Dear friends,

Beloved, what bubbles up in you when you read this?

 ‘Like a path through the forest, Sabbath creates a marker for ourselves so, if we are lost, we can find our way back to our center. ‘Remember the Sabbath’ means ‘Remember that everything you have received is a blessing. Remember to delight in your life, in the fruits of your labor. Remember to stop and offer thanks for the wonder of it.’

What bubbles for me is how hungry I am for the delight that comes from sabbath rest right now. Tomorrow, I fly to Topsail Island, NC, for a week-long vacation with my younger brothers and their families. I’ve been running full-tilt the last few months, both at home and at work. My friends are experiencing chaos in their relationships, the world feels particularly heavy and conflict is a constant. Usually, I’d feel steady in the midst. But right now, I can sense my center is off-kilter, and I’m noticing that I’m not handling things as I would if my bucket were fuller.

And so I’m grateful to head to the ocean with family – to be held by warm, familiar water and warm, familiar relationships.

This is how I define sabbath for myself – to be held, and to behold. God, family – chosen and otherwise – myself and Creation.

How do you define sabbath? What sabbath practices are yours to hold and behold right now?

See you when I return, gratefully,

Jules