A few years back my Grandma gave me a lovely book of daily meditations called The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo. (My Grandma knows all the good books!) This book is written as a daily reader. Each day there is a one- or two-page reflection followed by an invitation for meditation and further pondering. This book has been such a gift to me, and I read the daily reflection each morning for a year. It’s a book I refer back to and often share with others. In my sharing, I discovered that one of my friends from the Prairiewoods Women in Interfaith Dialogue group also read (and loved) that book, which made it all the more special to me.
This year for Christmas I gave my Grandma a book of daily meditations as a gift, and I gave myself a copy as well. The book, which I originally discovered on the bookshelves of the Prairiewoods library (which has all the good spiritual books!), is called Fragments of Your Ancient Name: 365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation by Sister Joyce Rupp, and I intend to start reading it on Jan. 1, 2021. I am so looking forward to meditating on a name for the divine each day. On Jan. 1, we’re invited to reflect on the ancient name “I Am That I Am” from Exodus 3:14. And on Jan. 2, we will reflect on “Namer of the Stars” from Psalm 147:3-4 as a name for the divine … Obviously I cannot wait to start meditating on this book!
What might you meditate on or ponder each day in the new year? Is there a particular friend or relative you might ponder with?
—Angie Pierce Jennings, Prairiewoods hosted groups and hospitality coordinator