Whale Spouts
Belly of the Whale Ministries
monthly newsletter

May 2021
Greetings dear friends,

It is springtime here in Cleveland and the trees have boldly burst into bloom. I do absolutely love the gift of changing seasons - effervescent spring green and fuchsia ... abundant summer gardens ... fall leaves of deep red and orange ... and the silent snows of winter. I love it all!

There is something comforting about this sacred rhythm of changing seasons. No matter how challenging any given day may be, the world still turns. The seasons still come and go. God is still God and we are all still God's beloved. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.

Mother nature's dance through the seasons feels like an invitation to lift my eyes up from my own worries and look for the sweet reminders that God is with me through it all. And, Lord knows, I need this reminder regularly considering how easy it is to get discouraged, distracted and disheartened.

Because I am so easily distracted, I need to be intentional about creating space to focus on my own spiritual rest and renewal. I all too often forget this and let too much time pass before I regain my footing. I am grateful that over the past few months, I have attended several online spiritual retreats that have brought new life to my weary soul and I am deeply grateful.

Maybe you are also searching for a little spiritual focus, rest and renewal. If so, I encourage you to seek it out. What feeds your soul and makes you feel most vibrantly alive? Prayer? Worship? Journaling? Scripture? Walks in the woods? Spiritual Direction? Coloring? Prayer beads? Yoga? Silence? Retreats?

If a retreat might feed your soul, it would be a joy to share either of these upcoming opportunities with you...

  • Mother's Day Soul Spa mini-retreat (on-line), May 9, 2021 - Give the special women in your life a gift that will last long beyond the chocolates & flowers - the gift of time for soul care. Gather a few family or friends together and join us for a breath of fresh air for your soul. My co-leader, Dr. Rachel Elahee, will be inviting us into a practice of soulful journaling and I will be sharing an opportunity for contemplative coloring. Click here for details or check out the flyer below.

  • Spiritual Renewal Retreat (in person), July 11-14, 2021 - If you are looking for a more in-depth experience of soul care, this 3 day/3 night (mostly) silent retreat based on the book of Jonah will be overflowing with opportunities for rest, renewal and creative contemplative practices. My soul is soaring as I prepare for this retreat and I am so grateful that we will be able to gather safely in person. Click here for details or check out the flyer below.

As the seasons turn, I pray you find ways to remember that God's abounding and steadfast love is the constant amidst all the changes that swirl around you.

Blessings and peace to you.

With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Sharon

Sharon Seyfarth Garner
Director, Belly of the Whale Ministries
"Spouting Off" Blog Post
Taking the Long View

I grew up on Longview Avenue in Portland, Oregon, right down the street from Overlook Park.  Oh, how I loved that park - rolling down the grassy hillside, making delicate chains out of clover flowers, spending hours on the merry go round (somewhat unwisely surrounded by gravel, as the scar on my knee still vividly attests), splashing in the concrete wading pool, and picking blackberries that grew at the edge of the park. It was familiar and comfortable. It was home.

When I was 9 years old, however, we moved away from Longview Avenue and I felt like my whole world had been torn apart.  I simply couldn’t imagine any other reality than what I already knew.  Could any other place feel like home?

But then something amazing happened; Corvallis began to feel like home… and then Gallipolis, Swarthmore, Grenoble, Benin, Atlanta, Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, Media and now Bay Village all eventually felt like home. Every single move and transition has been hard as I left behind familiar faces and comfortable routines.  But there were always blessing amidst the change – new friendships, experiences and opportunities.  

Our current transition into post-pandemic living feels a lot like the upheaval of moving.  We have been forced to leave behind familiar faces and comfortable routines and are stumbling as best we can into a new season of life. We wonder if it is possible for this new space to feel like home. 

I believe that we will be able to see the blessings and sacred surprises of our new home once we open our eyes to the "long view" – the reminder that God is with us yesterday, today and tomorrow.  The alpha and the omega  The beginning and the end.  The long view.  

The “long view” invites us to see God’s presence with us through it all – the agony, struggles, celebrations and hopes.  God is with us as we move into this new season of our lives and make a new home wherever we land. 

As a child growing up on Longview Avenue, God was with me. God is with me now.  And God will be with me always.  That is the “long view” that I pray for the strength to remember – especially when the challenges of moving into this new reality sometimes feel too heavy to bear. 

May we have eyes to see the “long view” as we step into the days to come.  God is with us - yesterday, today and tomorrow. Be encouraged, beloved. Be encouraged.
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