As I write this, the cherry blossoms are beginning to litter the streets like Carnival confetti and the daffodils are waving in full glory. Across the world, fighting rages on in Ukraine and Indian Residential School Survivors are at the Vatican seeking an apology from the Pope.  Our theme for this month of April is “Awakening”.  May people everywhere awaken to the bright, radical daylight truth that we are all intricately connected to each and every living being, and that any injustice or harm inflicted on people and on the planet, harms each of us. And may we stay woke. Don’t go back to sleep.

This reflection is from our monthly Soul Matters resource on Awakening

We all know what it was like. The world was alive once. When we were little. The trees whispered words. Animals spoke to us with their eyes. Playgrounds could become castles. The stars somehow told us we were special. Life could speak. The magic wasn’t imprisoned in childhood. We’ve all had adult moments when we’ve “come alive.” Wonderfully lost in our work, our creativity or a kiss. Time both stopped and was set on fire. It happened as well in moments of alignment. When our inner life and outer life fell into step. We were finally “us.” Everything was clear, and enough. There it was in the flower too. Actually in so many simple things: freshly baked bread, blackberries, a deer standing still staring at us without blinking, our children laughing. For those fleeting moments, we lacked nothing. We felt gifted beyond comprehension. We knew what “rich” really means. And it’s not that these moments of awakening don’t still happen. There’s just something about how we’ve got things organized that places a fog between them and us. It’s surprising actually – how easily we let dullness sink in, how often we allow life to be muted.

But there are always those memories. That whispering tree. That magic kiss. That moment of being true to ourselves. That priceless taste of blackberry juice on our tongue. They can be brought back. Yes, we forget what it feels like to be fully awake and for life to be fully alive. But forgetting means we can remember. It means we can help each other remember. And remembering opens a door for us to find our way back. So maybe the message this month isn’t simply, “Awaken!” but also, “Remind!” We need to tell our stories so others remember theirs. We need to take each other back in time, so we can fully inhabit our present. It’s no small thing. On our own, we are so easily convinced being wide awake was a delusion, so easily fooled into thinking that life never really felt that good or seemed so clear. But with help, we wake up. We remember what it is like for life to shimmer. And for us to shimmer too.

What is it that you want to awaken to this month? What is awakening in you? Is something keeping you from waking?  Welcome to the month of April. Spring is waking all around us!

 

Blessings,

 

Rev. Lara Cowtan

Interim Minister