“The Slow Unfurling of a Fiddlehead”

My guest post on Abbey of the Arts posted this week. The site is run by Christine and John Valters Painter and celebrates the contemplative and expressive arts.

Christine invites guests to share how we live. I spent a lot of time in my back garden last summer tackling some overgrown flower beds. In the process I started a garden digest and educated myself on what was actually growing and what needed to be pruned away. I also contracted poison ivy, got bit by mysterious creatures, and discovered many interesting things growing that needed more space and sunshine, including various species of ferns.

As I researched ferns I was introduced to the word fiddlehead. It is a delightful word to say and invites the inevitable question: what is a fiddlehead?

But what has most changed for me in the slow and painful unfurling beyond the death of our son is that I no longer come to prayer with the thought that I am becoming more spiritual. I come to prayer because it helps me appreciate my humanness.

Read the full post here