Saying "Yes" in Hesitant Collage

Peaceful Monthly Reflections + Poem...1st Sundays are a free gift of peace

Hey, Friend!

Umm…it’s March. Can you believe it? I’m in Yorkshire in England where the flowers are blooming in snowdrops, crocus, daffodils…the dull winter is fading.

I feel for you if you’re still in the depths of winter (like a lot of my friends and family in Minnesota).

Whether you’re loving the summer sunshine Down Under, or you’re under the heap of blizzard, I want to invite you into a moment of peaceful reflection today.

It’s been my practice now for a few years to process life through reflecting on a specific set of questions.
1. Who is in your life?
2. What are you listening to?
3. What are you reading?
4. What are you eating?
5. What are you creating?

Be grateful for petals of Beauty + Growing Peace.

I thought I’d share this with you as I’m processing my own life at the moment. Maybe you’ll be inspired to pause and reflect on your life, what God might be speaking to you about, and notice what your prayers have been…or what you’ve been hesitant to pay attention to.

So, here we go.

Who is in your life?
My friend, Andrea. She and I have been talking on the phone for years, every Thursday with very few exceptions. We talk about our families, we talk about what’s painful in our growth. We talk about the work we’re doing and how we pray to God that we’ve made the best decisions and how we’re desperate to trust God more with all the things that feel uncertain up ahead…and we talk about what we don’t understand. Each week, because of how we’ve practiced listening well to each other and asking hard questions, we have a routine of steady reflection. It’s one of my favourite parts of the week.

What are you listening to?
Birds. I’m practicing listening to the birds. I have an app that I’ll whip out on my phone to quick record some birdsong to learn what those sounds are and what feathered friend belong to them. The other night I fumbled with my phone as I got out of my car and the bird—and owl, I think—stopped hoot/cooing as soon as I pressed record. So the owner of that voice remains a mystery, but I’m still listening.

What are you reading?
Surrender to Love by David Benner. I’m taking my time through this one. I’m training to become a spiritual director and part of the work I’m doing is to read and process my experience with this book.
Benner writes, “The courage to face unpleasant aspects of our inner self comes from feeling deeply loved. It also comes from the assurance that we are safe. Our gaze needs to go back and forth between divine love and our fears. We gain courage to face our fears as we soak in love.”
There’s a lot of deep work here that is revealing a lot of fears that are surfacing for me. And, a lot of realisation that I struggle to rest peacefully, to believe for real how loved I am by God (and other gifts of humans in my life…like you). How easily do you feel like you can receive the goodness of God?

What are you eating?
Deli ham and blueberries. It’s a bit random, but over the last few months I’ve been eating more intentionally (not “perfectly). Since September I’ve lost over a stone (that’s 14lbs…I don’t know the kilograms—I’ll let you do the maths if you need to). Part of what I’m trying to be peaceful about is the process of making food, enjoying eating, planning meals and shopping, washing the dishes, and then doing it again…and again…I don’t even have kids and Max isn’t picky (except he hates soup, but I make that sometimes anyway)…but, it sometimes feels like an effort. So I’ve been asking, what if this was easy? And, I’ve put easy foods I can grab, like deli ham and blueberries, in the fridge. Sometimes I forget to eat, and then over eat later, so this helps in this season.

What are you creating?
Lots. Too much…peaceful practices. Intentional rhythms. Beauty that I can share. Life which offers peace and connection with God to myself and to you. And, I’m finishing stuff, too. I keep repeating to myself, “I am a peaceful finisher.”

Sharing often (like eating) is something I forget to do. Which is why I’m sharing here with you. I realise you don’t (thank goodness!) live inside my head, so you don’t see what I’m up to unless I share it with you. So yup.

One thing I’m creating is a less-avalanchey, more peaceful, place here online. So, I’m grateful for you to have read / listened this far. This is an invitation to Peace.

This is for you, lovely women of faith, to be invited each week into moments of peace through poetry, paintings, and reflective practices. Because daily, I read, laugh, smile, eat, drink tea & coffee, paint, daydream, train for marathons, practice yoga, or go for a circular walk…and because I’m committed to keeping my eyes up the waves of anxiety in my own soul’s sea and that of the world…you’re invited to practice being peaceful with me.

Another thing I’m creating is a beautiful mess through feeling afraid and doing it anyway. For me these days, that’s practicing collage.

This Collage consists of scribbled circles in brush pen, wax, and some other pencil I don’t know what the art supplies was, really. I just kinda grabbed it and got it out before I got too scared. I cut out circles and tore strips of an old copy of Gulliver’s Travels, cut strips of paper I drew on, and threw a crap ton of glue down. I was like a child, playing freely. I had to wash my hands a couple times to get rid of the glue…I think I managed to clean most of it off. It was fun and I’m excited about what might come from this and what God might be unlocking or softening in me as an artist and human, daughter of the King.

Well, I hope that this sharing was helpful for you. Vulnerability is a practice. While I’ve got sweaty armpits from sharing myself with you, even though I know you’re a lovely human woman of God, I still feel…vulnerable.

But, it’s good. So, thanks for being part of helping me grow.

Bonus questions I occasionally reflect on:
What questions are unanswered?
What is mine to hold?
Who do I need to be more honest with?
Where am I trying too hard?
What am I afraid of?

Here’s a photo of me on a morning walk, searching for Beauty and Peace to capture and share…drinking coffee, talking to Jesus about stuff…and although life is sooo super imperfect, walking continues to be a practice that invites me into peace.

…Do you have a walking practice?

Well, so I just wanted to say again that, hey! You’re invited! Into peace. I look forward to being with you. See you along the journey.

Molly

P.S. One more thing…I’ll leave you with a poem from my red book, Poems For My People: Community, Volume 1 that I wrote for a woman who longs to live out her faith in a real way. I love this poem. It feels like an anthem and I’m holding it as a prayer today. May her faith and my poem encourage you today.

“The YES Path”
By: Molly Ovenden

This straight and narrow path I’m called to–
This rhythm of daily showing up, too,
This anthem I teach my children,
This anthem I sing to you:
Here I am. I am Here with you.

In shadows I bring this torch,
This light that guides
Far enough illuminating.
Though some days I doubt,
I’m committed to staying without hesitation:
Here I am. I am Here with you.

In bright shining lights
This shame overwhelms,
This weird tug-of-war,
This “barely getting by.”
Here I am. I am Here with you.

Determined to focus
Determined to fly
Determined to freedom
Determined to glorify.
Here I am. I am Here with you.

This straight and narrow path I’m called to–
This rhythm of daily showing up, too,
This anthem: It is all for you!
Here I am. I am Here with you.

Next time…
I’ll be sharing a special moment of peace for Paid Subscribers: a peaceful prompt to grow: turning hopes into dreams + practice gratitude.

Thank you for joining me. Thank you for your peaceful presence.
Until next time, I shall leave you with an open invitation to peace.