“The second half of my life will be ice breaking up on the river, rain soaking the fields, a hand held out, a fire, and smoke going upward, always up.”
I begin this reflection on second half of life spirituality with an excerpt from Joyce Sutpen’s poem “Crossroads.” With so many poems on the topic from which to choose, I picked Sutpen’s for its evocative imagery and its outright acknowledgement that we can choose to thrive in the second half of our lives. In just a few lines, the poet describes some of the beautiful gifts we can anticipate.
Nurturing growth during times of scarcity is a challenge for the gardener and the seeker. Certain guidelines apply to both the quest for a bountiful harvest and a fruitful life. Here are just a few:
Preparation One must start with good soil. Watering land that is compacted and not fertile is wasteful. Likewise, the soil of our spirit must be open to spiritual direction.
Cultivation The gardener does not plant and then ignore the new seedlings. Instead, faithful aerating creates soil that can absorb water while weeding eliminates other plants that compete for valuable resources. It’s a good practice to eliminate distractions from our life that crowd out the spiritual lessons we seek.
“Giving ... is a very rich and beautiful activity. It is a confident, joyful, and hopeful expression of ministry. In ministering to each other, each from the riches that he or she possesses, we work together for the full coming of God’s kingdom.” – Henri Nouwen
We so value our ongoing conversation about the spirituality of giving that, as spring begins to take shape, we hold you in our thoughts and share Nouwen’s words.
