years, the Thrift Shop (newly rebranded as the New to You Market) has been serving the Lougheed Mall area of Burnaby with proceeds going to support, not only church ministries such as our Wednesday Lunch Club (an outreach for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness) but non-profits such as The Burnaby Food Bank, Cameron Elementary School, Doctors Without Borders, Union Gospel Mission, Covenant House, Dixon Transition Society,  Crossroads Hospice Society. If you’re in the area come by and visit!

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:
“Watching” by deckerme. Used with permission.
Untitled photo of sprouting plants by Ryan Dickey. 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 2013-22  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in community, compassion, Homelessness, Reflections, Stories, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Keep Watching

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I lean my head against Love’s chest,
match the rhythm of Her breath,
and enter the darkness.

The light hurts my eyes.

I see 
what others have done that
I haven’t.
I notice habits I have that
they don’t.
I watch myself 
lose myself
disappear
and want a world with no mirrors.

I close my eyes
but I can’t unsee what I’ve seen.

Love puts Her hand on mine
and waits
until my breath slips back into Hers.

“Just keep watching,” She says
as if we’re at the movies.

She knows what’s coming
and doesn’t want me to miss a thing.

Watch and pray…
–Matthew 26:41

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

Resmaa Menakem is helping me see and feel how trauma acts in my body. With God’s help, I am learning to be present and allow a new story of freedom and kindness to unfold.

“In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.

“The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. . .

“My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.” (Amazon)

You can listen to Krista Tippett interview Menakem on On Being

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:
Moonbeams by Jessie Wilcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935)
Blackberries by Ed Dahl. 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
Posted in compassion, False Self, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dark Thoughts

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I know the dark thoughts
that keep you awake at night

It can’t be true.
But what if it is?

There is no peace
turning one way
or the other.

This is too much for you to bear, my love.

Come inside.
Let me wrap my arms around you.
Lean your head against my chest
until your soul is stilled.

We will go into the darkness together
and see what light we find there.

I have stilled and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child with his mother,
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
–Psalm 131:2 (ASV)

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Love Mischief for the World

Steve Bell sings the words of St. John of the Cross. He wrote this while imprisoned in a cell by a group of Carmelites who opposed the reforms he and Teresa of Avila were bringing to the order.

“Despite [St.John’s] argument that he had not disobeyed the ordinances [of his superiors], he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. He was jailed in a monastery where he was kept under a brutal regime that included public lashings before the community at least weekly, and severe isolation in a tiny stifling cell measuring barely 10 feet by 6 feet. Except when rarely permitted an oil lamp, he had to stand on a bench to read his breviary by the light through the hole into the adjoining room. He had no change of clothing and a penitential diet of water, bread and scraps of salt fish. During his imprisonment, he composed a great part of his most famous poem Spiritual Canticle, as well as a few shorter poems. The paper was passed to him by the friar who guarded his cell. He managed to escape eight months later, on 15 August 1578, through a small window in a room adjoining his cell. (He had managed to pry open the hinges of the cell door earlier that day.)” Wikipedia.

St. John’s powerful words remind us that nothing can separate us from God and that in that union there is peace, joy and wonder.

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:
“Dark Night” photo by Matthew Kane. Creative Commons.
Poem “Dark Thoughts” written by Esther Hizsa
“Summer Saturday Moon” by Eric Verleene. 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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Love Asks for More

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

Love always asks more of us.
–Wendy J. MacLean 

Love always asks more of us.

Love didn’t ask me
to say yes to everything.
Love asked me
why I wanted to.

Love didn’t ask me
to shove my fear aside and trust.
Love asked me
to befriend my fear
and wonder what it wants to do for me. 

Love didn’t ask me
to put away my rage.
Love asked me
to have tea with it.

Love didn’t expect me
to do what Jesus asks.
Love asked me
to keep trying. 

Love didn’t keep a record of my wrongs,
didn’t shame, blame, judge, punish or give up on me.
Love told me
to run home
to God’s prodigal embrace.

Love always asks more of us.
Love asks us
to come into the light when we want to hide in the dark.
Love asks us
to love ourselves when we think we don’t deserve it.
Love asks us
to hope when that feels like
the scariest thing in the world to do.

Love never fails
to question our beliefs,
beg us to forgive,
and awaken us to know that
 Love is never gone,
simply waiting to be found.

Love asks still more of us.
Love asks us
to listen to our bodies,
care for the earth,
and love our neighbours as ourselves.
Love asks us
to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.
Love asks us
to try and fail
and try and fail
and do it again
and again.

Love doesn’t ask us to
do it all or do it well.
Love doesn’t even ask us
to do small things with great love.
Love asks us
to do this small thing with the love we have.

Love always asks more of us
and Love never gives up.

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
–Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)

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Love Mischief for the World

“Weeks into the war, Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kyiv, blowing out most of the windows and causing extensive damage to the buildings. Reverend Ivan Rusyn is president of the seminary. His faith in God has only gotten stronger–but he has a different perspective on pacifism than he did before the war.” (Tapestry, June 10, 2022) You can listen to Mary Hynes interview Rev Ivan Rusyn on this CBC podcast. 

