Saturday, March 13, 2010
Two weeks left until my Sabbatical begins!
I realized this week that I am preparing not out of exhaustion or fatigue, but with a deep and abiding sense of curiosity. Like a child, I am wondering what I will discover during my time away: Who will I meet? What creations will I engage through art? What new or forgotten ideas will come to me that will find their way back to St. Stephen's and into my/our lives in Pittsfield? What new territory will I explore--both outward and inward terrain?
In my closet I have a plastic bag that I am using to collect items or ideas in preparation for packing (which I always do at the last minute, much to Bob's dismay!). So far I have my watercolor paints, books on art, theology and a few novels, a special bar of lavendar soap for each of the three locations where I will live and a pile of notebooks for journaling.
Getting ready but staying present where I am. Off for a walk before going to prepare for the Ordination of Johanna Marcure to the priesthood. I've been waiting and praying for this day to arrive for her for a few years. And, finally, it is here. I am grateful to be here to witness it, too. Full circle.
Hannah
Hannah Anderson, the Rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Pittsfield, MA is on a three month Sabbatical from April through early July, 2010. She is an artist-priest and has chosen some creative locations for her time apart from the parish: Grunewald Guild in Leavenworth, WA; Guelph Spirituality Centre in Guelph, Ontario and the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland!
