A Sacred Journey

practicing pilgrimage at home and abroad

Travel Tip: Everyday Souvenirs

everyday-souvenirs

My uncles have a set of cloth napkins that they use on a regular basis. They’re striped and multi-colored—just what you’d imagine Joseph’s coat to be. Some are in shades of blue; others have teal or pink stripes woven in. The fringe at the bottom is the perfect finishing touch. After the first meal we always remember which ones we’ve used—Mine’s blue! Kyle has green!—so that we can use them again when the next meal rolls around.

As you can tell, I love these cloth napkins, and so I asked my uncles where they bought them. The answer? Guatemala.

Today’s travel tip is a simple one, but has the potential to leave a lasting impression each day after you return from your journey. People have varying opinions on souvenirs, especially pilgrims who try to avoid being perceived as tourists, but I’ll admit it: I’m a souvenir fan. But instead of Hard Rock Café t-shirts or Lady Liberty crowns that will hide in the closet until the end of time, I like to bring home items that I’ll use everyday.

Whether the souvenirs are cloth napkins, tea towels (perfect for packing), a tartan wool blanket, or hand-carved salad utensils (mine pictured above are from Uganda), it’s nice to bring something home to remind you of your journey. And when it just so happens to be an item that you use everyday, you’re reminded of your trip each day, too. It’s also likely that someone will ask you where you got that beautiful tea towel / wool blanket / set of salad utensils, and you’ll get the chance to share your journey all over again.

GO FURTHER…

What’s a favorite souvenir that you’ve brought home?

My Journey Guides and Spiritual Midwives

Journey Guides and Spiritual Midwives » asacredjourney.net

It’s Monday, and while I’m back at the desk for the first time in a long time, we are still unpacking. It’s true—just to get my desk clear and pretend like I have nothing else to do but to write to you I had to take everything off and put it in not-so-neat piles on the bed and on the window sill—picture frames, stacks of papers, misplaced trinkets and mismatched socks; in short, things that I just don’t want to deal with.

What I was most looking forward to unpacking, however, were my books—boxes and boxes of books. It might seem a bit much to some that half of our boxes were filled with books and most of those books are mine (side note: always pack books in small boxes!). But it is a carefully curated library made up of images that inspire, words that bring comfort, and stories that beg me to return again and again (Harry Potter, I’m looking at you).

However, of all of the genres that fill my shelves—interior design and decorating, cookbooks, classics, travel guides, books on psychology and theology, health and mindfulness, and a selection of young adult novels I’ll never get rid of (I’m a part of the Sisterhood, after all)—my most-cherished collection is of books written by those who have come to be my journey guides and spiritual midwives.

A few weeks ago at my spiritual direction training we were asked to create a timeline of our spiritual history, recording thresholds and markers, along with seasons of change and going deeper. Alongside these moments and eras, we were to name those who have guided us and influenced us along the way.

It was then that I realized that each season and shift in my spiritual journey was accompanied by a seed-planting or life-altering book. Names of authors who had unknowingly served as mentors to me in these times of transition and awakening spilled onto my spiritual timeline.

Before long I realized I could create a timeline of my own reading history that would run perfectly parallel to my spiritual history. If I were to tell you which books I read in school that stayed with me, which authors I read in times of transition that stirred something within, and which voices continue to take me deeper in my search, you would be able to know my spiritual history without ever glancing at my spiritual timeline. And perhaps more significant than that, you would be given a glimpse into my soul—you would know my seasons of growth and struggle, my questions and desires, my yearnings and convictions, and above all, my hope—the thin, strong thread that keeps me on this journey.

I’ve started to refer to these authors as my journey guides and spiritual midwives, because that’s what they are, without a doubt. And I want to share them with you. And so, as I continue to unpack my boxes of books, I’ll be setting aside the books by those who have formed me to share them with you over the next many months. I want to invite you to peruse my shelves and know more of myself and my spiritual journey because of it.

GO FURTHER…

What about you? Who are some authors you consider to be your journey guides and spiritual midwives?

