Welcome to this meditation series for the season of Lent.
If you are unfamiliar with the liturgical season of Lent,
It is the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Easter.
Reflecting the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert,
This time of fasting,
Prayer,
And giving prepares us for the miracle of the resurrection.
This series is based in the Christian story,
But know all are welcome who know the justice of this world is imperfect.
Find a comfortable seat.
Take a deep breath and close your eyes.
Let us first ground in our body.
Take a few more deep,
Slow breaths.
Listen to the rhythm of your breath and find the rhythm of your heart.
This is the movement of your existence.
Here is the core of who you are in your body,
How you experience the world,
How the world experiences you.
Accept this breath and this heartbeat as the movement of you.
It is continuous and steady,
The same as it was for you 10 years ago,
One hour ago,
Tomorrow,
10 years from now.
Your breath and your heartbeat does not change,
Yet it sustains every change you have ever been through and will ever become.
Here you are.
Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
In your mind,
Return to your desert.
The smell of dry ground and desert plants meet your nose.
The heat of the sun is on your face.
The hot wind greets you by swirling around your body.
Here you are,
In a place that has become familiar these past weeks.
The desert is always a challenge,
But you do not need to fear it.
Next to you is a yucca plant,
A burst of green spikes from the dry ground.
It is large and almost intimidating with its many swords of leaves sticking out in every direction.
You circle it,
Noting the hole near its base where an animal has made its burrow and the spiderweb in the leaves that is a deathtrap and nourishment and home.
There is one single stalk coming from the top of the plant,
Rising feet above the leaves.
Will it bloom?
You cannot tell.
It should happen soon,
But there is brown damage that could keep it from its purpose.
You say a small prayer of hope for it and decide to walk.
Soon you stop to observe a jackrabbit,
Twitching its nose as it looks for food.
It nibbles on some leaves before sitting up to look at you.
It stares in your eyes,
Evaluating if you are a threat.
It's ears move back and forth,
Listening in a way you know you never could.
What do those ears pick up?
Can it hear your breath?
You crouch slowly,
Fascinated.
What is the world to this creature?
You risk movement and the jackrabbit starts and hops away.
You watch it go and return to your walk.
You let the movement settle into your body.
You have nothing pressing to take you too fast.
There is no goal or itinerary.
You take a deep breath and enjoy the freedom of this moment.
You watch a bird fly to a tall cactus.
It enters the hole it created in the cactus and looks out,
The red patch on its head catching the sun.
You wonder about its young,
If there are eggs inside or babies reaching for food.
The brown head of the female looks out too,
And you know there must be more in the nest.
The male flies out again and you can see the black and white checks across its wings.
You stare back up at the hole in the cactus.
Surrounded by sharp spines,
The Gila woodpecker persevered to carve out its home.
How long did it take to chip away at the tough cactus flesh?
Was there ever a question of finishing the project?
You continue your walk reflecting on the life present in your desert.
You always thought of deserts as dead places until you came here.
You glance at the ground to see a brown grasshopper blending perfectly with the earth and rocks.
Would you notice it on any other day,
On a walk with more purpose?
You look up and see a family of javelinas snorting through the brush.
You keep moving,
Allowing them their search for roots and grubs.
You realize this barren place is teeming with life.
Once you may have thought of the desert as dead,
Without a future.
Thinking of the baby woodpeckers,
You smile to yourself.
Hope is everywhere.
You find you have walked in a circle,
And you are back at the same yucca plant.
This time you look up the stalk and there is a burst of white flowers.
This intimidating,
Almost violent-looking plant has erupted in delicate petals.
Yes,
Life will always find a way.
Hope is everywhere.
