Peaceful, Centered + Connected
When I was first introduced to Centering Prayer, over a decade ago, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was finding 20 minutes to sit in quiet solitude. My home was full of kid energy - 20 minutes might as well have been 20 hours with a toddler and a pre-teen. I remember the frustration I would feel as I would get settled on the floor of my room, back supported by the wall, breathing slowly, eyes closing, sacred word at the ready, and then all of a sudden the bedroom door would fling open and I’d be yanked out of quiet time to address some concern of a little one.
Perhaps it was those early moments of finding a rhythm and flow for spiritual practice that continues to draw me to what and how we meet and define the interruptions of life. As I grew beyond a Centering Prayer practitioner to a teacher, I often hear echoes of the frustrations of my early days in the modern-day challenges faced by those I work with. The frustration of carving out time for yourself and God and then...
The solicitor rings the doorbell.
The neighbor revs up the lawnmower.
The puppy turns your new shoes into chew toys.
A relationship ends.
The teenager just can’t make it through the school day, and they’re not sure why.
A loved one falls ill.
What you had planned brushes up against the calls and activity of your world.
Here’s what opened my heart when it comes to how I view interruptions.
While attending the Living School Symposium, Father Rohr’s watch started beeping in the middle of an interview. He was mid-sentence when the alert on his wrist drew his attention to the device wrapped around his arm. His gaze met his watch, he pushed a button, the noise stopped, and he giggled a bit as he explained how the watch was part of a system designed to remind him of the things he needs to do to take care of himself...like take medication. His gaze eventually returned to the interviewer as he pondered where they had left off, and then he fell right back into the interview. His dog, Opie, would also make frequent unannounced visits to the stage, having no regard for the planned programming. These moments became almost as impactful to me as the content of the symposium itself, and I found myself intrigued by how the facilitators responded to the interruptions, as they were turning into a place of joy for me.
So during one of the Q&As with the staff, I asked about these interruptions as a way to get a more in-depth look behind the curtains of these times when things didn’t go as planned, and I asked, “Are there any other moments from over the years that you can share with us where interruptions to what you all had planned stick out in your memory?”
Gigi Ross, (Learning Experience Manager for the CAC) was the one to respond. “What makes you think they’re interruptions? Who told you that?”
WAIT - WHAT?
This changed everything. What Gigi did was snap me back into the reality of the present moment. What if there are no interruptions? What if instead of seeing interruptions as interruptions, I held a new perspective and saw these events as one thing - my life? Is an interruption STILL time with God?
The door flings open, and God is here.
The solicitor rings the doorbell, and God is here.
The neighbor revs up the lawnmower, and God is here.
The puppy turns your new shoes into chew toys, and God is here.
A relationship ends, and God is here.
The teenager just can’t make it through the school day, and they’re not sure why, and God is here.
A loved one falls ill, and God is here!
Isn’t this why I yearn for moments of quiet stillness?
To support the realization that my life is actually the place where spiritual practice becomes embodied. That my life is the place where God resides?
And you? What interruptions may be asking to be redefined in your life? Reply and let me know.
With you on the journey.
Grace + Ease,
Tia
A New Way to See the Good News
A new way to see the Good News offers a short passage that may offer a fresh perspective or insight into the ancient collection of poems, letters, and stories known as the Bible.
"So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
⎻ John 5:16-17
A Breath Prayer
Pause. Take a moment. Find your breath. Close your eyes.
Inhale: Jesus, meet me here
Exhale: In what I did not expect
Visiting Together 1:1 in the New Year
As I look ahead, I’m opening up space for a limited number of one-on-one sessions starting in January. If you’re interested in working together the New Year, I’d love to connect. The booking window will close in December, so please reach out before then by replying to this email if you’d like to reserve a spot or secure our monthly visits by clicking below.
 |
12-month Spiritual Guidance Journey
This one-on-one guidance is designed to support you as you nurture your inner life and explore questions that matter... Read more |
