When Celtic Christianity and Rainy Day Prayers Have Tea
Rainy days pull me into Celtic Christianity and a cup of hot tea. Since yesterday was the first rainfall this season, I took some time to muse with the Lord over a cup of Lavender White tea from New Frontiers.{New Frontiers was out of Lavender White tea the last time I went grocery shopping. This concerns me greatly as my tea tin is almost empty. Yes, I can still muse with the Lord without it, but a good cup of hot Lavender White tea sure helps.}
Ah yes . . . now back to the subject of Celtic Christianity and musing
In his book, Making Ripples, Mike Breaux mentions a survey of 95 year-olds who were asked, "If you had to live over again, what would you do differently?""If we had to live life all over again, we would reflect more," was a repeated answer.What a surprising regret!Quiet reflection with the Lord shapes our spiritual growth and informs our choices. The defining of a spiritual legacy happens.I find clarity in my times of reflection and tea. Jesus meets me in the quiet places of my musings, and the simple prayers of the Celtic Christians unclutter my brain.My journey is given purpose.In her book, The Celtic Way of Prayer, Esther De Waal shares a prayer from Mary MacDonald recorded in the Carmina Gadelica.
God be with thee in every pass,Jesus be with thee on every hill,Spirit be with thee on every stream,Headland and ridge and lawn;Each sea and land, each moor and meadow,Each lying down, each rising up,In the trough of the waves, on the crest of the billows,Each step of the journey thou goest.
I live next to a Highway 101 in California, so my journey is not the hills, streams, ridges, and seas of ancient Celtic missionaries. But the Lord is the same, and it is he who travels these twenty-first century, cement paths with me.He and I often stop for tea breaks, reflection, and the simple prayers of the Celtic Christians.What do rainy days bring to your life in the way of musing with the Lord? How is your spiritual legacy shaped by such times?Growing with you, Susan"Jesus likes it when we share." -Adelaide, age 3: Pass this along to everybody and their brother. OK, maybe not everybody's brother, but you know . . . all of your friends would be nice.Relate posts: A Celtic Family BlessingMorning Work PrayerThe Isle of Iona is one of my favorite places on earth. If you have never been there, take a short visit via The Isle of Iona Visitor's Guide. I still use the oatmeal stick I bought on Iona years ago—only I use it to stir down the coffee grounds in my French Press before inserting the plunger. I know . . . too much information, but it is part of my morning ritual now.