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Category: attention

attention/autumn

Noticing November 2022

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Lindsey Gallant / 0 Comment

I wasn’t sure I’d have the time or the heart for Noticing November this year. Here on the island, it’s felt like November ever since the big storm Fiona blasted...

attention/autumn/beauty/ordinary/thanksgiving/winter

Noticing November

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Lindsey Gallant / 1 Comment

Hello friends! I haven’t been around much online, as you may have noticed. I have been working hard on my post-concussion recovery. The good news is I am starti...

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Lindsey Gallant
Lindsey Gallant
Let me help you pay attention to the glories in your own life. This is a place where small is significant, the broken is beautiful, and love is the deepest reality of all. There’s always an invitation to lift your heart. Can you hear it? The call to rise.

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sacramentofsmall

“Two for each person, and one for the pot.” I “Two for each person, and one for the pot.” I count out the smallish russet potatoes for supper tonight, just another ordinary Thursday meal. I’m rushing to get them peeled and sliced so we can eat in time before heading out to dance class. Pay attention, I tell myself, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s words still echoing in my head. “Only he who sees takes off his shoes.” Only she who sees…. peel, peel, plop.

What’s to see here? I wonder, shaving the earthy brown skin off the potatoes. My fingers are getting slimy with starch. These spuds are starting to sprout here at the bottom of the bag. With the pointed end of the peeler I dig out one of the eyes and the tubular beige bud poking out of it. Eyes. I gouge another one out. This potato has around half a dozen. I think about other creatures with more eyes than me, houseflies and starfish and cherubim. Gouge. 

The eyes are where the life sprouts, from each dimple a potential new plant. Just multiplying away at the dark bottom of a paper bag. The more eyes you have, the more life can grow. This is a new thought. I picture myself walking around like a giant Mrs. Potato Head, googly eyes in all directions, with a hot pink purse, and cartoon flowers. Perhaps it’s the most like an angel I’ll ever look. 

I reach for the eleventh russet and peel it white - one last dig and it is rendered blind. I feel a little sorry for it, lifeless on the board. But the slicing and dicing must go on. Soon a pack of hungry stomachs will appear. I take a final look into the paper bag and am strangely cheered by the last few sprouting spuds. They’ll wait for another meal. 

Give me more eyes, I murmur, for the first time in my life praying to be like a potato. 

*

[Link to blog post in bio]

#prayer #potatoes #eyestosee
Current read while recovering from the latest wint Current read while recovering from the latest winter virus. The fact that I keep falling asleep before finishing a chapter is no indication of its quality! The limits are real...

#amreading
My idea of fun on a Saturday morning! #amwriting My idea of fun on a Saturday morning! 

#amwriting #writinglife
Tiptoeing barefoot into 2023… A poem for the new Tiptoeing barefoot into 2023… A poem for the new year. (Full blog post linked in bio.)

Barefoot

Let this be the year you catch me
barefoot in the blackberry patch,
and the kitchen din, 
the track-worn tread up the back road,
and the quiet, child’s bedside.

Oh child, behold. 

Let my toes dig deep into spark-warmed soil,
grounded in the love that bedrocks every landscape.

Oh child, be called. 

Keep me rooted to the holy place
till even my soles have eyes for glory,
and they can see their way to run the mountains
with beautiful news.

Oh child, be swift.

*
#amwriting #poetsofinstagram #newyear #barefoot #poetry #prayerforanewyear #prayer
I'd love to leave you with a blessing as we cross I'd love to leave you with a blessing as we cross the threshold of a new year:

Be blessed to bring the good, the bad, and the beautiful 
of the year that’s past 
into the hands of the timeless One – 
the Giver of all good things, 
the Healer of your brokenness, 
the true Beauty ever ancient, ever new.

Be blessed to know Him whose presence 
renews our hearts, 
redeems our times, 
and re-sources our life in the depths of his freshness.

Happy New Year!

