Savoring Life

My mornings on the back porch are a blessing in my life.  Today I sat and read about and experienced what it is to "Savor" my life.  I am reading through Wisdom of the Body by Christine Valters Paintner and she writes this:

The root of the word savor comes from the Latin word saporem which means  "to taste" and is also the root of sapient, which is the word for "wisdom."  Another definition I love is "to give oneself over to teh enjoyment of something."  When I give myself over to the experience of saviring, wisdom emerges.  Savoring calls for a kind of surrender.

I have been been busy with preparing for and leading Grandparents Camp and then having Chuck's daughter Lisa visit.  When I don't get enough time to reflect and savor the myriad activities of my days, I know I am missing something important.

Christine writes:  Savoring calls me to slowness: I can't savor quickly
                             Savoring calls me to spaciousness: I can't savor everything at once
                             Savoring calls me to mindfulness:  I can't savor without being fully present.

So I savor the enormous blessing of Grandparents Camp and watching the interaction of 35 children with their grandparents as Mary Jo, Marsha and I plan 23 busy hours of Bible stories, crafts, games and fun.  I was so tired afterward and it is only in reflecting that I can remember and recognize the beauty, joy, companionship and awe of this time together.

And I savor the gift of a visit from Lisa as I watch us continue to  become closer  as I age and my daughters and Chuck's daughter claim their connection in a deeper way.  We do what we do - play games, eat way too much and talk into the night.  We share a love of Chuck and each other and our history together which goes back decades now.  We are family.

And I savor the gift of my home and garden as I sit and look at my back yard.  Yesterday Audrey, Chuck and I did yard work together as we mowed grass, planted flowers, trimmed bushes.  Last night we sat around the firepit and enjoyed both conversation and the warmth of the fire  and each other's presence.  I savor it all.

And this really is just a few of the aspects of life that I savor.  There are times I just look at the pictures in my cell phone and savor the blessing of friends, vacations, children, grandchildren. Life has struggles and changes for sure but it is  also  full of goodness and enchantment. I confess that too often I don't take the time to savor the sweetness and wonder of it all.

My prayer for today is that I might savor - not only in reflection - but also in the moment. Often a brief moment.  Here is a reading from the book by Caroline Moore.

In this brief moment

I watch your hands
break the bread

and I am thankful

In this brief moment

I am one with the whole world

Plenty...or empty

In this brief moment
Mind and body savour
Life
in all its fullness