Do and/or put away laundry?
Clean the kitchen?
Cook nourishing and healthy foods so you have something to eat tomorrow that isn’t along the lines of melba toasts dipped in whipped cream cheese?
Read and study?
Watch “RuPaul’s Drag Race?”
Take the dog out?
First, just stop where you are. It’s night time. You are home. Find a quiet spot, even for just a moment or two.
Sit in a chair. Put your hands in your lap. Bow your head, relax your neck.
Come home to yourself.
Pull your spirit in from where you have sent it out during the day: out over your parish, out over your family, out over your nation, your many good causes, your concern for people in distant lands, for the Earth.
Pull your spirit into your center, ask God’s protective blessing on it.
The day is done. Let it be done. Pull your spirit back into your body and bring it home.
Look at your hands resting there. What have they done today?
Let them be done.
Feel your eyes, and the person looking out from behind them. What have they seen today? Through what lenses have you looked? Relax your eyes and let them spend the rest of the evening seeing only what is directly before them.
Relax the muscles in your mouth, relax your tongue and your jaw. What have you spoken today? If you can remain in silence for some of the night, do so. Let the quiet speak to you, listen for the word of God.
Take the stole off from around your neck and set it down. It will be there in the morning. For now, simply be alive, be a human animal doing what needs to be done to survive and nothing more. Do one thing on your list, not five. Shut down the computer. Those “emergencies?” If they’re not life and death matters, they’re not emergencies. Leave them for tomorrow.
Sit softly somewhere, like a cat. Be warm. Be safe.
Remember that you got into this for the love of it.
Remember that we’re not nearly as important as we think we are.
Remember that most of us take way too many things way too seriously.
You’re a good kid. Take it easy for a night.
Bless you. Thank you for this.
Beautiful. Thank you.
Truly wonderful
Oh, girl, I need to read this every night! I’ve being taken up like Elisha into the whirlwind of starting a call as a solo pastor of a small church (my first time to be a solo pastor) right before Christmas and since then have been pretty non-stop. I adore these people, and want to be here a long time, so I have to stop. Breathe. Be. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Thank you for this. Beautiful…
Thank you. This is lovely.
Some years ago, I spent a few months praying morning, evening, and night prayer (from
this lovely, inclusive-language resource by the Carmelites).
It was tricky to do evening prayer, as I frequently go from work to an evening activity before I go home; I usually prayed it in my car in some parking lot or other. But it was very calming and grounding, to spend a few minutes in structured prayer, to actually make a transition from “working day” to “evening relaxation” instead of just plunging on full steam ahead.
Oh my, how lovely. I hope you are doing this, too, PB. Don’t export all your wonderful natural resources — keep some for yourself!
By the time I got to the end of this blessed post, I was weeping with relief and gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Your beautiful essay reminded me of this favorite prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book’s Night Prayer Service:
Lord
It is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the workd and of our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quiteness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have not peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen
Then, take the dog out immediately! There are unpleasant consequences for not doing so.
[Ha! Thanks for the prayer, lovely. -PB]
Thank you so much–this is really beautiful. It has gone to live forever in Evernote where I will see it often and stop and rest in it. [Hey, what’s Evernote? Glad you like it.- PB]
thank you. This was beautiful, and just the encouragement I needed to shut down my computer and go enjoy valentine’s day.
Boy, is this ever what I needed to read tonight. My soul is so many places. I’m calling it back in and sitting quietly for a while before I take the time to thank all that is good for a full life and great love. Thanks, PB.
Evernote is amazing! It’s an app for computer, phone and tablet to help organize just about anything. I keep potential sermon illustrations, quotes, prayers, articles–just about everything–at my fingertips. I think it’s really intuitive to use and it’s mostly free. Hope that helps–
Thanks for this! 🙂