(If this is your first Sabbatical Post Script, and you're like "Where are #1-23?" -
they were sent out through our Weekly E-News. We've moved them to our website, because not everyone has working e-mail right now, and folks were missing reading Pastor Emilia's reflections about her time in Scotland.)
they were sent out through our Weekly E-News. We've moved them to our website, because not everyone has working e-mail right now, and folks were missing reading Pastor Emilia's reflections about her time in Scotland.)
Greetings Beloved in Christ,
Welcome to the first Sabbatical Post Script on the First Cong. Church, Concord UCC website! I hope you continue to enjoy reading my Scotland reflections through this medium. Please feel free to share these reflections with anyone that you feel might enjoy them.
Without further adieu - Welcome to Nairn Beach, on the Moray Firth coast of Moray County, Scotland! I visited the town of Nairn on a drizzly-cloudy Sunday afternoon in July.
I PICKED Nairn...because the name reminded me of Narnia. Yep, I am an Aslan fan, through and through. :)
I fell in love with the beach at Nairn and was amazed to find, once again, how different it is from the MANY other beaches I visited along the southern edge of the Moray Firth.
In particular I could NOT get enough of the ROCK formations on the beach! It was so unique (to me) and looked a bit like lava flow -
Welcome to the first Sabbatical Post Script on the First Cong. Church, Concord UCC website! I hope you continue to enjoy reading my Scotland reflections through this medium. Please feel free to share these reflections with anyone that you feel might enjoy them.
Without further adieu - Welcome to Nairn Beach, on the Moray Firth coast of Moray County, Scotland! I visited the town of Nairn on a drizzly-cloudy Sunday afternoon in July.
I PICKED Nairn...because the name reminded me of Narnia. Yep, I am an Aslan fan, through and through. :)
I fell in love with the beach at Nairn and was amazed to find, once again, how different it is from the MANY other beaches I visited along the southern edge of the Moray Firth.
In particular I could NOT get enough of the ROCK formations on the beach! It was so unique (to me) and looked a bit like lava flow -
For those who know me, you know that they HAD to be awesome rock formations in order to take my eyes off of the water for any long stretch of time.
And they were, and I did - I spent the WHOLE walk down the length of the beach looking down at the amazing patterns created in the rock by the water, sand, wind, and time...
They delighted me - completely. I was grinning and talking to myself and God about the Divine creativity. I barely noticed that I kept putting the hood of my hoodie up and down with the rise and fall of the intensity of the drizzle.
I was also delighted by the people on the beach around me as I walked.
Swimmers
"Sun" bathers
Children - laughing, running, crying, building sand creations, collecting shells and rocks.
Adults - talking, meditating, walking, playing catching with children, walking dogs.
I am in my happy place when I get to be in my own head while observing and delighting in the world around me. What do you see in the rocks?
And they were, and I did - I spent the WHOLE walk down the length of the beach looking down at the amazing patterns created in the rock by the water, sand, wind, and time...
They delighted me - completely. I was grinning and talking to myself and God about the Divine creativity. I barely noticed that I kept putting the hood of my hoodie up and down with the rise and fall of the intensity of the drizzle.
I was also delighted by the people on the beach around me as I walked.
Swimmers
"Sun" bathers
Children - laughing, running, crying, building sand creations, collecting shells and rocks.
Adults - talking, meditating, walking, playing catching with children, walking dogs.
I am in my happy place when I get to be in my own head while observing and delighting in the world around me. What do you see in the rocks?
In case you're wondering - yes, I did eventually look up. When I got to the "end" of beach, I went up to the sidewalk above the beach and gazed out at the water and took in the wider view of my surroundings.
Like the hotel golf course, the two ice cream places, the gym, and the park next to the parking lot for the beach. There were hundreds of people enjoying a moment of rest and peace and play. And just like the rocks, I loved taking time to delight in how unique we all are, and similar all at the same time. Divine creativity, endless, endless...
With our "developed" frontal cortex, we humans have the ability to cherish or fear the endless creativity that God has made. As a white women - I am sick to death of listening to other white people tell me that ANYTHING in Divine Creativity is "disgusting."
I am learning how to steward my own outrage while looking at the tidal wave of prejudice and discriminatory acts that are flowing, due to COVID-19. I am learning how to steward the outrage of my fellow human beings who are crying out in pain and agony from the CRUSHING force of racist local, state, and federal policies and laws.
Beneath my outrage is a deep love for all that the Divine has created.
Like the hotel golf course, the two ice cream places, the gym, and the park next to the parking lot for the beach. There were hundreds of people enjoying a moment of rest and peace and play. And just like the rocks, I loved taking time to delight in how unique we all are, and similar all at the same time. Divine creativity, endless, endless...
With our "developed" frontal cortex, we humans have the ability to cherish or fear the endless creativity that God has made. As a white women - I am sick to death of listening to other white people tell me that ANYTHING in Divine Creativity is "disgusting."
I am learning how to steward my own outrage while looking at the tidal wave of prejudice and discriminatory acts that are flowing, due to COVID-19. I am learning how to steward the outrage of my fellow human beings who are crying out in pain and agony from the CRUSHING force of racist local, state, and federal policies and laws.
Beneath my outrage is a deep love for all that the Divine has created.
Abba...forgive us our debilitating greed, fear, and lack of self-esteem as a nation. Fill us with your love - to overflowing.
It is up to each of us to tend to our own personal healing AND to support one another, in community, AND to help to make sure that mental health services are available for EVERYONE. No one should be left alone in their physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain.
In the words of Rev. Rachael Keefe, "God doesn't need us to save souls - pretty sure that God's got that covered. God has only ever asked us to help save lives."
Blessings on your journey,
Pastor Emilia
It is up to each of us to tend to our own personal healing AND to support one another, in community, AND to help to make sure that mental health services are available for EVERYONE. No one should be left alone in their physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain.
In the words of Rev. Rachael Keefe, "God doesn't need us to save souls - pretty sure that God's got that covered. God has only ever asked us to help save lives."
Blessings on your journey,
Pastor Emilia
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