Travel Tip: A Travel Yoga + Prayer Practice

A Travel Yoga + Prayer Routine » asacredjourney.net

Today’s travel tip is inspired by a yoga practice I created for a morning ritual a few years ago and incorporates a series of sun salutations and poses with Scripture and prayer. I’m adding it to the Travel Tip Tuesday series because it’s a practice that only takes about 10 minutes once you get the hang of it and doesn’t really require a mat (a towel or blanket would do just fine), so it makes a wonderful and quick travel yoga practice for mind, body, and spirit and is also a wonderful addition to a morning ritual at home. I won’t say much more because I say it all below, but I will say that it’s not nearly as complex or long as it looks, I promise! Give it a try sometime at home or away and feel free to personalize it based on your own needs or desires.

And one more thing: I’m no expert, so don’t hold me responsible for bad form in the images below! If you see something that’s incorrect, let me know and I’ll change it. Let’s begin, shall we?

SUN SALUTATION

Sun salutations are a perfect way to greet the day and they follow an ideal rhythm for incorporating prayers and recitations in your practice. Below is a sun salutation sequence I do while reciting the oft-quoted section of the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, to remind myself what love truly is and set my intention for the day ahead:

travel-yoga-1

begin in mountain pose, hands in prayer;
reach up » Love is patient,
swan dive to forward fold » love is kind,

travel-yoga-2

halfway lift » It does not envy,
forward fold with palms to floor; step back to plank » it does not boast,
chaturanga (how to here) to upward dog » it isn’t proud.

travel-yoga-3

push up to downward dog during the pause;
lift your right leg  » It does not dishonor others,
pull through to front » it is not self-seeking,

travel-yoga-4

warror 2 » it is not easily angered,
dancing warrior » it keeps no record…
lean forward » of wrongs.

travel-yoga-5

cartwheel arms down, step into plank, chaturanga to upward dog then downward dog »
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

travel-yoga-6

lift left leg up and bring it forward;
warrior 2 » It always protects,

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dancing warrior » always trusts,
lean forward » always hopes,
cartwheel hands down » always perseveres.

travel-yoga-8

plank, chaturanga to upward dog and downward dog » Love never fails.

POSES + PRAYERS

I then move into a series of three poses with corresponding prayers based on Scripture passages. Each prayer is directed to a different person of the Trinity, which I refer to as Christ, Sacred Guide, and Creator to avoid gendered language and also just because I really like it. Additionally, there is a strong focus on intention and struggles in the prayers, and each prayer offers the opportunity for personalization based on your own desires and areas of growth. I’ve offered suggestions in parentheses to get you started, but once you get into a rhythm, feel free to substitute your own words if something else resonates with you more deeply.

travel-yoga-9

tree pose with hands on head;
recite to the rhythm of your breath »

Christ, shape my mind today; make it like yours.
May I dwell on what is true, and not… (false)
what is  noble, and not… (disrespectful)
what is right, and not… (deceitful)
what is pure, and not… (corrupt)
what is lovely, and not… (disingenuous)
what is admirable, and not… (selfish)
what is excellent, and not… (simply in vogue)
what is praise-worthy, and not… (ostentatious)

(Based on Philippians 4:8. This one is kind of hard because Paul took the easy route and used a bunch of synonyms, but it does allow space to explore all of the ways negative thoughts arise throughout the day.)

travel-yoga-10

tree pose with opposite leg and hands in a receiving posture;
recite to the rhythm of your breath »

Sacred Guide, fill me with your fruit.
I breath in love and breathe out… (contempt)
I breathe in joy and breathe out… (lassitude)
I breathe in peace and breathe out… (anxiety)
I breathe in patience and breathe out… (urgency)
I breathe in kindness and breathe out… (judgement)
I breathe in goodness and breathe out… (disregard)
I breathe in faithfulness and breathe out… (doubt)
I breathe in gentleness and breath out… (anger)
I breathe in self-control and breathe out… (chaos)

(Based on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23)

travel-yoga-11

Chair pose, arms raised »

Creator God,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals;
Give me what I need to make it through the day.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from our false selves and from the devil.
You’re in charge!
Not… (name things that you often distracted by
or think you are dependent on, such as work,
your to-do list, a relational conflict, etc.)
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

(Based on The Message version of The Lord’s Prayer found
in Matthew 6:9-13. Italics are my own alterations and additions)

finish in mountain post and your hands and prayer
and with the bow of your head, say: namaste

“The Divine in me sees the Divine in You.”

