Today here in the US we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And although many use it as a National Day of Service, with so much of my life being the director of a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocacy Center is about service I generally use this day to be more reflective and to fill myself to be able to continue to be of service.
By this point I am usually drained from the extroversion of the past few months… between the Holiday gatherings, the weekend of service being an advisor with 1,600 of my favorite young people at the YMCA Minnesota Youth In Government and all of the rest of life that continues to roll on I usually need a day or two of hunkering down and finding some restoration for my soul. It was negative 12 most of today, and with windchill (which those of you who don’t live in MN it essentially means what it really feels like) it was negative 35. Crazy cold is an understatement. Today my restoration was found in some poetry and time enjoying the warmth of the fire and the counting of the many blessings that have been unfolding in my life over the past year.
I want to share with you some words from one of my favorite poets and I hope that they bring your soul the peace that they did mine:
My wish for you…
That you create some time to allow your blessings to find you, that you feel the warmth of a fire, that you “become inclined to watch the way of rain”, that you allow yourself to be deeply nourished.
P.S. If you like the Blessed sign that I have, you can get your very own from my friend Amy at Little Fish Designs. Some great items on there! Be sure to check out all of her fantastic wares.
Erica Staab 