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:
Opening quote from the poem Equinox Scales by Wendy J. MacLean in On Small Wings.
“Love Asks for More” written by Esther Hizsa.
The poem references 1 Corinthians 13, Luke 15:11-31 and Micah 6:8 and Mother Teresa’s quote, “Do small things with great love.”
It also refers to previous blog posts particularly Having Tea with My Rage
Illustration Depicting Oliver Twist Asking for More Food by J. Mahoney Rightsholder: Supplier Corbis, Supplier NTB scanpix Source: http://www.scanpix.no Creative Commons Licence.
“Love” by Theophilos Papadopoulos. 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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Hiding Places

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

You may be wondering how the little girl at the window is doing. She’s still there and let me know she kind of liked meeting up with her younger fearless self.

As I thought about her, I realized my fearful self was using a contemplative thought to keep from being hurt. When it came to putting my writing out there, she leaned into the old, “Let go and let God.” stance. “If God wants to do more with my writing, I will trust God to do it.” With the help of spiritual direction, I realized that I hid behind that stance to avoid rejection. Behind that stance was the belief that my writing wasn’t good enough or valuable enough to market. Now God was challenging that belief. The Spirit lifted the bushel I was hiding my light under. 

The fearful little girl in me kind of liked that too. She went along with me living more confidently in my own skin. . . until it didn’t work so well.

Honestly, the uncomfortable things that happened were no big deal. I learned stuff. I could allow myself to be disappointed. But the fearful girl was upset.

I found her in one of her old hiding places. She was under a familiar fear. “They don’t really love me. They’re just being nice,” she told me.

I’ve been unfettered by that fear for a while now, and the thought of going back to living under its tyranny made me want to weep. A few friends came to mind, and I pictured their response to my fear’s accusation. I saw the sadness in their eyes that I would doubt their love for me. 

 I wondered what it would be like to trust this loving picture?

Then the thought came to me that I shouldn’t be attached to needing people’s love and affirmation. When I looked behind that thought, I discovered my fear of being hurt if I ever lost that love. 

The little girl in me had a picture on her wall of all the moments when she felt unloved and unlovable. What made her feel safe was God’s love. Everyone else’s love was suspect and untrustworthy.

I smiled at her and the beliefs she hid behind that kept her from receiving the love she desperately wanted.

I showed her the beautiful picture I had of the people in our life who love me and love her too. Each one had expressed their love for me in significant ways. I watched her look at each face, look into their eyes, and allow her whole body to feel the delicious sensation of being loved. 

I asked her if I could hang this picture on her wall. She liked that idea. We took down the old picture and put up the new one. Neither of us was ready to put the old one in the trash, so we tucked it away in a closet behind a few boxes where we wouldn’t see it very often. 

Indeed, I shouldn’t be attached to needing other people’s love. Otherwise, I would live my life doggedly pursuing it. Instead, secure in God, I’m invited to come out from my hiding places and receive the love that’s given to me. Receive it, enjoy it, and trust it. 

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.–Ezekiel 34:11,12 (NIV)

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

It’s hard to believe you are loved and loveable when someone wants you dead. This video was created by young people in London, Ontario in response to the murder of a Muslim family one year ago. It reveals the depths of Islamophobia and a cry for welcome, compassion and acceptance. May we open our hearts and unravel our prejudice. May we grow in love and welcome.

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:
“Found Me” by Anne Yungwirth. Used with permission.
“Joy Is Measurable” by Funkybug. 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
Posted in community, compassion, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Home Again

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I love our camping adventures–
being outside
exploring by bike
hiking trails to a view
sipping wine from a jar
watching flames turn to coals
musing about what we forgot
and how we made do
cozy and warm in our tent
grateful for tarps and when
the rain comes with the dark
and leaves with the dawn.

One morning we find
a family of mushrooms has pushed through the soil.
Maybe that’s what the birds were singing about,
that’s why the leaves rustled.

We come home
full 
of astonishing
ordinary
moments.

After the last load’s brought in
before the cooler’s unpacked or the laundry’s begun,
I say hello to my plants,
give them a drink,
welcome the new baby leaves.

“My, how you’ve grown,” I say.
And they say the same
to me.

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
–Mary Oliver, from the poem Sometimes

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Love Mischief for the World

Near the beginning of the Baldy Mountain Trail in Sorrento, B.C., we walked through this gate. It was lovingly created out of discarded bike parts and a few shovels. This work of art invited me to celebrate each person’s uniqueness and creativity. What a gift we are to each other when we become who we are, do what gives us life, and offer it to the world. In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others.“

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:
A view of Shuswap Lake from a lookout on Mount Baldy near Sorrento, B.C. by Fred Hizsa. Used with permission.
Nibbled on Panthercap (Amanita pantherina) in Shuswap Lake Provincial Park, Scotch Creek, BC. by Fred Hizsa. Used with permission.
Gate at the beginning of the Mount Baldy trail, Sorrento by Fred Hizsa. 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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