Porches and Welcome Mats
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As we welcome in the month of February, I have three gifts to offer you. Three offerings that provoke reflection. My words will be few, in the hope that we can take time to ponder the depth, the imagery, and the beauty of these writings.
First, a passage by John Roedel. John is a comic who unexpectedly gained notability as a writer and poet through his heartfelt Facebook conversations that went viral and became an Amazon best-selling book titled, Hey God. Hey John.
Photo taken in Dallas, TExas.
You are somebody’s front porch to God.
You are someone’s doorway to mercy.
You are the world’s threshold to kindness.
You are my entrance to letting go of regret.
No pressure, but…
Your life is a gateway to peace
for both strangers and friends alike.
Whether you realize it or not…
Empathy has chosen you to turn your
heart into a welcome mat for others.
This is purpose of your life…
To let your existence become a candlelit
veranda of hope for the rest of us to
gather on during the long night.
- John Roedel
Let’s pause together as we reflect. What does this writing stir within you? What imagery comes to mind? Who comes to your mind as we read and contemplate this poem? What desires does this writing create within your heart for this very day, for this very moment?
Secondly, an offering that may need a warning label! A warning about the challenge of the writing AND the reward of beginning the practice of what’s known as The Welcoming Prayer.
Several years ago, I completed a three-year training program in Des Moines, Iowa in Spiritual Direction through the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, now known as the Mind and Spirit Counseling Center. One of the most memorable and impactful exercises of practice development was that of The Welcoming Prayer, written by Father Thomas Keating(1923 – 2018), an American Catholic monk and priest known as one of the principal developers of Centering Prayer. As I recall, we were invited to pray this prayer daily for a period of time each morning. The learning and awareness of my desire for control, the opening of my heart to the exploration of various emotions, and the change in my heart as I invited the presence of God each morning in a fresh way was life-giving then and is part of my heartbeat and daily practice today. Enjoy.
Photo taken in Dallas, Texas.
The Welcoming Prayer
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today, because I know it's for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God and God's action within. Amen.
- Father Thomas Keating
PHoto taken in Dallas, Texas.
Thirdly, I welcome you to our home, and invite you to pull up a rocking chair as you read the words of Roger, my precious husband, who does a lot of his writing on our back porch.
May your February be full of welcoming moments for you – your heart, your mind, your soul, your sense of belonging, your sense of becoming.
You are invited to join me in focusing on selected lines from one of these poems each day. Let’s slow down and invite the opening and flow of love into our hearts as we contemplate the inspired words of these authors.
The images I will be sharing are of welcome mats and porches…and of course, of nature. In the words of Ansel Adams, the famous nature and landscape photographer, "The environment begins right at your front door." Enjoy!
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