Artistic Afternoons: Morning and midday this week, we’ll be spending time with poems that can be read as a spiritual practice. But in the afternoons is when playtime comes—we’re going to *write* poems as a spiritual practice! One of the spiritual practices we know we need more is learning to be present in our moments—not rushing through our lives without experiencing them—because that one moment is where we are, and where God is, and where we meet. Poetry can help with this. Begin by simply describing what is around you. Lean into every one of your senses and attend to what is there, right now, in this moment. What do you hear? Pause to listen for a minute, if you don’t know right away. Even if it’s the TV in the other room or your own breath, begin to write a list poem that simply describes this moment in detail. You may find yourself shifting from awareness of the outside world to the one within and all you’re sensing there as well (or not!). Whatever comes, simply write it out, line by line. No need for rhyme or meter or poetic form as we enter in here—only the attentive presence poets bring to their world. What do you discover as you name your sense experience? How does connecting with this moment reorient you to the important “stuff” of life? What if you wrote a quick list like this every day at some point, as a spiritual practice of being-present to the moment God is present to you in? (And, if you're feeling brave, share yours in the comments! Let's share our glimpses into these single moments in our worlds, that all connect in one way or another. Let it be a community expression of where we are in our lives, with God.)

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2023-07-31 20:30:53 UTC