Rest in Love

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Listen! The Lord, the Eternal, the Holy One of Israel says,
“In returning and rest, you will be saved.
In quietness and trust you will find strength.”
–Isaiah 30:15 (The Voice)

The sun is setting in the west 
And the birds begin to sing their rhapsody of rest 
And I rest in love / Rest to give love 
Rest to hold love / Rest to be love  
–Sara Thomsen,  Rhapsody of Rest

Just sit there
and let Me love you, 
You said to me one morning.

As I did, I realized 
You say this
every morning
to everyone. 

I began to hear
Your summons
in every moment.
When I paused to listen,
I rested there
in Your beauty.  

Your kingdom came,
Your will was done.

When we rest in love,
we join You in
loving
and saving
the world.

Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
–Matthew 11:28 (NRSVUE)

Credits and References:
Landkaartje by  Sylvia Sassen. Used with permission.
Rest in Love by Esther Hizsa, 2025.
Amelia Resting by Donnie Ray Jones. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Mystical, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Always Coming to Us in Love

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Our basic stance in life and toward God is one of receptivity rather than achievement. This is the heart of the contemplative way: receptivity to God who is always coming to us in love.—SoulStream Community, Values

I consider how God works and labours for me in all things created on the face of the earth… Ignatius of Loyola, Contemplation on Divine Love, The Spiritual Exercises

What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. –Luke 12:29 (The Message)

You are always
coming to us in love.

I was about to jump ahead,
and my friend said, 
“Let’s sit with this a while,”
and I felt my body relax.

On a walk, 
I noticed
my breath
emptying and receiving,
emptying and receiving.

I was struggling with
something I could not change,
then imagined You,
unperturbed,
working for me.

More often I find myself
enjoying the task
I’m doing 
instead of
rushing to get it done.

On a long bicycle ride,
in the glory
of wide open spaces,
in the company
of hills, fields, trees,
poppies, marmots,
horses, cattle and deer,
a thought came to me–
wisdom and a way forward.

Nothing we do
or don’t do
stops you.

You are always 
coming to us,
freeing us to
receive love,
give love,
hold love,
and be love.

The sun is shining in the south
And I breathe you in, and I breathe you out
And I breathe in love / Breathe out to give love
Breathe in to hold love / Breathe out to be love
—Sara Thomsen, Rhapsody of Rest

* * *

Are you longing for deeper connection, greater peace, and a more authentic way of living? Living from the Heart is SoulStream’s nine-month spiritual formation course, designed to help you grow in intimacy with God, yourself, and others. Through contemplative practices, personal transformation, and authentic community, you’ll discover a life centered in the heart of God.
Apply by July 18, 2025 for the in-person cohort.
Apply by August 30 for the online cohort (the one I will be co-facilitating this year).

Credits and References:
“Kodiak and the butterfly” by doug ellis. Used with permission. 
Always Coming to Us in Love by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Park bench by steve p2008 Used with permission
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This Beautiful Now

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

In returning and rest, you will be saved.
In quietness and trust you will find strength. 
–Isaiah 30:15 (The Voice)

I forget
it takes time 
to settle my nervous system, 
takes intention 
to notice 
my feet
aren’t touching the ground. 

All the spaciousness 
I long for 
is right here 
in this breath. 
Everything I need 
has already been given. 

I can come home 
to myself, 
to You, 
to this moment 
now,
in this
beautiful
now.  

The morning glories and the sunflowers turn naturally toward the light, but we have to be taught, it seems. –Richard Rohr

Credits and References:
White morning glory by John Tann. Used with permission. 
This Breath by Esther Hizsa, 2025.
Sunflowers by Stephen Ransom. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in Mindfulness, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Conversion of Rosie: Part Two

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. —Mark 4:35-39 (NIV)

While we were camping,  
a stranger made a mistake,  
and blamed me  
for her predicament.  

She was too angry to be reasoned with, 
and I knew I wasn’t responsible  
for her disappointment. 
Yet, I was caught in a stormy loop
of justifying and second-guessing my decision 
not to rescue her.  

It didn’t subside 
until I woke Christ,
sleeping in the tent.
When he saw the storm,
he looked at me and said,
“Well, that was unpleasant.”

The wind stopped,
and there was a great calm.

But the storm resumed
the next morning
as I rode from Oliver to Summerland.
This time, Christ was asleep
on the back of my bike.
So I awakened him with a song,  

Make me an instrument
Born of your peace
As I let go
As I release…

I sang it again and again as I rode,
and Christ reminded me 
that whatever decision I made,
he would be with me.
Then, he shifted my focus
from moralizing
to noticing
how much power this had over me
and feeling
the storm gently subside. 

And it did.

