“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” – Kahlil Gibran

From our Soul Matters theme of “Play” for the month of June

We all are playing.
Playing it up, playing it down, trying to play fair.
Playing for keeps, playing favorites, playing it safe,
sometimes too safe.
He plays hardball; They’re playing house; I’m playing it by ear,
or at least learning to play it by ear.
She’s tired of playing second fiddle; He’s playing right into their hands. Please God, can’t we all just throw out the playbook and start again? Sometimes we’re just played out; it’s not always bad to play possum. And what about playing with fire?
Let’s hope so friends.
Don’t you want to feel again that burning within,
and let it loose?

As we move towards the Solstice and summertime, this month has many important milestones to be recognised: Father’s Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, The Stonewall Riot anniversary, and Pride Month.  The Solstice marks a tipping point of the earth, from moving towards the light of the Sun to moving away from it and recognises the need for balance, for holding both the light and the dark. So too the Cultural Holidays we will mark have different sides. Sometimes joyful remembrances and sometimes painful.  Holding too tightly to only one side, or one story or one memory or context, limits our understanding and ability to grow, to learn, to change and develop new relationships in the world and with ourselves.  May this month of Play bring out the inner child in us all, to be able to see with new eyes, hear with open minds, try out new ways of thinking and doing, to find joy in places where there is also discomfort or pain, to smile through our tears. Let us move through the world with renewed energy and maybe even a light skip in our step, seeking out things that make us smile or even laugh. Let us remember how to play.

Welcome to the month of play. May we all take it seriously!

– Rev Lara. Cowtan