So Far, So Good
We are in Aruba. My husband, my daughter and son-in-law, and my granddaughters. It is an annual pilgrimage, this journey to this small island; a sojourn to seek the sunshine, warmth and Divi breezes of the Caribbean for a few days. Of course, it is a much anticipated vacation, a break from the winter-clocked dark and cold. But for me, it is also a much anticipated time of refreshment, of soul-searching, of soul connection, of mindful focus. Vacation implies the emptying of mind, of routine, of the ordinary - in essence to “vacate” the life we are living for a few short days of refreshing, release, and rest.
All this is true, of course. But for me, there is always a dimension of renewal. Away from the daily routine of my work-world and of laundry and cooking and errands, my thoughts turn inward and I think about and revisit the year past, and see to the year coming, and take time to think about what needs changing, what could be better.
Many folks do this around New Year’s Day and for most years I refuse to do the “new year’s resolution” thing; it seems so pointless. It’s no secret that new year’s resolutions are made to be broken. But this year, I tried to be more focused on what could be better in 2020, and intentionally made some resolutions. I’m afraid it wasn’t all that successful - sitting here this morning, I can’t for the life of me remember what I resolved to do differently three weeks ago.
I have far greater success when I’m sitting by the ocean, the cadence of rolling surf and rustling palms providing a meditative chant for my mind and soul to give thanks for the past year’s blessings, and to see what needs changing for the coming year. My daily worries and trivial concerns seem far away, and my focus grows sharp. With rest, exercise and sunshine, my body and mind refreshed, I can see more clearly to better evaluate the past year in stark reality, and tune my focus to the coming weeks and months to what needs tweaking, adjusting- a slight turn of habit here, an adjusted expectation there. Nothing grand, mind you. It’s the small changes that are sustainable, not the grand gestures.
The photo today on the blog was taken on Sunday evening as my husband and I were walking the beach to dinner, anticipating the sunset that was sure to arrive in the next 20 minutes. This formation caught my eye, and I took a moment to capture the image. In biblical terms, this is an Ebenezer. In the Old Testament, the prophet Samuel built an altar to God to honor and thank Him for miraculously winning the battle when the Philistines attacked the Israelites at Mitzpah; he called the altar Ebenezer (the Stone of Help), because “so far has God helped us”(1 Sam 7:13). When my husband and I finished the outside renovations of our home on the shoreline of Connecticut, we had a house sign made: Our Ebenezer. It was an outward declaration that “so far had God helped us”; we declared our home an altar of thanksgiving to God.
Today’s Ebenezer will stand for the new things that will come this week as I think on my life, as I pray and anticipate what’s to come. I’m thinking of having it printed and framed, and put up near my prayer space, as another reminder that in all ways, through all my days, “so far has God helped me”.
