Mercy and Grace

Ok, so day one is almost over. It is after dinner and before Compline (night prayers), I want to get plenty of sleep, so I'll probably just read after Compline and go to bed. I have shut off my phone and will not be checking messages except for once in the evenings (like in a few minutes), so if you HAVE to get a hold of me, leave a message and I'll call you back.

I'm re-reading the book The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan, which is the book I read last year which really led me to seek a sabbatical. It is a terrific book, and I'm looking forward to re-reading it. I hope to finish it while I am here at St. Andrew's. In the book, he talks about the cats his parents had when he was growing up in a cold part of the world (he is Canadian), and how they would seek out those splashes of sunlight that came in late afternoon through the big front window. They would stretch out, curl up or just lie down in the sunlight and take a cat nap: fifteen or twenty minutes that refreshed and rejuvenated (although with cats, who can tell?). Sometimes, as a boy, he would join the cats on the floor. He likens Sabbath to that: finding a space to just soak up the warmth of the Father's mercy and grace (which is the name of our cat, Maggie, which Terisa, a dear friend, suggested—Mercy And Grace, thus MAGgie. We also call her MagnifiCat, but that is another story).

This sabbatical is more than a cat nap, but then I've not been practicing Sabbath very well throughout my life. My hope is that one result of the sabbatical will be more success in keeping Sabbath. Anyway, it's a GREAT book!

May the Lord fill you with Mercy and Grace!