Tag Archives: sabbath

A Stranger’s Voice

Posted on November 27, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

When Monday rolls around and I spent Sunday disconnected, I find things quite loud and hectic. I even find my voice loud and my mind hurried and harried, but I do find I am increasingly able to recognize this is the case in that moment.

I heard a voice–

At once, both

Familiar yet unfamiliar.

This voice–

Somehow too loud

Intruded upon the day.

Tried to lean in

Attempted to recognize

Where had I heard this stranger?

Suddenly,

Without warning

I recognized it!

It was mine–

Out of place

After a spacious silence.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath and tagged creativity, Mindful Practice, poetry, sabbath, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

End of Week

Posted on October 20, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Turn the soil

Plant the seeds

Offer precious food

Sustaining liquid

Nourish the spirit

A soul grows,

Buoyed–

A light shines

Reveals the path

With each step taken.

Breathe

Barely audible

Life giving

End of week arrives

I wait quietly,

I pause patiently,

I till tenderly,

Turn the soil

Plant the seeds

Take care.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath and tagged creativity, Mindful Practice, nature, poetry, sabbath, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

A Time of Rest

Posted on September 8, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy took this picture last weekend. They finished a day cleaning the farmhouse and it is livable. The sun, after a dreary day, appeared and the sky was awash with golden rays. I feel this way in the classroom. I love what I do. I am whole and find voice. I am a learner, a teacher, and the two are inseparable, but I remind my self to be mindful and give thanks.

Fleetingly framed

Trees against golden skyline

Nature paints day’s end.

Glorious moment

Sky awash with golden light

I am fulfilled.

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Posted in Community, Education, Haiku, Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Sabbath and tagged community, creativity, education, nature, sabbath, school, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Focus

Posted on September 1, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I keep blurry pictures. They remind me life is not always in sharp focus and there are times to step back, pause, and reflect.

The spirit wearies

A voice from within speaks

Seeks reflective time.

Quietly turn inward

Listen to an inner voice

Seek counsel and wisdom.

Pay homage and celebrate

While pain reveals character

New paths carved into wilderness.

Cherish each moment’s gift

Arrival and departure

Grateful for life.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Photography, Reflective Moments, Sabbath and tagged Mindful Practice, photography, poetry, Rocky Mountains, sabbath, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

On the Edge

Posted on August 25, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy and I are back on the road this morning. It will be Monday before I post again. I disconnect to reconnect. I feel on the edge at this time of the week and summer. I go back to work next Wednesday and, for the first time in my career, I am not looking forward to going back. I am on the edge and find faith in something other than me.

Each step

Brings me to the edge.

Uncertain balance

On the edge.

Instability dances with stability

Harsh with the gentle.

Quiet the self

Hear the soul’s gentle words.

A still space reveals wisdom

A spirit of Faith.

Look forward;

Look down.

Go forward

Accept hands proffered in similar Faith.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath, Uncategorized and tagged creativity, Mindful Practice, nature, poetry, Rocky Mountains, sabbath, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Fireweed

Posted on August 18, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I am off for my Sabbath and perhaps an extra day. Kathy and I are going to British Columbia via Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park. I suspect there will be some pictures forthcoming. My mother celebrates her 88th birthday and it is an important event each year. She is the last of her generation in our family.

Fireweed is a common plant which grows in temperate areas of North America. It is hardy and is often planted in areas which are disturbed i.e. fire or oil spills. I am using it to carry me into my Sabbath and help heal the spirit.

It’s common enough

Beside paths I traverse

Lights the path homeward.

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Posted in Haiku, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath, Uncategorized and tagged haiku, Mindful Practice, nature, poetry, sabbath, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Pensive Pirate

Posted on August 5, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Several months ago, Francesca at Words/Love provided advice for aspiring writers. She advised other writers to keep pen and paper close at hand. More and more, I do this. This morning, about 6:00, I woke up with poetry on my mind. I scrambled, grabbed writing gear, and jotted ideas down. I hope I can flesh the ideas out over the next few days.

It is during unexpected times or quiet moments I find creativity. Kathy surreptitiously took this picture at Kootenai Lake in Glacier National Park. I was feverishly scribbling ideas that had popped up during the hike. It was easy in those surroundings. I hope to continue now that we are home.

