How to Grow A Sabbath:
A Lesson for Spiritual Gardeners

To grow a healthy sabbath you need fertile ground.
The ground you seek may not be immediately visible.
Keep looking. Often, you will find it, moist and waiting,
beneath a frozen layer.
Once it is exposed to light and warmth, it is ready
to be seeded.

Plant the seed of waiting. Step aside from your path.
Appreciate.
Hear the calls of the sea, the sand and the sky.
Take the time to touch the grasses,
the moss, tiny shells. Feel the wind.
Raise your eyes to the clouds, the birds,
the particular slant of the light.
.

Plant the seed of resting. Still your mind. Still your body.
Avoid accomplishing.
Expose your heart. Share love and comfort with all the
creatures who enrich your life.
Close your eyes and remember who you are–
a child of God. A miracle.
No more than other lives, but no less, either.

Plant the seed of embracing creation. Gaze softly.
Look deeply into the center of life. Connect.
Touch with gentleness and wonder.
Settle into your place in the web of existence.

Plant the seed of feasting on beauty. Nourish
your senses, your heart, your imagination.
In the natural world, while beauty abounds,
perfection is scant.
Cultivate your vision.

Once planted, feed these seeds with your attention. Soak them often with living waters. Expose them daily to the warmth of the Spirit. When sprouted, these seeds grow into strong practices that nurture, and honor, all of life.