OTHER POSES TO ADD TO YOUR SUN SALUTATION

Below are some additional poses to add to your sun salutation if you want to extend the exercise and make your practice more vigorous. Whatever you choose to add, make sure you do it on both sides! Do one new series of poses with each sun salutation cycle, with a chaturanga and return to downward dog between each series.

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warrior 1 with an optional twist

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triangle pose with an optional bind

travel-yoga-14

pigeon pose

GO FURTHER…

Do you practice yoga? Have you ever practiced it with a mantra or prayer? If you were creating your own routine, what mantra, prayer, or poem would you use?

How to Create a Morning Ritual (+ a glimpse into my own)

How to Create a Morning Ritual » asacredjourney.net

In my book, Pilgrim Principles: Journeying with Intention in Everyday Life, I devote an entire day’s reading to developing a morning ritual and refer back to it often in the days that follow. It falls within the fifth pilgrim principle, “A pilgrim establishes daily rhythms to ground himself,” and it is by far the daily rhythm that has been most life-giving to my relationship with God and myself over the past many years.

I won’t deny it—I am tempted by my warm bed on a dark winter’s morning and become disoriented during busy seasons just as much as the next person, and often my morning ritual suffers because of that. Some days during a chaotic week, I wake up early and get straight to work, telling myself that I’ll get to my morning ritual stuff later—this time I really will. But you know what? Ninety-nine percent of the time I don’t. Instead I go to bed tired and frustrated, wondering why I never had a break in the day to pause and go deeper.

Here’s what this cycle is teaching me: When my morning ritual suffers, I suffer. When I don’t take the time, I won’t make the time. Could I be so bold as to say that that small amount of time set aside in the morning has the power to make or break my day? And, of course, the ways we spend our days are how we spend our lives.

I want to wake up each morning and not immediately feel the weight of the day on my shoulders. I want to enliven my senses with the smell, taste, and feel of hot coffee. I want to cozy up in a Sacred spot that’s all mine, at least for an hour or so, and light a candle as a representation of the presence of the Divine. As the sun slowly rises I want to read words that make my soul sing—poetry and prose by spiritual midwives that have assisted seekers like myself in birthing the holy for countless years. I want to take time to reflect, at least for a page—to locate myself before the tasks of the day carry me away. And I want to finish with a time of centering prayer and meditation—ten or twenty minutes in my day where I can simply be. Oh, it’s a challenge; it always is. But in the end, I feel so much better for it.

And so I set the alarm for 6am each day, waking much earlier than necessary so that I can have the extra hour in my day for what has become my morning ritual for the past year or so. I pour through books, I discover new insight, and I learn again what stillness is and why it’s so important (it’s a practice, after all—a lesson I relearn each day, again and again).

Sometimes I incorporate yoga (more on that tomorrow), and I keep telling myself I want to try out a little dance. Maybe someday I’ll switch out centering prayer for lectio divina or art for reading or writing, but right now this is what works for me.

Coming from a tradition that was big on “shoulds,” I’m trying to be aware of what I’m doing because I think I need to versus what I’m doing because it brings me life, and in this season, this ritual feels good. It’s just the right combination of self-care and stretching to my edges, and at the end of my time I don’t feel like I’ve checked items off of a list; instead, I feel fulfilled.

I want you to have the same experience, too, and a morning ritual might be just the thing to fill you up and take you deeper toward the Divine and your true self. Here are the steps I list in Pilgrim Principles for how to create a morning ritual of your own:

HOW TO CREATE A MORNING RITUAL

1. Find a time

Does it feel best to begin your morning ritual right after you wake up? Or perhaps once you’re ready for the day or while you’re eating breakfast would be more suitable. Choose whatever feels most spacious for you. As you consider a time, also think about the length of time you want to spend doing your morning ritual. This might determine what you do.