Pensive pirate pauses

Revitalize one’s spirit

Serenity sought.

I will see you on Monday; oki until then.

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Posted in Haiku, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Sabbath and tagged aspiring writers, Glacier National Park, haiku, Rocky Mountains, sabbath, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

International Peace Park

Posted on July 30, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy and I wanted to travel down to Glacier National Park, Montana, but the logistics were challenging. We put this on the back burner this year and traveled to Waterton Lakes National Park in the southwest corner of Alberta. The two parks combine and form the first International Peace Park and are often called the Crown of the Continent, but there is no easy way to see both without a lot of traveling or so we thought. Luck intervened and we found our way down to Glacier National Park.

In national parks you can get up close and personal with the wildlife. They are still wild and skittish, but as long as you are careful they stay and. I took this picture just outside the ticket offices for the boat tours. She grazed, let several of us take pictures, and we were within a couple of metres (five or six feet) of her.

Oh my dear, it’s a deer.

We were able to travel to Glacier via an alternate mode of transportation: a boat. This is the US International, an 85-year-old boat, that makes four round trips on Waterton Lake to the south end. Part way through the trip, we crossed into the US and Kathy and I chose to stay for a couple of hours to do some hiking.

An icon of Waterton is the Prince of Wales Hotel. It was built in 1927 and overlooks the lake. It is open from mid-June until mid-September. We have missed it on other trips due to traveling in the off-season, but this year we are stopping for ‘high tea.’ This is a view from the boat.

When Kathy and I got to the US port of entry at Goat’s Haunt, we stayed and hiked into a small alpine lake called Kootenai. It is about an 8 km walk (5 miles) and took about 2.5 hours. This is the ranger station and border crossing. We showed passports and answered routine questions.

This is a view from the path along the way.

Nature’s cathedral

Light dances with shadows below

A benediction.

This was a small stream we passed over twice. The flow of water has worn the rock flat. Nature is rich with paradox.

Life’ rapid current

Smoothing and shining rough edges

Until next rough spot.

We are off for another day of adventure.

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Posted in Haiku, Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged Glacier National Park, glacier national park montana, international peace park, Mindful Practice, poetry, Rocky Mountains, sabbath, teacher as transformer, waterton lakes national park. Bookmark the permalink.

Sabbath in Waterton Lakes National Park

Posted on July 29, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Shimon who posts at The Human Picture left a comment on my post Sabbath’s Circle. I am grateful for his explanation of the roots of the word ‘sabbath’ which indicates sitting. It is always good to know what the roots of words are so when we use them we understand them more fully and, when I sit with something in quiet time, it finds its way into my practice.

Kathy and I will drive to Waterton Lakes National Park and I will enjoy my day of disconnecting in a place that is important to us. We spent part of our honeymoon there and it is a special place for us. I am looking forward to spending time in a special place full of God’s many gifts. We are not sure what we will do, but the next 3 days we will just let intuition guide us.

This is a view from about 50 km (30 miles) away from what we will be re-exploring.

I will have more to post when I return on Monday.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Reflective Moments, Uncategorized and tagged Mindful Practice, nature, outdoors, Rocky Mountains, sabbath, travel, vacation, waterton lakes national park. Bookmark the permalink.

Sabbaths by Wendell Berry

Posted on July 23, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

What do I gain from taking a break; disconnect to reconnect? I think this poem speaks volumes. Jay F. Smith contributed the idea for this poem along with a brief reflective essay in Leading from Within.

In his essay, Rev. Smith indicated the Sabbath mood is “a mood resulting from a deep sense of knowing that no matter what the immediate visible, tangible, measurable ‘results’ may be, [something bigger than me] God is at work in the world” (p. 114).

Whatever is foreseen in joy

Must be lived out from day to day.

Vision held open in the dark

By our ten thousand days of work.

Harvest will fill the barn; for that

The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

And yet no leaf or grain is filled

By work of ours; the field is tilled

And left to grace. That we may reap,

Great work is done while we’re sleeping.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood

Rests on our day, and finds it good.

Berry, W. (2007). Sabbaths. In S. M. Intrator and M. Scribner (Eds.), Leading from within: Poetry that sustains the courage to lead (pp. 115). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.