I cycled on in peace
with rocky bluffs on my left,
Okanagan Lake on my right,
and a tailwind behind
until I got a flat.

Then, I awakened Christ 
on my cell phone,
and Fred picked me up,
spotting my red jersey
a mile away.

Make me an instrument
Born of thy peace
As I let go
As I release
Make me an instrument
Humble and free
As I awaken the living Christ in me
–Kurt Van Sickle

Notes, Credits and References:
You can find The Conversion of Rosie: Part One on An Everyday Pilgrim, May 10, 2025.
Jesus Calms the Storm, photo by Jim Forest, iconographer: Jack Pachuta. Used with permission.
The Conversion of Rosie: Part Two by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Okanagan Lake, Kickininee Provincial Park, Summerland, BC., by GoToVan Used with permission. 
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com

Posted in compassion, Humour, Poetry, Reflections, Songs, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Path of Wholeness

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

You make me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths.
–Psalm 23:3 (The Voice, adapted)

A part of me gets pretty loud
when space isn’t given to others,
equality isn’t honoured,
feelings are dismissed,
or fear is preached.

I squirm in my seat,
anger prickling.
I want to stand up
and set things right.

“Of course you do,”
I hear You say,
meeting me on
that worn, hard path
of criticism and blame.

You take my hand in yours.
We sit awhile
and remember
the times I was dishonoured
and dismissed.
You know how the path became hard,
and why I travelled this way.

“Of course you did,”
You say.

Then, You show me another path
that has enough grace to let go,
enough compassion to see,
enough patience to wait,
enough faith
that You can be trusted
to reveal and restore

and if and when I can help,
I will know 
what to do
and what to say
out of wholeness.

You lead me in the path of goodness
to follow Love’s way.
–Psalm 23:3
Nan C. Merrill, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness

Credits and References:
“Lady walking” by Steve. Used with permission.
The Path of Wholeness by Esther Hizsa, 2025.
“Two paths diverged in a green wood…” by Dan Irizarry. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in community, compassion, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Long, Loving Look

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

 Jesus spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
–Mark 8-22-25 (NIV)

Some things I don’t want to see.
I cover my eyes and hope
when I open them again,
the internet will be working,
I won’t get my days mixed up,
and I’ll remember to do
both things on my list.

Then I noisily crash into reality
and panic,
losing all rational thought
which only makes things worse.

It’s embarrassing,
disruptive,
and humbling.

But as I take a long, loving look at the real,
I notice
the world didn’t come to an end,
my friends didn’t desert me,
and I was able to carry on.

Like the blind man Jesus healed,
at first, I only see trees walking around
bashing into things.
Then, I see Jesus
and his beautiful eyes
in the faces of my friends
taking a long, loving look
at me.

Take a long loving look at the real.
–Walter Burghardt, SJ

Credits and References:
“Autumn” by Sylvia Sassen. Used with permission.
A Long, Loving Look by Esther Hizsa, 2025
“Ginko Joy” by Sylvia Sassen. Used with permission.
More about taking a long, loving look go to A Long, Loving Look at the Real by Vanita Hampton Wright, Ignatian Spirituality.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in ADHD, Aging, community, compassion, Humour, Poetry, Poverty of Spirit, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Conversion of Rosie: Part 1

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

I took my mom to get her hair cut.
Since she had chemo over a year ago, 
no hairdresser’s been able to tame her soft white hair.
She looks like Punk Rocker meets Alfalfa.

Once, I saw her elderly tablemate trying to fix it.
I felt so bad.
I blamed myself.
Then I remembered,
Mom was the one who wanted it cut shorter.
She’s the one who thinks it’s fine.

That’s when I saw a part of myself so clearly–
the part that feels responsible,
the part that wants to make everything better,
wonders if I should take the job nobody wants,
fleetingly considers buying the house that’s still on the market,
and has already found the solution to your problem.

I’ve named this part of me Rosie,
as in We-Can-Do-It, Rosie the Riveter.

The morning I wanted to have a little chat with Rosie
to let her know who’s in charge,
I read the story of Saul’s conversion.
He was the guy trying to fix the problem of those Christians
when he got knocked off his horse, blinded,
and then lovingly restored and set in a new direction.

He wanted what was best for his people and his God
but going about it all wrong.

I suspect it’s the same for Rosie.

So, maybe, when I meet up with her for coffee,
I need to do more listening
than speaking.

“Parts are little inner beings who are trying their best to keep you safe.”
― Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

Credits and References:
Image of Alfalfa from the Little Rascals Creative Commons.
Saul’s conversion is in Acts 9.
The Conversion of Rosie: Part 1 by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Image of Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell by Steven Zucker. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in compassion, False Self, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Expanding and Contracting

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.–John 6:24 

I was in the crowd
sitting on that grassy hillside.
You fed us bread from heaven,
deliciously filled us
with all the love 
we ever wanted.

