To welcome this month’s theme, we have the  words of these [ life] artists for our reflection:

            Georgia O’Keeffe~  Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small.   We haven’t time, and to see takes time   – like to have a friend takes time.

~  If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.

            Mary Oliver`~ Attention is the beginning of devotion…….To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.

            Jon Kabat-Zinn~ The best way to capture moments is to pay attention.  This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake.  It means knowing what you are doing.   

            Simon Greenberg~   One does not need to meditate for hours at a time to experience the sense of sublime mystery which constantly envelops us.   All one needs to do is notice intelligently, if even for a brief moment, a blossoming tree, a forest flooded with autumn colors, an infant smiling.

We all have such busy lives and we’re always attending to so many responsibilities, so any moment is always the perfect time to remember that any true devotion requires our joyful attention — we cannot love something that we don’t see.   May we bring awareness to where our attention goes.

The November Soul Matters packets offer materials to explore the meaning and possibilities of “attention” – to reflect on how we experience it in our lives and how it is a part of sharing in community.   We use this theme for worship and for faith formation in our RE program and chalice circles.  The Soul Matters resource packet can be accessed here.   If you need a printed copy, please feel free to take one from those available in the fellowship room or ask for a copy, if they’re gone.   You might also like joining a chalice circle to share your insights and hear what others are saying – you can find information about the circles  here and there are also flyers in the fellowship room..

Wishing you joy in community,

M. E. Tanabe