My Invitation to Grow with Substack
A Poem for Sabbath on this Sabbath Eve!
Blessings as the sun goes down tonight—this eve of Sabbath!
Gwen and I leave tomorrow to visit our son and his family who live overseas. We’re excited to be with them and see them in their new world.
Before I leave, I wanted to drop into your in-box and ask for a favor!
It’s about Substack. I’m enjoying it. Are you? It’s proving to be the kind of place I envisioned early in the summer when I felt “done” with Facebook and Instagram. There’s more interaction with some of you on the comments and your emails as wells as texts. I’m so deeply grateful.
Here’s the favor: Would you please find a favorite post that I’ve done on Substack and forward it to a few of your friends—asking them to join you in subscribing to my Subtack.
As you can see, it’s going to be the primary place where I’m interacting, writing and creating. I’ve already posted several new poems and also I’m feeling a freedom in writing about soul care themes that I have not had in several years. This good place is my own belief that “surely goodness and mercy will follow us—all the days of our lives (Psalm 23).
Just yesterday, I met with a friend and he said, “Steve, you just seem so much lighter.” I paused when he said that cause unfortunately, I’ve not lost the weight I waned to losee prior to this big trip. By lighter he said— more optimistic; less negative; brighter and positive. It’s so interesting to get this kind of feedback—because as you know, I’ve written about my deep pruning time and challenges with my health. The bottom line is that this “greening in my soul” is continuing. And I am praying I can stay green and growing for a long, long time.
Your help in sharing a writing entry and forwarding it to your friends asking them to Subscribe with you, would just mean that our little tribe here on Substack can grow!
Thank you for your consideration!
Here's the link you can copy and paste or foward an entry
On this Sabbath Eve, I want to include a poem i wrote about Sabbath. As you know, the word, Sabbath means “cease.” It does not mean Sunday.
Wayne Mueller hit the nail on the head when he wrote:
“Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something--anything--is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go, we bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight. Poisoned by this hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort, we can never truly rest. And for want of rest, our lives are in danger.” (Wayne Mueller)
It might serve us all well, if we’d cut, copy and post Mueller’s words and place it on our mirror or kitchen window and read it everyday for 30 days. It’s that profound. Don’t you agree?
With that in mind and heart tonight, here’s my poem on Sabbath.
The Title is “A Different Day” and it’s by me, Stephen W. Smith
A Different Day by Stephen W. Smith Look at all we’ve had to navigate this week--all the text and Tweets--all the inner Tweets never sent. The emails we should be writing now. But they lodge in us. They stay there and hijack our peace. All the voices barking at us like angry dogs. All the layers of stress that have accumulated in our inner sanctums, That lie like thick dust on oak tables. What if my heart is this old grainy table needing a good dusting. If it seems too much--then it is too much. It’s a different day today. It is this day of ceasing--unlike the other days. Light your candle. I have lit mine. Sit and stay a while. There is no hurry today. Ponder anew. There have always been problems. Read a poem and listen to the music that will stir you once again. Without this rest, we will lose our way. But not today. Not today.
This poem is a reminder of how Sabbath is designed to be a different day. As Gwen says, "Sabbath is God's design for our dilemma." I love this sentence. Sabbath is Gods' idea. It's how God envisioned us to maintain our humanity and sanity. It's the way to be resilient. Sabbath Blessings Everyone! You are loved, Steve
Steve on the day of Larry’s passing I am driving home....thinking about life without Larry, the Fed X company, my job,...anxiousness was setting in as I started thinking about the unknowns that lied ahead... I walked in the house and Brad was sitting in a chair looking out at nature. He had a candle burning and he said “Mother come sit with me.” Steve called and suggested we sit still and let our minds rest for a while and to remember all we are anxious about will be eventually be resolved but for this day ... we rest our mind, body and spirit and focus on the good life we have had with Dad.” So... I sat and we sat together in the quietness of the moments with the candle flickering .. eventually talking to one another and remembering special times with Larry. Feeling uplifted that he and Russ were together. That day we “ceased” and rested. It was a wonderful peace we both had....I am more conscious of the moments I need to retreat and “cease.” Thank you Steve... have a most wonderful trip and visit.
love this. I’m working on it! Have a wonderful trip!