What do you do with souvenirs that you bring home from your trips? The crazy Hawaiian shirt that looked so good …., the shells and rocks, the coffee mugs and plates, the masks and carvings, the maps and guides and of course the photos! What do you do with your trip memories, the ways you’ve been shaped from your adventure that took you out of your ordinary routines?

Sometimes I lie in bed and pull my Sabbath Leave memories over me, so they are wrapping me like a blanket to keep my soul warm, tender and willing to show up. I would love to share my memories with others, but I usually find that most aren’t too interested. We seldom want to sit for long and look at photos of a trip someone took to some place with some people other than ourselves!

But I’ll share one keepsake with you. The title of this blog probably sums up the work of my leave: Relax, Anne. Trust in the slow work of God. I can’t say it often enough. I do say it frequently as I re-enter community life. It aligns really well with our Rhythm of Life: Travelling Lightly and Dwelling Deeply. Again and again I return to it – relax, be at ease, move lightly through life, for God is at work, in the depths God is there, with the Presence of Love guiding the movements. I can be so impatient, so eager to make things happen. My sabbath leave was full of what I’ll call ‘Moments of Encounter’, times when I know so clearly there IS a God, a Divine Presence within all there is. I am to relax, trust in the slow work of God. God’s speed is often very slow – at least by Anne’s schedule! And that’s okay. That’s what I’m learning and what I bring home from my Sabbath Leave. Thanks for listening.

Love and prayers on our journey

Anne

Community Leader Contemplative Fire Canada