Daily Workshop, Late Winter

I wish you peace in this second week of the Lenten season. The daylight is here longer, and I’m noticing more buds beginning to swell, even open, and some early emerging herbs. Above are stinging nettles. Once they’re a little taller, I’ll pick them for making tea, pesto, or cooked greens.

You remain invited to the workshop to try your hand at some skills, help out, pray or just visit a while. There’s new and half-finished projects, like repairing an old kraut cutter, a small wooden box of recovered wood, a stool, a scale boat model, and cleaning and oiling garden tools.

Seed and plant propagation time is also here. By me the chestnuts and leeks are growing happily, and tobacco seeds (beautiful flowers and the hummingbirds love them!) are sown.

March 17th is St Patrick Day, as well as the commemoration of St Gertrude of Nivelles. She was another missionary, and benedictine monastic, of northern Europe. She is remembered as patron saint of cats, gardeners, the mentally ill and sailors. And I’ve learned her commemoration marked and marks a traditional day to plan onions and peas among some Pennsylvania Dutch.

So you might have a little party, and plant your favorite scallions and snap peas that day.

Actually, I enjoy the clean-up and repair projects. I get to smell the piney scent of turpentine, which I use to clean metal tools sometimes, as well as a mixture of linseed oil and pine tar on tool handles.

Ahhh, pine tar…, a smoky and pungent scent to savor…

At a recent supper with parish members, the spiritual practice of savoring came up. We heard this and immediately put it into practice by savoring two quite delicious pies!

That’s right, savoring sweets as Lenten discipline!

You can begin to practice savoring with delicious pecan pie and hot coffee while at table with friends. But let your practice extend its reach more and more into you life.

Savoring leads you into a new way of being each day.

A way to dwell, or to abide, or to stay a while with an experience. You may thereby discover new layers of meaning, qualities of nourishment, horizons of perspective…even a glimmer of the eternal.

Savoring just one taste of something simple and delicious,

or this late-winter emerging tree bud,

or this human presence…

we gladly let go of the worries, hurries, to-do lists, fears, ambitions and other compulsions that tend to rule our souls and bodies.

We no longer rush ahead on to the next thing, bound to false voices of urgency or our feeling that we must satisfy them.

Which really does get us into Lent.

Savoring lets truer love, joy, hope, desire clarify who we are with God, and lets lesser things diminish their hold on us. Savoring invites the One in our midst to sort our hearts, let us love things heavenly, even in the here and now.

Or so it’s been seeming to me lately. What about you?

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Schmecket und sehet, wie freundlich der HERR ist.

Gustad y ved que el Senor es bueno.

Psalm 34:8