On Sabbatical

Since the beginning of the year I've felt the call of sabbatical. Change has simmered around the edges of my consciousness and I haven't been able to define what that change is or what we should do to move things forward. In January we ended up traveling to help my mother-in-law through some health challenges, which put sabbatical on hold. Then COVID-19 hit, and we've been stuck at home, isolating and floundering in the increasingly bad news as the months have unfolded.

Meanwhile, that sense of change simmers on, enticing me to lean in, to try to catch it's scent, to taste and see what next thing is bubbling up.

But this week, something cracked.

Like so many others, we are worried about finances. Our income shifted this month and the funds which permitted us to do the work of the Where True Love Is movement over the past years is no longer a piece of our financial puzzle. We need to replace that income, and are not sure how best to do that. In addition, coronavirus brought into focus the reality of time, and of our years, and of how many are likely left. Life is short and we don't want more time to pass before assessing how we want to live.

There are decisions to be made. Hard, exciting, scary decisions.

We've tended to view sabbatical as a thing we'd go away for. But given the pandemic and financial constraints, we're doing something different. We're uninstalling social media apps from our handheld devices, and will stay unplugged until the evening of election day. We'll tune in to the news in the evenings to make sure the world isn't more than usually on fire, but other than that, we'll focus on writing, reading, home improvement projects, and discernment. We'll seek quiet, engage in contemplation, and escape the toxicity of this era.

If you are the praying type, please pray that in freeing ourselves from the incessant news cycle and it's attendant outrage machines, we'll gain clarity about how we are to proceed. Those of you who are followers and supporters of the Where True Love Is movement will assuredly be in our prayers. Via con Dios,

Suzanne and Dolce