living in light of eternity
This is not a sabbatical. No planning was involved, no packing, no welcome relief sweeping over us as we stepped away from the world. It’s a quarantine, and with our limited vocabulary, we’re pulling out words that we usually reserve for punishment: lockdown, grounding, solitary confinement. Could it be possible, even here, to cultivate a... Continue Reading →
"Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest." — Mark Buchanan "Sabbath observance invites us to stop. It invites us to rest. It asks us to notice that while we rest, the world continues without our help. It invites us to delight in the... Continue Reading →
Way back in 2002, my husband and I happily went to see the first of The Lord of the Rings movies. Aside from all of the swashbuckle and magic, the moment in the movie that struck me most forcibly was when old Bilbo, the hobbit, says that he is spread too thin, like butter scraped... Continue Reading →
Sixth grade class play. Sitting on the dusty stage, gazing across at the little red-headed boy. Who knew a heart could swell so big? Little kids and country singers know the secret of grand dreams, great loves, and gargantuan disappointments. You have to live with your whole heart. I have been learning again lately about... Continue Reading →
sabbatical 1645, "of or suitable for the Sabbath," from L. sabbaticus, from Gk. sabbatikos "of the Sabbath" (see Sabbath). Meaning "a year's absence granted to researchers" (originally one year in seven, to university professors) first recorded 1886 (the thing itself is attested from1880, at Harvard), related to sabbatical year (1599) in Mosaic law, the seventh... Continue Reading →
Catherine's Letters 