2. Find a place

Morning rituals are often personal, so the best location is  probably one that is private. A good place might be a chair by a window or maybe outside on a porch swing. Wherever it may be, make sure it is somewhere where you are able to connect with the Divine, making it a Sacred space.

3. Determine your practices

It could be as simple as pouring a cup of coffee and reading through a devotional book. Perhaps you spend your time in centering prayer or meditation, practicing yoga, journaling, creating, or reading poetry. Simply choose a practice that helps you connect to the Divine and enables you to feel like your true self, whether the practice is traditional or unique to you. Do one or many, or perhaps consider changing them monthly or seasonally. Trying out new spiritual practices is a great way to stretch your edges and grow your faith—something the pilgrim knows well.

The above tips and “Go Further…” question below are taken from Week 5: Day 5 of my book, Pilgrim Principles: Journeying with Intention in Everyday Life, available in print online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and also available for Kindle.

GO FURTHER…

What would your ideal morning ritual be? If you already have one, what does it look like, and how does it set the tone for your day?

Wander: The Desert

Today I’m starting a new series called Wander Wednesday, where I’ll share destinations from Seattle to Rome and highlight their pilgrim appeal, whether it’s the birthplace of pesto or home to an ancient cathedral housing the relic of a saint. As time passes and the collection of destinations grows, my hope is that the Wander Wednesday series will become the perfect resource for the wandering heart in search for adventure!

Wander Wednesday: The Desert » asacredjourney.net

destination: the desert
pilgrim appeal: silence, spaciousness, wilderness, mystery

The desert has been calling out to pilgrims and seekers for thousands of years, urging them to come, to wrestle, and to be transformed. From the Israelites 40 years of wandering to Jesus’ 40 days of fasting followed by temptation, the desert has long been known as an environment of personal growth and Sacred Encounter within many spiritual traditions.

In fact, the tradition of monasticism was birthed in the desert. Long ago, in response to the merging of the Christian faith with the Roman Empire, those who believed God was not found in a system of hierarchy and rules but instead found within fled to the desert to live in silence and solitude in pursuit of the Divine. These devotees became known as the desert mothers and fathers, and while they originally set out on their own, it wasn’t long until their way of living and experience of the Sacred drew followers into the desert to encounter its wonder for themselves. Once there, though these seekers were guided by the desert mothers and fathers, they discovered that the desert herself was the Divine teacher.

The desert is filled with wisdom and parallels to God, life, and our deepest selves. It is a place of unique and striking beauty, and yet it is also filled with great danger. You can be completely alone, yet at the same time feel utterly exposed. In this environment, you are no longer the center. You are simply a bystander in a land that has flourished in the same way for tens of thousands of years—a participant for only a brief moment in time.

The desert is a refining fire. The silence it provides brings relief to the urban dweller, and yet is quick to reveal your struggles, your loneliness, and your fear. The stillness of the desert invites you to be fully present, and as you slowly surrender, learning to simply watch and observe, you learn to also watch and observe your inner stirrings and the movement of the Divine.

Like the Sacred, the desert is always there waiting for you to seek it out, and its invitation is the same: come, sit, surrender, and simply be.

GO FURTHER…

Have you had an experience of Sacred Encounter in the desert? What relief does the desert bring you? What fears or insecurities does it bring to the surface?

 

Travel Tip: What to Pack for a Retreat

What to Pack for a Retreat » asacredjourney.net

As you know, right now I’m in Tucson, Arizona participating in the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. While it’s certainly a training program, it’s got the retreat vibe written all over it, and I’ve been so ready for such a time as this.

It seems to me that however hard we try to live with intention in our daily lives, chaos is always finds a way to creep (or crash) in. It’s just a fact of life, and accepting it is a practice in itself. Sometimes practicing intention in our daily lives means stepping away from them for a few days in the form of retreat—a time away simply devoted to going deeper with God and our true selves.

