I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Janeen Adil’s reflection and poem on home.
Home. In any language, it’s among the most evocative of words. My own memories and associations of home are deeply positive; for others, alas, they are breathtakingly sad. In either case, the word has a universal pull. I see that tug at the heartstrings, for what home was or could be or should be, as leading us all into a contemplation of our yearnings. While home will naturally look different for each person, as one who lives as a monk in the world, I can recognize the longings of home. I see it as a place of earthly reality that, at its best, reflects the eternal one that awaits us, where in love we are invited in: “Welcome home.”
To Bless Your Home
May your home always shelter you,
and may you find peace within its walls.
May those you love enter freely, drawn here
by the broad grace of your welcome.
May all visitors and guests, the worker and the stranger,
and all creatures in whom you take delight
receive the blessings of your home.
And as you step into the circle of your day, may you know
the God who walks with you into the light
will also and always see you again
safely home.
Janeen R. Adil is a spiritual director, writer, and teacher; within the United Church of Christ, she is Commissioned Minister of Christian Spirituality. She lives in eastern PA, in a farmhouse built by English/Welsh Quakers over 200 years ago. Her direction profile can be found at Spiritual Directors International, sdicompanions.org.
