Seeking and Finding

"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been away for three weeks now. I am ready to come home. It is not that I am not having fun where I am, because I am. I have been doing all sorts of interesting and meaningful activities. I have borne the fruits of an 8-day silent retreat. I have spent time with good friends, discussing a myriad of fascinating topics. I have enjoyed learning how to geo-cache and finding the hidden treasure as in the photo above. Yesterday, we celebrated my friend's youngest son's birthday party with a safari theme. I spent the morning, chatting with her neighbours who are avid photographers. I learned several new techniques that I can now put to use immediately.

I think what I am ready for now is some silence again to sort through what I gleaned on my retreat. I need a long walk on the beach to integrate what I discovered into an action plan. Once I plot that course, I will need the courage to stay true to what my inner compass reveals. I think a number of decisions that need to be made are clearer to me and I need to just be still again in order to make them and then gather the resolve to keep them. My life has grown somewhat unmanageable and I have drifted from my centre. My task will be to identify what the next year will bring to me and for me and not to let others distract me from where my calling lies. I can be swayed by critics who want me to do something good. Choosing between two goods is always my trouble as a former spiritual director once pointed out to me.

I hope to find the treasure of the inner work this summer, cling to it, and smile. What has been the gift you have received this summer?

Peace,

Suzanne