For today’s travel tip, I’ve rounded up some suggestions on what to pack for a retreat to help foster an intentional time away:

1. items to create a sacred space

Bring a favorite scented candle or something else to make the space you’ll be occupying for the next few days your own and remind you of the Sacred. (While we’re on the subject, don’t tell them I have this candle.) You could also bring an icon or a print of an inspiring image. Find a special place for the items once you arrive and treat it like a make-shift altar—an expression of your desires for your time away and a space that you add things to as your journey continues (stones or feathers gathered on a walk, perhaps?).

2. inspiration

For some, this might mean music. Others might be inspired by images, as mentioned above. Me? I’m forever inspired by words. If you’ve got room, bring along some of your favorite books of poetry and prayers, ready for the moments when you need some extra guidance. If you don’t have room for extra books, consider taking some of your favorite passages and making your own personal liturgy.

3. something to write with

Pens are both necessary and easy to forget, which is why I’m including them here even though they’re more on the practical side. I always bring plenty with me and often bring different colors just in case I want to add a little depth to my exploration. If you want to get wild, bring a pack of colored pencils! (Perhaps I’m asking too much of you—I get carried away sometimes….)

4. a journal

Unless you’re doing a silent retreat sans words of all sorts, I consider a journal a must (if you are giving up words during your time, you might like to read about my own experience). Choose one especially for the occasion, serving as symbolism for the intention you’re putting into your time away. (Plus, you totally deserve it!)

5. things to create with

A retreat is the perfect time to tap into your creativity. Bringing creative tools with you on your retreat gives you the opportunity to journey beyond words. Perhaps the clicking of knitting needles comforts you with its Sacred rhythm or the blank canvas invites you to explore the depths or your soul and fill the page with what you discover. Choose something that you love, but consider trying something new, too. If you feel a bit timid on the creative front, cut out images from magazines that capture your attention (both in positive and negative ways) and make a collage. Here’s a tip: check your left brain at the door.

6. something comforting

This could be a blanket, your coziest pair of slippers, or your go-to mug and your favorite hot tea. If you’re going on retreat to draw closer to God and your true self, then why not start with the things that bring your true self delight? In the end, I’m learning that the ultimate fruit of time away on retreat is learning to simply be—with ourselves and with God—and learning to love ourselves as God created us is truly something to be celebrated.

GO FURTHER…

What would you add to this list?

bluebikeblogtour

I’m linking up today with other bloggers around the blogosphere about living more slowly and with intention in celebration of Tsh Oxenreider’s new book, Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World, out today. Read the rest of the posts in the linkup here.

Entering Hesychia: My Spiritual Direction Training Begins Now

Cf. Hosea 2:14 » asacredjourney.net

PS: Just learned what “Cf.” means—”Cf” is used when saying, “compare to,” so the above is a personalization of the original Hosea text. What a thing to learn on a Monday morning, eh?

I’m sitting in my room (with my very own bathroom!) at the Redemptorist Renewal Center at Picture Rocks in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains in the Sonoran Desert. I’ve just finished reading through the materials I was given when I arrived: brochures on the Center, the church, the labyrinth, and the medicine wheel—a new-to-me tool for Sacred Encounter rooted in Native American spiritual traditions. There are even petroglyphs here—symbols chiseled into rock by the Hohokam Indians sometime between 800-1300 AD (that’s right—there’s a brochure for that, too). Don’t worry—I’ll share pictures.

I drove the six hours from San Diego to the Redemptorist Renewal Center here in Tucson on Sunday to begin two weeks of spiritual direction training at the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction, hosted right here at the Center. On Sunday morning I was eating breakfast on the patio, staring out at the endless horizon of the Pacific Ocean, and I ended the day in the desert, the only blue visible the color of the sky.

