Love this Shannon! Brought me to tears this am. Thanks for this reflection. Here’s to hoping all (or most!) of our planted seeds sprout, flourish, and multiply!
I loved the show-not-tell description of how prayer can sometimes feel holy and sacred and sometimes simply be raw and human. The ritual is not more sacred than the unfiltered honesty, but I needed to be given permission to be fully and completely honest with God in prayer, so I appreciate the both/and description! The image of praying before your altar with candles and holy water juxtaposed with the anger, grief, and overall WTF that real life brings invites me to live in the contradictions of life and to be present in where I am and what I need. Do I need to yell at God? That is prayer. Do I need routine? That is prayer. Do I need both? That is prayer, too. All of us, all of our humanity, no matter what state we are in, can be brought before God, and you reminded me of that today. Thank you!
Also, “God is the child.” I will be pondering that reframing!
I loved hearing you read this beautiful essay Shannon, I'll save and come back to this. Or maybe ponder it when I'm gardening with my own kids. I love your image of God as the child gardener, planting with patient trust ❤️
Much beauty, wisdom, and honesty here. Appreciate that. But the f-bomb ruins it for me. I know usage of profanity is common nowadays. But I’m unashamedly of the generation that views it a crude cheap shot. Sorry. I’m outta here.
Damn, this is good. Shannon can write, Shannon is a writer. Thank you, Shannon.
Love this Shannon! Brought me to tears this am. Thanks for this reflection. Here’s to hoping all (or most!) of our planted seeds sprout, flourish, and multiply!
I loved the show-not-tell description of how prayer can sometimes feel holy and sacred and sometimes simply be raw and human. The ritual is not more sacred than the unfiltered honesty, but I needed to be given permission to be fully and completely honest with God in prayer, so I appreciate the both/and description! The image of praying before your altar with candles and holy water juxtaposed with the anger, grief, and overall WTF that real life brings invites me to live in the contradictions of life and to be present in where I am and what I need. Do I need to yell at God? That is prayer. Do I need routine? That is prayer. Do I need both? That is prayer, too. All of us, all of our humanity, no matter what state we are in, can be brought before God, and you reminded me of that today. Thank you!
Also, “God is the child.” I will be pondering that reframing!
I loved hearing you read this beautiful essay Shannon, I'll save and come back to this. Or maybe ponder it when I'm gardening with my own kids. I love your image of God as the child gardener, planting with patient trust ❤️
**Conversation with my 2.5 yr old**
Her: What are you doing daddy?
Me: I’m reading about gardening with children.
Her: Gar’ning? Chil’ren?
Me: Are you a children?
Her: I’m a Superman.
Me: You’re a Superman?
Her: Yeah, I’m a Superman.
Me: ok then
Speechless. Just had church.
Much beauty, wisdom, and honesty here. Appreciate that. But the f-bomb ruins it for me. I know usage of profanity is common nowadays. But I’m unashamedly of the generation that views it a crude cheap shot. Sorry. I’m outta here.
Your words of this experience with Oscar definitely draw a real-life picture of Philippians 4:8…. ♥️🙏🏻
Thank you for this - absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of Bill Staines’ song, “The Quiet Faith of God.” 🙏