COMING INTO GLAD TIDINGS

I am the workshop attendee type. It's the doing that attracts me. I've been in peace groups, centering prayer circles, writing huddles,  six week singing courses, and painting clay pots for Advent bazaars gatherings. Consequently, when a message came in to mark my calendar for an event at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, an affirming, inclusive sort of place with a Moravian star hanging high in the rafter over the altar, I did so mark my calendar. A man who had known Fr. Thomas Keating led us on this particular day. Fr. Thomas Keating is revered by Roman Catholics for his  books on contemplative practices. I first came across him in Roanoke, Virginia where a friend had some of his meditations. I borrowed Open Mind Open Heart and began calling her up to recite a page on her answering machine which she appreciated. Such a pleasant way for me to feel useful!

The session began with a song composed by the Monks of Western Priory and then we were introduced to a woman from Epiphany Episcopal Church who would lead us in art explorations. There were pastel boxes provided and paper. In the background, soft sacred music played. The highlight was to make a mandala keeping in mind the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace. In the center of our drawings would be the light. She spoke about the whole--light and shadow. She said to pick a color which spoke to us or we could use all the colors. Mine surprised me--oh! the inner depths we have we didn't know about! I titled my mandala Tree of Living with the subheading, Street art of a soaring spirit. The pastels made the strokes delicate, free and I chose green, the color of hope and environmental stewardship. I was done so quickly, she asked me quietly if I would like to do another. I said no. I figured I had had my say. The other participants used the entire forty minutes and all the colors. Their mandalas were beautiful and individual, a true revelation of their personalities. We explained in the closing minutes what had been important to us. I had to leave before the end and was sorry but I had an appointment. Curiously, I thought I would come up with a poem about the beauty of silence or doing but it wasn't the case. Perhaps my heart had been set free with the green lines let loose in my mandela. I have written a Christmas poem every year since I was sixteen. They vary greatly in topic and form. I'm glad that this year's reflects my mood. It's haiku for simplicity and peace/love/joy/hope pops up in its attitude:

Winter is coming!

Red birds sing in snowy boughs

on holiday cards.