Now that I know what the word hesychia means (pronounced like Hezekiah of biblical fame), this movement from water to desert doesn’t go unnoticed as I delve into the contemplative world of spiritual direction. Want to know where I learned its meaning? A brochure that they gave me. Here’s what it says:

“The word hesychia means stillness or quiet, in the sense of an inner
stillness and quiet, a tranquility that brings serenity
and peace to the individual.”
James G. Ward

It’s no coincidence that the desert is a place of spiritual significance (more on that Wednesday). It is a place that stills and quiets the spirit, and because of this, it is a place were we are often more receptive to the Divine. At the same time, like stillness and quiet, the desert offers no place to hide, and my physical journey to the desert on Sunday serves as a metaphor for what is likely to happen in the coming weeks as I journey toward hesychia.

I am captivated by the unique beauty of the desert, just like I am enchanted by the ideas of spiritual contemplation and mysticism. But I am also fearful—of the stillness, of the quiet, of exposure. And yet I utterly believe the words of God, echoing from long ago: “I will lead you to the wilderness and speak to your heart” (Cf. Hosea 2:14).

And so, just as I have already journeyed to the desert literally, I now willingly  journey into the silence, quiet, and exposure of the interior wilderness—despite my fears, discomfort, and apprehension (in fact, I take them with me; they’re welcome here)—seeking to know the Divine and my true self more.

GO FURTHER…

What are your thoughts on contemplation? Does it feel to you like a journey into the wilderness?

Travel Tip: Create Your Own Personal Liturgy

Travel Tip Tuesday: Create Your Own Personal Liturgy » asacredjourney.net

The journal I’m taking with me to Arizona next week. The bees might have been slightly influenced by Sue Monk Kidd…

I know we each have journey guides and spiritual midwives whose words we want to take with us when we travel, but why did they have to make their books so heavy? (Then again, don’t take anything out—those words are golden.)

If you’re wanting to take some inspiration with you on your journey but can’t manage the added weight (and really, who should take that much anyway?), why not consider turning your favorite poems, passages, blessings, and quotes into your own personal pilgrim liturgy?

Once you find the perfect journal for your journey, copy down the words that inspire you into the journal’s front pages and make them a part of your daily routine. Perhaps there’s a poem you’d like to read each morning of your pilgrimage, or a blessing that could ease you into rest each night. Maybe there’s a particular Scripture verse or phrase that expresses the theme of your search, and you want to see it each time you open your journal to write. That one goes on the front!

Put quotes that inspire all on one page for you to return to in challenging times, or simply when you have a long wait. And of course, leave some extra pages at the front to keep adding to your own personal liturgy as your journey continues. Inspiration and words of wisdom lie around every corner for those who seek the Sacred. You could also add images—sometimes they take us to our Sacred center far more easily than words.

If it’s a while until your next journey, consider creating a personal liturgy for the current season instead, placing it in the front of your current journal. God knows we could all use a little inspiration in the midst of winter (pray for us, Southern Hemispherians!).

Me? My next journey begins this Sunday. I’ll be spending two weeks in the Arizona desert, training to become a spiritual director. More on that next week, but until then, below are some bits of inspiration I’ll be adding to my own liturgy for the journey ahead (feel free to use them for yourself, too!).

WHAT I’M INCLUDING IN
MY OWN PERSONAL LITURGY

GO FURTHER…

What would you add to your journey journal as a part of your pilgrim liturgy?

My Love Affair with Markets: My Favorite “Third Place”

satsumas in La Jolla » asacredjourney.net

Satsumas — a necessary purchase at the La Jolla Open Aire Market

We all have places we visit on a regular basis—some because we want to (the local coffee shop, the library, a church home), others because we have to (the gym, the grocery store, the hair salon). These places are the third places in our lives—the places where we gather beyond home (our first place) and work (our second place) on a regular basis. And while home is about family and work is about…well…work, our third places in life are about community.

Intentional or unintentional, these third places are gathering spaces that encourage relationships we might not have had otherwise. They also present more opportunities to be known, if we are open and vulnerable. After all, it’s no coincidence that “sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name” is the opening line in the chorus to the theme song of a show about community found in a local bar (a third place spanning centuries and civilizations).

