Honouring Sacred Moments
Many faith traditions advocate setting aside a day—or time of day—as a sacred time; it's a practice that seems to have mostly fallen by the wayside in our secular urban society... or has been transformed into something completely different. Either way, I think it's important to find ways to recognize and honour sacred moments in our lives.
The value of intentionally engaging in a ritual of sacred time is that it allows us to connect with someone or something beyond ourselves, to set aside the hustle and bustle for a while, to consider a larger worldview and our place in it. It can be as simple as intentionally setting aside time to be present with friends or family, lending a hand in difficult or challenging circumstances...or even just preparing a meal, if it is done with loving intention.
It's not all that obvious, but sometimes our path to renewing our spirits is through action, through doing for others (while respecting our own needs and boundaries). I often look forward to time off with anticipation of advancing some personal creative projects. This week, most of that time was spent helping various family members and cooking for some friends going through a rough time... and to me, that was sacred time, too, and infinitely precious.
As makers, we are blessed with frequent opportunities to tune into the flow of creative energy that surrounds and infuses us. For those of us who do creative work for a living, we also learn the value of seeing through the eyes of another, of gaining a deeper understanding of what the other really needs, and building something to serve that need, to solve a problem, to reach that goal. If we can bring that skill and talent to our personal relationships, we can build something even more valuable.
In a week that has been touched with the sad news of illnesses, financial struggles and deaths in our circle of family and friends, the value of each moment, of each day, becomes more apparent. And in the glad news of a small new life entering our world, we feel the energy of creation moving through our world in a powerful and hope-giving way.