Then you left.

How you got to the other side of the lake
is a mystery, and now
everyone is scrambling, setting out in haste
while I stand there frozen.

I find you
and lose you.
I find peace
and lose it.

I expand: arms out, soul free, floating on grace.
I contract: fearful, trapped in dark thoughts.

One moment, I’m on a hillside,
and the next, stranded on the shore.

One moment, breathing out fullness,
and the next, gasping for air.

Men help their wives and children into boats,
push off from the shore, then climb in,
while I remain behind,
envious and released from their energy.

I  breathe out,
breathe in,
expand,
contract.

Oars and voices recede,
until I hear nothing but bird and breath.
In the stillness, I begin to
see what you see,
feel what you feel.
Tears gather in my chest.

In each expansion,
I fill every inch of you–
head to toe,
down your arms, wrists, hands
and tingle in your fingertips.

In each contraction,
I scrunch up into your heart,
burrow deeper than you could ever hope for or imagine,
and you smell my newborn hair
and cradle my tiny feet.

Healing comes less like a falcon
with mighty wings,
and more like an earthworm… tightening up,
then stretching out, tightening up
and stretching out …
Contract. Expand. Contract. Expand.
from How the Healing Comes by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Credits and References:
Feeding of the Five Thousand image posted by pcstratman. Used with permission.
Expanding and Contracting by Esther Hizsa, 2025.
Sea of Galilee by Ostaleri. Used with permission.

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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Signs of Resurrection

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
–John 20:1 (CEV)

The first sign of Christ’s resurrection came early.
I recognized it when I walked into my mom’s apartment
to take her to church Good Friday.
The long-awaited gerbera was in full bloom,
and Mom greeted me the way she used to
before chemotherapy hijacked her brain.

“It’s my first Easter without Dad,” she said.
She wanted to piece together what she couldn’t remember.
She wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Oyama,
to enjoy a cappuccino,
and share it all with her children,
and she did
on a gloriously sunny afternoon.
And I got to be there,
savouring each moment
of a day that would not last.

Meanwhile, my gynecologist called
and left a message:
My pathology reports came back negative.

Holy Saturday, I awoke with the poem that was missing.
I wrote it, posted it, and then went off
to the last gathering of the drum circle for the season.
We drummed, sang and danced 

Fill your cup
Drink it up …
The fish in the water’s not thirsty.

I thought of the cup Jesus drank:
the cup of his life,
the cup of suffering,
the cup of loved ones waking up and falling asleep,
the cup of trusting
there is more going on than what we see,
the piercing sadness,
the fearful joy…
the cup of what is–
life coming to us,
Love coming to us,
moment by moment.

Early Sunday morning,
I awoke knowing
how to make peace with 
what I planned to post on my blog for Easter.
I revised it
then rushed off to church
to hear afresh that
the stone had been rolled away,
to know afresh that
no stone can block the movement of God–
not the weather or cancer,
not stubborn unforgiveness,
or unshakable fears,
or our inability to stay awake.

Nothing can restrain
resurrection.

Love will abide forever; for
You have established Yourself
in secret places
seeking our receptive hearts,
already making Your
dwelling place within.
–Psalm 9:9-10 (adapted),
Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying

Credits and References:
Yellow Gerbera Plant by Vitya_maly on GoodFon.com. Creative Commmons.
Signs of Resurrection by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Fill Your Cup is one of the Dances of Universal Peace.
Sunrise by jeiline. Used with permission.
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in compassion, Easter, Mindfulness, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Poem, Prayer and Song for Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Awakening

I remember the moment
I stood by the ocean
and heard You whisper,
in each wave that encircled my feet,
that the earth on which I stood
and everything in it
is Your body.

The air I breathe
is Your breath,
the sand, Your skin,
the love You feel
painted in
the morning mist,
the pounding rain,
the endless blue sky,
and tulips.

Holy is the crocus opening to the sun.
Holy is the ancient, rooted cedar.
Holy is the mountain gathering clouds.
Holy is the robin singing Your song.

In the morning, thank You, thank You,
In the evening, thank You, thank You.
In the middle of the day, thank You, thank You,
In the deep, dark night, thank You, thank You.
–Sara Thomsen, Rhapsody of Rest

Credits and References:
Canon Beach by Tjflex2. Used with permission.
Awakening by Esther Hizsa, 2025
Tulips from my garden by Randi Hausken. Used with permission
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
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 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com
Posted in Creation, Mindfulness, Poetry, Reflections, Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments