To make space is shelter, and shelter implies peace. Shelter and Peace are the very words I marked in white chalk on the little chalk board owl on my desk several weeks ago. And is often the case, speaking or writing words into being is both forward looking and hindsight… a drip of prophetic implication on my writing desk perhaps? Shelter is a place of retreat, renewal, perspective, insight. All things I value as an artist because they prepare me for what is coming and give me health and strength. Time to listen. Time to pay attention. Time to respond with integrity. God is shelter to me.
So when I think of the intentions of those words as related to the actions and outcomes of my taking time away from Facebook and making space over the past several weeks, I can see in hindsight that it used to be a niggling issue, it required a difficult yet necessary action, and the outcome now is that I can come and go without feeling any much of the draw Facebook held for me before. So I log on and I log off. I share perhaps once or twice daily, rather than several times in the day. I’m certain your news feed thanks me for it! And I feel peace. I have found shelter that allows me to come and go to Facebook with a feeling of calmness and intentionality rather than boredom and time filling (do you know what I mean?)
One strange occurrence since I’ve returned to Facebook is I can’t post any photos. I don’t know why. So I’m going to share some pictures here as part of the what has been found in the vacant space become shelter of my life, the evidence that I hope you might enjoy with me.
I’ve been out with my camera and my son and my friend and in my own company wandering and capturing what catches my eye. There’s somehow magic in it, the ability to see and forever capture a tiny portion of the human experience. Not all of it, but enough to transport you back to the time and place and feeling. Much like writing, or poetry.
So, here then are some things that I was graced to see, may they be peace and shelter to you, my friend.
