Our little bout of Indian Summer has ended and the temps are back down in the forties.
It has been a lovely fall, but it is definitely time to begin putting the Vicarage to bed for the winter and doing all that needs to be done to get the forest garden ready for….next Spring. Today I will take the walls off of the prayer tent.
And I hope to get at least some of the garden furniture stowed away in the cellar.
I also have about forty bulbs to plant in the side garden by the pet cemetery.
Usually things get quieter out in the garden as the winter sets in. Somehow I think this long winter’s nap is going to be a busy gardening season, as we get ready for next year’s planting.
This sabbatical has definitely been different from the last one I participated in. As I look back on it now I see that the pillars have been a bit different and I also see why they had to be different for God’s plan to be carried out during this time.
Of course prayer and Bible study was a pillar last time too, but this time I have been led to lay down between five and seven hours of prayer and Bible study most days. I have been reading the Bible cyclically. I am reading Genesis and then the next book of the Bible in order and then Genesis again.
The second pillar was rest breaks.
I attended the Fall Fest in Winchendon.
I went with my kids to Hollis Farms. I took lots of walks and many trips to Starbucks. I ate out quite a few times, and I binge watched The Rings of Power. At the end of this time I am going away to The SNEMN (Southern New England Ministry Network) Pastor’s Retreat on Cape Cod with my daughter Amandal.
The third pillar was new voices.
There were several new voices that spoke into my life this time around. Some of the voices I planned on hearing. Others came as quite a surprise.
I laid out sermon series, wrote budgets, finished ordination paperwork and even worked on missions methodology this month.
This sabbatical has definitely been more active than my last. I feel more connected to what is going on around me than I did last time, less sequestered. It has been good. It has been productive. It has been marginally relaxing. It has been vastly different than what I thought it would be. But I think that is OK.
It is going to take me a while to sift through all that the Lord has shown me during this sabbatical. One of the things I have been contemplating heavily is the stage of life I am in now. John Eldredge talks about the six stages of manhood: boy, cowboy/ranger, warrior, lover, king, and sage.
I am not sure the stages are cut and dried like steps on a stairway. I feel as if they undulate like the currents of the ocean, and that men move and back and forth between certain stages as they pass through their days. In some areas of my life I feel like I am in the “king” stage. In other areas of my life I feel like I have firmly entered the role of the “sage”.
For the first time in my life I feel like I have crossed into the arena of being “old”. That feeling is one of the things I am going to need to spend some time unpacking. It doesn’t feel bad, although there is a sense of loss that goes with it. Mostly it feels like something that I have long been waiting for is settling into place.
I think all the walking I have done during this sabbatical is partly responsible for this feeling. I have lost strength and stamina. I noticed it when I went to Hollis Hills the other day. I couldn’t keep up with the youngsters.
It has been a theme of the walks I have taken with the family this sabbatical. I used to take the lead. Now I am bringing up the rear. My son and I went for a walk last week and he had to slow his pace for me.
I know it’s a sign that I need to start being more mindful of my physical condition. One of the things I have put in place as part of my life rhythm is a daily stretching time (which seems to be helping with my flexibility) and a daily step count. They are atomic habits that I know will pay off over the long haul.
There are some benefits though of this reduced speed. I feel like I am seeing more.
I am noticing the colors of things, the scent of things and I am taking note of how the things around me are affecting me.
As I said there is a lot to consider as I come to the end of this time apart. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FORCED TO SLOW DOWN?
I have not done much in the way of entertainment during this sabbatical. Well ….that is not really true I have been enjoying some good reading,
and I finished this year’s season of The Rings Of Power.
I did write last week about going to the Fall Fest, but today I did something new in a new place and it was also entertaining!
My son and his wife invited me along on their excursion out to Hollis Hills Farm, In Fitchburg MA. They had never been and neither had I, but it came highly recommended.
I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about the transition coming up at the end of the month. Joe and Kristine put in an offer on a condo here in Winchendon and it was accepted. They are supposed to sign paperwork on Oct. 31st my last day of sabbatical. This means their move in date will probably be the weekend of Nov. 1st-3rd, my first weekend back at church.
I think I have been unconsciously preparing for the change all this month, practicing the quiet, and wondering what it will look like as far as a new rhythm of life at The Vicarage.
But today was all about the farm and enjoying the presence of my family.
We had lunch and ice cream in the park while listening to a cover band. I had hummus and vegetables and the kids had barbecue.
Then Sevy had to go see the cows and play on the tractors.
It was a great day. The kids finished up with ice cream and I had a blueberry soda.
Notes From the Vicarage 