SUMMER SERIES

Last Friday, Anna and I led a poetry reading for the final installment of our Summer Series in Cassandra and Tom Hancock's living room to celebrate the life and work of the patron poet of the Episcopal Church, Mary Oliver. I opened with a poem as a prayer from Pádraig Ó Tuama: "This is the day that the Lord has made and a day we’ll have to make our way through.” I had spent the morning isolating poems out of Mary Olliver's collections. Friday evening we read through 28 of the selected poems. “I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass …” Midway through, I read a poem from Naomi Shihab Nye (a poet who saw in humans what Mary saw in creation) followed by a poem from Rumi (who she deeply felt was a companion in the field). We ended with A Blessing by James Wright, “Suddenly I realize that if I stepped out of my body I would break into blossom.” The power of attention on display was beautiful. 

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Summer Series as we stepped in sync with Father Andrew and Anita's sabbatical. We timed these events over the summer to be in spirit with their adventures. From the kick-off in May with an evening beach Eucharist where we received stones with intentions on them, flew kites, and swam, to a museum event at the Boca Historical Museum, to a silent day retreat at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, to an evening of poetry in a living room - we celebrated the gift of our church community in all aspects of God's creation. 

So much spiritual food was offered by some many parishioners this summer. Thank you all for the gift of your presence. This will definitely be a series to repeat! 

In Christ,

Fr. Ben+