Letting the Gift In

Last Sunday, in her sermon, the Rev. Kate Tucker issued an invitation. She said, "Pay attention to how you're letting the gift in this week...how you're receiving the gifts of this world."

I've been trying to pay attention. Here are the gifts I know that I really truly let in this week:

1) I put our son down for bed the other night. We did our usual routine of books, brushing, and singing (three songs sitting next to him in bed; he picked Twinkle Twinkle little star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Hush Little Baby). After I sang, I left the room. At the doorway, I stopped and turned around. "I love you, sweet boy," I said. A long pause. Then, in a sleepy voice, he said, "I love you, too." I just stood there, talking some deep breaths, letting those words really wash over me. It felt like....magic...joy...a moment of grace. I let it in.

2) I've been out on the bike a bit this week and have let in the incredible beauty of the fall colors. I rode my bike under a fall canopy of yellows and greens and oranges. It was so bright and colorful, it felt like I was under some kind of special light. Again, a deep breath, and a prayer of gratitude that I was alive for this. (Deep breaths seems to help the gift really sink in, I'm noticing!)

3) Since writing this blog post, I've stopped by OccupyMN and have had a dozen wonderful conversations with a wide variety of people who were there...I feel like I've really let their stories in, stories about hope, about pain and suffering, stories about wanting a better world for their children to grow up in. Each of those stories was a gift, and I really tried to let it in.

What gifts did you really let in this week? What gifts were you truly able to receive?