Some of my favorite third places over the past few years have been markets—places that I originally go to for physical nourishment, but where, after returning again and again to the same venders, I end up finding relational nourishment, too.

Pike Place Market » asacredjourney.net

Sosio’s — our favorite produce stand in Pike Place Market

The first market my husband and I visited on a regular basis was none other than Pike Place Market in Seattle. Famous for its fish market, Pike Place is over 100 years old and houses beneath its roof most anything you could possibly need. A visit to Pike Place Market is a staple in my ideal Seattle day, and I love the long hall filled with brightly-colored bouquets, the displays of Rainier cherries that make their appearance in summertime, and the many cafés and takeaway restaurants (my favorites are Piroshky Piroshky, The Crumpet Shop, and De Laurenti).

However, the place in the market we frequented most often was Sosio’s Produce in the main food hall. During our first year of marriage, we lived just half a mile west on the same street of the Market and didn’t have a car, so Pike Place Market was truly our closest resource for produce, and we relished the opportunity to build a relationship with a vendor. We were regulars there, and while cruiseship-bound tourists slowly passed by, causing traffic jams as they stood there gawking, we snuck in amongst the fruit-filled tables, each time being greeted by familiar faces. When we went back to Seattle to visit just under a year since we had moved away, we were surprised and so happy to find that we were remembered; they knew our name and they were glad we came (and consequently sent us home with the juiciest cantaloupe and a large bag of Washington’s own cherries).

herbs at Urban Roots Farm » asacredjourney.net

Packing herbs at Urban Roots Farm in Springfield, MO

After such a rich experience in Seattle, markets have become a necessary third place and a regular part of our weekly routine. Visiting the Farmers’ Market of the Ozarks in Springfield, MO was one of the first things we did when we moved from Seattle to Springfield in September of 2011, and while I struggled to settle in, missing the community I had left behind, it was that initial visit to the farmers’ market that confirmed that Springfield could in fact feel like home, at least for a little while. After some time, we not only were visiting the market on Saturday—we also harvested for one of the vendors every Tuesday at their urban farm which just so happened to be down the road from where we lived. Yet again, our time at the market brought us not only good food, but also great friends.

We’re currently living in San Diego, CA, and the La Jolla Open Aire Market has become a Sunday ritual (and let me tell you, I’ve never tasted juicier satsumas). Since we knew we would only be here temporarily—we’re moving back to Seattle (for good!) in less than a month—having the farmers’ market as our third place here has been particularly valuable and enriching, making us truly feel like a part of the local community, if only for a few months.

Since Kyle and I will both be traveling some before we move to Seattle, yesterday was the final day we would spend together at the market during our time here. Though it’s just a place to some, saying goodbye to this farmers’ market in this season will be as difficult as saying goodbye to old friends, just like each market and third place before it.

GO FURTHER…

What are some of the third places in your life?

In Which God and I Make Dinner

I interrupt your lovely weekend to bring you this bonus post: I’m guest posting today over at the blog of Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist (which I just finished!) and wanted to give you a little preview and a link, especially since there’s another chance to win a copy of Pilgrim Principles!

In Which God and I Make Dinner » asacredjourney.net

Some days, when the chaos of the work day is behind me and the evening ahead is open, I love making dinner. I enjoy cooking at other times, yes, but there’s something about making dinner at that particular time of transition from activity to rest that is just what I need. It’s usually a recipe that involves a lot of chopping and then throwing everything into one pot to simmer and stew. I love the steady rhythm of the knife in my hands as I dice the carrots, the celery, the onions—the common ingredients for all of my favorite soups. As I chop, rocking the knife back and forth, up and down, my body slows from the day’s quick pace, and my mind ceases from its dancing. I don’t turn on music or the television on days like these—I’ve had enough stimulation for the time being. Instead, I relish in the silence and the sounds that surround me, bringing me back to the present moment with their gentle rhythm, calling me back to a sacred inner stillness…

Read the rest of the post and enter the giveaway at sarahbessey.com »

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