Getting Lost in the Woods

  This past week I found myself working on the clergy report for my parish's annual meeting. Since there was never a formal report back to the parish about my sabbatical, I wrote a lengthy reflection on the gifts of sabbatical time. It seemed appropriate to share that part of the report here: ​ Sabbatical My sabbatical was a gift.  Primarily a gift of time and space.  I was away from parish life for four months, three months sabbatical time and one month of annual vacation time. As I look back and reflect on what God was up to in my life from May 21 to September 24, I can only smile and give thanks for the many ways God helped me to slow down and fill my inner well, which quite honestly, was dangerously low in places.  As well as, for the ways, the gifts of sabbatical are continuing to flourish within me.  This summer away from parish life was the first time in my adult life that I had ever been given the opportunity to slow down. The summer after I graduated fr...

In early June, our family went camping with some dear friends on Mount Desert Island, off the coast of Maine.  It was our first time tenting in years.  The kids (four boys and one girl, ranging from ages 5-11) were in all their glory as they ran wild across the campground, shouting, laughing, fighting, and singing. All the while finding a few too many inappropriate things to throw into our campfire, which was growing alarmingly large.  Given it was our last night together, and the campground was so sparsely populated, with only a handful of other campers in view, we let the kids be kids. Well, that is until one boy accidentally threw fire at an adult. We figured that must be the sign it was bedtime.  The next morning as we were packing up, an elderly gentleman who was tenting a few sights up gestured for my husband to come see him. Jason headed towards the man, fairly sure he was about to call us to task for letting our children run around like the wild animals ...