A Seat of Solace

 

    Recently the old rocking chair in my room with a wayward spring was replaced by a new rocker. As I looked at different styles I thought about the wooden rocker at my parent’s house, the glider in the community room, even the rocking chairs while waiting to get into Cracker Barrell. I thought about replacing the old rocker with a different type of chair but came back again and again to the wooden legs and rhythm of rocking back and forth.

     Rocking chairs have long been a refuge in my life through different homes and circumstances. The soothing rhythm slows my breathing and grounds me.  Rocking chairs remind me of conversations in the living rooms of friends or talking on porches into the twilight hours. Rockers provided seats of healing following surgery or recovery from illness.
            

Since I’ve been working from home due to the pandemic I often pray in the morning from my rocker, a hot cup of coffee close at hand.  It is where I bring to God my gratitude, my searching and all which plays and sometimes weighs heavy upon my heart.  My prayer recently is messy and often bears petitions and questions which are not quickly resolved. Even in the mess, I rock and I’m soothed, my trust reinforced that God is there listening and at work in ways I cannot yet imagine.
      
        We each need a space to go where we can find solace and grounding. That space often comes to represent something much bigger and broader than the physical space we dwell.  It is where we meet God, ourselves and come to attempt to make sense of the wild, wonderful and often perplexing world in which we live. It is also a space where we connect with others through laughter, stories, and musings that weave into the conversation of friends.  I am grateful for the many rocking chairs through the years which have provided solace and connection to others. I encourage you take a moment to visit or appreciate the seats of solace you find in your life which bring you grounding and connection.  Blessings!

                    Sr. Kimberly Porter, OSB

A model for tribute, prayer and process

     

I attended a funeral recently that was introduced with a tribute written by one of the daughters of a man who was 93. He had recently suffered a major stroke.  She was inspired to write this as she sat with him one night. With her permission I share part of it.

I never saw my father dying

Instead I saw a family tirelessly

caring for a father they adored.

I never saw my father dying

Instead I saw respect and admiration

from friends whose lives he enriched.

. . . I never saw my father dying

Instead I saw Love.

Such a beautiful tribute! I have reflected on it often.  I love the content and the format resonated with me. It is a beautiful way to live with difficult situations, to process encounters of significance,  and to inspire prayer.  With  gratitude and humility, I offer a few  examples.

Connecting with the news

I do not see the pile of debris in the Florida building collapse.

Instead I see lives lost and dreams shattered.

I do not see the pile of debris in the Florida building collapse.

Instead I see the dedication and jeopardy of first responders and  generous citizens.

I do not see the pile of debris in the Florida building collapse.

Instead I see a mayor who cares and a country holding its breath.  . . .

Perhaps a remedy for negative judgement

I never saw her outburst of anger.

Instead I saw a frustrated, overworked, unsupported woman. 

I never saw her outburst of anger.

Instead I saw a woman doing her best to love her children.  . . .. .

Grateful for our natural world.

I do not see the brown ends of tree branches.

Instead I see Nature producing new life for those pesky little cicadas .

I do not see the brown ends of tree branches.

Instead I see relief from noise and freedom from discarded body parts.  . . .

May you likewise be inspired.

                Sr. Mary Rabe, OSB