{"id":91,"date":"2022-11-04T06:51:13","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T06:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/?p=91"},"modified":"2022-11-04T06:51:13","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T06:51:13","slug":"we-are-the-story-we-are-the-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/04\/we-are-the-story-we-are-the-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"We are the story, we are the gift\u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<header>\n<article>\n<section>The year has begun and as we move into the pace of fall, we re-gather our community of practitioners in Spirit Play. \u00a0Our first story was an introduction to the classroom. \u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s pretend that we are the story and let\u2019s hear about the gifts our church has given us\u201d. \u00a0In the story we tell the children that being in Spirit Play is like being in their birthday and that the classroom materials are gifts for them and our other Spirit Play friends to use. \u00a0This is true. \u00a0And it is true that the real gifts are all of us together, learning and practicing wonder, play and love. \u00a0Each child brings the gift of their being. \u00a0Each adult brings the gift of their being. We come together with intention to learn and grow. \u00a0We come to be in relationship.<\/p>\n<p>The sermon in church was about being called and compelled to your vocation. \u00a0We each carry within us a gift for the world. \u00a0We are called by Life to bring the best of ourselves to our living. \u00a0When we live in this way, we create the world in which we are a gift and where life gives us gifts in return. \u00a0Where are we called and compelled? \u00a0Do we respond with joy or resistance? \u00a0Do we hear the calling at all in this busyness that is so much of our day to day?<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday I was aware that these children are a gift to me, that the teachers are a gift to me, that the staff and the congregation at Unity are gifts to me. \u00a0I don\u2019t always remember this. \u00a0Sometimes I enter the space and just need to get my kids there on time, just need to stay centered when they protest and resist. \u00a0Sometimes as I cry in worship, as I do most weeks, I feel a little self conscious and want to hide out and be noticed all in the same moment. \u00a0I forget. \u00a0I forget my belonging. \u00a0I forget that this is my community and we are there to learn and grow. \u00a0I am called and compelled in my life to remember this all the time and to remind others. \u00a0I want to remember that there are journey guides and helpers to receive my children. \u00a0I want to remember that my tears are given space to be and are noticed during worship.<\/p>\n<p>This moment is pure gift, my work is gift, the people I am in community with are a gift, my breath is a gift. \u00a0All of everything is a gift. \u00a0It\u2019s a little overwhelming to sit with the truth of it; to sit in the grateful knowing that there is so much possible.<\/p>\n<p>I come to class partly to remember. \u00a0I come to be a gift and to receive. \u00a0I come to practice love, to practice church. \u00a0I come to create and experience my belonging. \u00a0Listen? \u00a0What is your gift? \u00a0Where is Life calling you?<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/header>\n<\/article>\n<section>\n<header>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The year has begun and as we move into the pace of fall, we re-gather our community of practitioners in Spirit Play. \u00a0Our first story was an introduction to the classroom. \u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s pretend that we are the story and let\u2019s hear about the gifts our church has given us\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-category"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91\/revisions\/93"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sarahcledwynblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}