"What if winter is a midwife?" Oooo...I'm going to be pondering this for many winters to come. Such a beautiful essay, Shannon!
Also, it makes me so happy to see a Catholic offering a couples' retreat that is open-armed to LGBTQ couples. I can only imagine how few opportunities there are like this. ❤️
So happy to have you here, Mary. And please do spread the word to any couple you think might enjoy this retreat. I would love for it to meet a true need!
“There was something about the abundant life hidden in the deceptive appearance of barrenness that nourished my soul.” 😭 🙌🏽 YES.
Also, having stepped away from church several years ago, I miss all things rest and ritual of Advent. This year, it WAS the countdown to the Big Show. I’d love to know what you recommend for reading, even ritual during this season, so I can ready for next year. I also so appreciate your hope for the year’s beginning months. I do feel more dialed in, more in tune with the Sacred in all things when fewer distractions are tapping me on the shoulder, a gift of winter.
Hey Melinda! So my honest thought is that Advent will always inevitably be something of a countdown to Christmas, and that's OK too. But there is also a great opportunity for it to be a spiritual practice in and of itself. Paraclete Press has a great Advent book called All Creation Waits that I just continue to find rich and new every single year. Also just simply taking a few minutes (or even up to 30) to light a candle and sit in the darkness. Its a powerful ritual with or without prayer or meditation. This year we did it as a family a few times a week and while our little kids could only last 1 minute, even that little bit felt like a deepening ritual that we could do together. Hope those ideas help!
Thank you for your reply. I'll check out the book. I love the candle ritual. We did a on the fly made up candle ritual at the turning of the new year and decided to tweak it and make it a family tradition. I love the idea of sitting in stillness. I do it each morning, but bringing the family in on seems like a beautiful invitation. Also--so looking forward to your upcoming books!
Shannon, your reflection reminded me of this Advent book my spiritual director had shared with our family. All Creation Awaits, have you read it? My kids talk about it every winter!
Yes! This is my favorite Advent book too! Honestly, its what got me thinking in this way a couple of years ago, it just needed time to germinate for me. Love knowing we're both using it!
I confess winter has far too often gotten to me. This year, I started to feel anxious early in the fall at the thought that winter was coming. My therapist and I went to work. We undid some trauma memories and rerouted my gut instincts. I am trying to have faith in winter, that it has its own gifts to bring me, rather than loathe the thought of it. These words are encouragement that it is possible.
Mmm that brings up a really good point about embodied memories and associations with seasons. I remember when that idea was first broached to me a few years ago from Christy Bauman with Womaneering. Not sure if she offers it anymore but at the time she had a calendar you could get and go in and mark the dates of traumatic or significant events in your life so that you could be aware when strong feelings started coming up at that time of year. So fascinating and helpful.
I'm a Minnesotan through and through, and this is how I've always felt about winter. I actually never liked the Narnia books as a kid because of the association that winter was bad!
What a grace to naturally move towards winter instead of away from it! I often call our backyard Narnia when it snows because we have this light post that takes me there every time it gets covered in white.
I've been the same way. It's definitely always been my least favorite time of year, but also, isn't that where the most room for growth always it? Our least favorite or hardest things?
"What if winter is a midwife?" Oooo...I'm going to be pondering this for many winters to come. Such a beautiful essay, Shannon!
Also, it makes me so happy to see a Catholic offering a couples' retreat that is open-armed to LGBTQ couples. I can only imagine how few opportunities there are like this. ❤️
So happy to have you here, Mary. And please do spread the word to any couple you think might enjoy this retreat. I would love for it to meet a true need!
“There was something about the abundant life hidden in the deceptive appearance of barrenness that nourished my soul.” 😭 🙌🏽 YES.
Also, having stepped away from church several years ago, I miss all things rest and ritual of Advent. This year, it WAS the countdown to the Big Show. I’d love to know what you recommend for reading, even ritual during this season, so I can ready for next year. I also so appreciate your hope for the year’s beginning months. I do feel more dialed in, more in tune with the Sacred in all things when fewer distractions are tapping me on the shoulder, a gift of winter.
Thank you for this!
Hey Melinda! So my honest thought is that Advent will always inevitably be something of a countdown to Christmas, and that's OK too. But there is also a great opportunity for it to be a spiritual practice in and of itself. Paraclete Press has a great Advent book called All Creation Waits that I just continue to find rich and new every single year. Also just simply taking a few minutes (or even up to 30) to light a candle and sit in the darkness. Its a powerful ritual with or without prayer or meditation. This year we did it as a family a few times a week and while our little kids could only last 1 minute, even that little bit felt like a deepening ritual that we could do together. Hope those ideas help!
Thank you for your reply. I'll check out the book. I love the candle ritual. We did a on the fly made up candle ritual at the turning of the new year and decided to tweak it and make it a family tradition. I love the idea of sitting in stillness. I do it each morning, but bringing the family in on seems like a beautiful invitation. Also--so looking forward to your upcoming books!
Shannon, your reflection reminded me of this Advent book my spiritual director had shared with our family. All Creation Awaits, have you read it? My kids talk about it every winter!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1612617859/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Yes! This is my favorite Advent book too! Honestly, its what got me thinking in this way a couple of years ago, it just needed time to germinate for me. Love knowing we're both using it!
I confess winter has far too often gotten to me. This year, I started to feel anxious early in the fall at the thought that winter was coming. My therapist and I went to work. We undid some trauma memories and rerouted my gut instincts. I am trying to have faith in winter, that it has its own gifts to bring me, rather than loathe the thought of it. These words are encouragement that it is possible.
Mmm that brings up a really good point about embodied memories and associations with seasons. I remember when that idea was first broached to me a few years ago from Christy Bauman with Womaneering. Not sure if she offers it anymore but at the time she had a calendar you could get and go in and mark the dates of traumatic or significant events in your life so that you could be aware when strong feelings started coming up at that time of year. So fascinating and helpful.
I'm a Minnesotan through and through, and this is how I've always felt about winter. I actually never liked the Narnia books as a kid because of the association that winter was bad!
What a grace to naturally move towards winter instead of away from it! I often call our backyard Narnia when it snows because we have this light post that takes me there every time it gets covered in white.
Thank you for these words, I will hold on to them this winter (note: my phone just autocorrected ‘winter’ to ‘wonder’- how appropriate!).
Now that's a good typo!
In my life, I've thought of January and February as the grey months, but you have taught me something new. Thank you.
I've been the same way. It's definitely always been my least favorite time of year, but also, isn't that where the most room for growth always it? Our least favorite or hardest things?
Beautiful. Thank you for this. 🌿
Thanks for taking the time to read.