....open to awe

Yogis,
I’m at the beach this weekend and set the alarm early to get down to the ocean before sunrise. Our house is STILL filled with the saws and sawdust of construction (that’s another whole story) so we can’t stay there. My routine is to drive into town and park in front of our house so I can take my usual run.

I head through quiet streets and as I start down the sandy path that leads to the beach I see it. The ocean in the distance topped by puffy pink tinged clouds. The emerging light of dawn coloring even the air. My breath catches for a moment. The feeling of awe floods my body. It happens every single time.

What is the definition of awe? According to Oxford it is ‘the feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.’ Other definitions add in terms such as ‘produced by that which is grand, sublime or extremely powerful.’

According to studies, the average person experiences awe 2 to 3 times per week. When was the last time you felt awe?

Although a fleeting sensation, for me it is a whole body high. Thoughts quiet, my body tingles and the chest expands. For that moment, nothing exists except me and the observed.

It happened the other cold clear morning as I stepped out to walk Phoebe and looked up. Stars illuminated the sky with a perfect crescent moon hanging on the western horizon. It happened when I walked into my bathroom in late afternoon to the sight of my suddenly gold colored oak tree framed by the window. And again while cooking dinner when I took my first taste.

A crescendo in classical music. Artwork. The smell of a rose.

I have been thinking about awe. I’m realizing it isn’t something you can go look for. Instead, the more present you are the more often it finds you. It’s as if by moving through life more slowly and being open to awe, she rolls to your feet.

The world we live in is filled with awe. No, I would go a step further. The world we live in is awe. All we have to do is open to let it in.

Feeling tingly,
SARAH

....birth

Yogis,
She has arrived! On October 8, at 8:19 am our granddaughter entered the world. Coming rather quickly, Summer James Cahill arrived at home, underwater in a tub under the guidance of a midwife. With five grandchildren (yikes!!) my third granddaughter has tipped the scale in favor of girls.

Holding her the next day I giggled as she struggled to open her eyes. One would open and the other would shut. A big effort in the bight lights of life. As both finally opened we peered at each other for the first time.

Who will she be? What paths will she choose? What are her unique gifts and how will she change the world? Unlimited possibilities lay ahead.

I followed the female thread that weaves through my family.

When my grandmother was born a wife’s legal identity was considered part of her husband’s. Yet my grandmother gave birth to my mom at home too. With a midwife. At that time women were expected to resign from jobs upon marriage.

By 1962 when I was born, births were ‘handled’ in hospitals by male doctors, with many women put under anesthesia while fathers sat down the hall in a waiting room. Birth control was not a constitutional right and women couldn’t get a credit card.

I birthed my first in 1984. A hospital was still the main option with fluorescent lights and delivery rooms resembling surgical units, while interns looked on. Husbands now there to support, but often heading to the office right after the birth……

I watch my daughter-in-laws. So many more options for women. The ability to choose how they want to bring another human being into the world.

Yet through it all, one thing never changes. Regardless of hospital, bed or tub. No matter who is in the room or what equipment is used. It is a woman who carries and nurtures life for nine months and when it’s time, her body knows what to do if allowed. Mother energy is a powerful force.

The world is slowly taking notice.

Welcome to the world Summer,
SARAH

.....love in action

 Yogis,
A picture perfect day in a magnificent setting. The groom on my left with his bride to my right. They hold hands. About to proclaim their love and commitment to each other in front of 150 witnesses. The air was warm and the sky that blue color which seems impossible to replicate in our human world.

Yesterday I officiated a wedding. My fifth over these past eleven years.

For each one, I spend time with the couple over the months before the wedding to get a sense of them. Of their desires for the ceremony, but also for the lives ahead that they will walk toward together.

A thread always emerges and becomes the weaver of my words. Yesterday those words were ‘love in action’.

We forget that love is a verb. Yes, there are the glorious gifts of fireworks and full body tingling when we fall in love. Yet to stay hand in hand over the next 5, 6 or even 7 decades requires love in action.

Love is something we do, not something that happens to us.  It is an action we choose to do……every day.

We do this by choosing consistent communication. Showing compassion. Kindness, kindness, kindness. Prioritizing quality time together. Showing appreciation and of course, accepting each other’s imperfections, since as much as we may try (and we will)…..they aren’t going to change.  

This couple has all of the ingredients to make theirs a life long love story.

We heard it in their deep thoughtful vows. And again, in each tear-jerking speech and toast. How these two love each other on purpose. Through having each other’s back, being vulnerable, speaking up and unquestionable loyalty.

We witnessed it in their actions. How they look at each other. Strong individuals, yet always aware of where the other is and swooping in when something is needed. And by the immense circle of love they’ve created with friends and family. They so evidently choose love.

I opened the window in front of my heart to radiate love on the couple.

Love in action,
SARAH