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Reflections

Category: Monk in the World Guest Post Series

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Monk in the World Guest Post Call for Submissions

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to thousands of subscribers. Submit your own post from one of the following categories on the general theme of “How do I live

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Monk in the World Guest Post: CJ Shelton

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for CJ Shelton’s reflection Matching the Beat of the Universe. In the simple delights of Nature’s repeating cycles there is much comfort and clarity to be found, a reassurance that life will always continue, despite so much uncertainty in our human world. Quietly observing the flora and fauna of the local fields and forests has taught me to pay attention to the wonders and magic nature offers. For me, her reliable rhythms and instinctual patterns can always be

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Arlene Davies-Fuhr

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Arlene Davies-Fuhr’s reflection and poem “Some Days.” My poem, “Some Days” was recently composed during Forest Church.  The surroundings reached out to me and asked me to ponder what type of day I was having.  A Robin one?  Or a bug under the stone experience?  I felt called  to embrace it all, no matter what, because the variety in life is stunningly beautiful.  And I know my Creator and Sustainer is ever-present with me.  Some Days Some

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Meg Munro

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Meg Munro’s reflection and paintings on her relationship with the Beloved Mother-Virgin. I had been despairing that my passion for painting was waning and being replaced with my spiritual longings and pilgrimages. How could this be when I had focused my whole life on being an artist? The two felt separate and in conflict. Then, in an inspired moment, it occurred to me to put Guadalupe in my painting.  That is how the Beloved Mother-Virgin came into

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Sharon Dawn Johnson

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Sharon Dawn Johnson’s reflection Yearning For Second Spring. Seasonal Thresholds Aroused at first light, the sun peeps over nearby urban rooftops as I open the curtain – rejoicing to greet the Spring Equinox, a thin place for threshold crossings. Greeting the liturgical Hour of Dawn is unusual for me – despite my middle name. What awaits me today? My mind scurries ahead to my fibre arts group meeting. My current artwork-in-process, Yearning For Second Spring, is mostly complete now, I estimate. Following

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Christina Lelache

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Christina Lelache’s reflection and photo essay on the community of wildflower saints. Early in 2022, I began to feel a need for a new way to connect with God on Sunday mornings. My point of contact for many years had been through attending worship at church, often in a leadership role. I had stepped away from attending Sunday services when I began my leave of absence from pastoral ministry, and although my spirit breathed a sigh of

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jason M. Deutsch

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jason M. Deutsch’s reflection and poem “Whispers Beneath the Sacred Tree.” “Men, driven by fear, go to many a refuge, to mountains and forests, to groves and sacred trees,” said the Buddha. “But that is not a safe refuge … a man is not delivered from all pains after having gone to that refuge.” It’s very tempting to envision a life without any external noise or disruption. But to be a monk in the world seems to

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