#happynewyear #newyear #blessing
The last day of the year is warm enough to sit out The last day of the year is warm enough to sit out in my writing hut camper without heat! (Though still wrapped in wool.) It’s been good to quietly reflect on our season of celebration (which is still continuing in our house - it’s only the 7th day of Christmas), the year that has passed, and the goodness of God. I’m not ready to make plans for the new year just yet. For now, it’s enough to say thank you to 2022, for the good, the bad, and the beautiful, and for all of those who walked with me in some way. ❤️
The Weight of Glory: A Christmas Poem Heavy, with The Weight of Glory: A Christmas Poem

Heavy, with child
A woman carries a weight she can no longer bear
The burden of ages
The burgeoning longing of Abraham’s starry host
The sands of time piled high with precarious hope
– The wait of the world.

All creation groans with her
Labouring for deliverance through the overshadowed womb . . .

The wait is over! 
The woman lifts the babe with birth-weakened arms
The morning star has risen with glory in the highest.

. . .

Heavy, withholding not His will
The man carries the wood He was born to bear
The burden of ages
The bursting flood of sin’s bloody hell
The mud of many sons’ slinging
– The weight of the world.

Now the Creator groans
Labouring for deliverance through the hole in His side . . .

The weight is over!
The man lifts His children with nail-strengthened arms
The world has been reborn and we are raised to glory.

*

#christmaspoetry #poetsofinstagram #amwriting #amwritingpoetry #merrychristmas #christmas #poetry
This sequence of poetry was conceived for the care This sequence of poetry was conceived for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society, a non-profit organization that provides accommodation, health, and community care services to aging individuals in need. As I wrote these poems, I prayed for those whose care encircles others around the clock, who give often out of a sense of their own limitation and lack. I do not personally know what it’s like to provide this kind of care, though I have dear friends in this season right now. Their perseverance and love are inspiring. It is with humble gratitude that I dedicate these poems to caregivers everywhere – you are the presence of Jesus in a needy world. Merry Christmas!

*

The Blessing of Small

Be blessed to receive the still, small presence of God
in the creases of your cupped hands,
lifelines of flesh that he himself walked
so he could trace us into his own heart
and reveal the expanse of love there.

Be blessed to press this humbling mystery 
into the hand of another —
the passing of a flame,
your hushed and holy care,
a fragment of song,
and finally, a bending low,
 for here, here is God with us. 

*

Lindsey Gallant
From Small: An Advent Poetry Sequence
Digital download on: lindseygallant.com
Composed for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org)
Illustration by Elizabeth Evans

#advent #adventpoetry #christmaspoetry #christmas #caregivers #blessing #smallisbeautiful
A poem for the Fourth Sunday of Advent 4 :: Toes A poem for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

4 :: Toes

Ten tiny toes, wrinkled and new,
beautiful good news bringers
bouncing on the knees of Mary
     as if she were a mountain
     and he were a gazelle,
     as if she were a snake
     and his smooth heel a dragon slayer,
     as if she were a river
     for him to dance in.

Ten tiny toes, unable to bear the weight,
     yet, of what will come,
     each step ordered for joy toward
     their tearful anointing.

Ten tiny toes, ruddy flesh and unfused bone,
that used to rest large on the footstool of the earth,
now made small,
     small enough to kiss,
     small enough to be wrapped in our scraps,
     and held in aching arms.

Somehow the light shines even from his feet,
for God is love,
right down to his ten tiny toes. 

*

Lindsey Gallant
From Small: An Advent Poetry Sequence
Composed for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org)
Free digital download on: lindseygallant.com
Illustration by Elizabeth Evans

*

#advent2022 #advent #adventlove #love #poetry #adventpoetry #amwriting #Godislove #christmas #christmaspoetry #smallisbeautiful #poetsofinstagram
A poem for the Third Sunday of Advent: 3 :: Chick A poem for the Third Sunday of Advent:

3 :: Chickadee

Joy wears a black cap and weighs half an ounce,
a puff of feathers winking one beady eye
as if to say 
	I know a secret.

As if it isn’t twenty below
and snow, snow, snow,
as if the weary world was not weeping icicles.

Joy lives seed-by-seed,
	chicka-dee-by-dee,
each plump shell appearing like a promise
worthy of a hallelujah chorus,
a gospel in miniature.

And perhaps it is cheerful because it sings,
and perhaps we too can be sung
right off our heavy feet
and into feathered glory in the highest. 

*
From Small: An Advent Poetry Sequence, composed for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org)
Free digital download on: lindseygallant.com (link in bio)
Illustration by Elizabeth Evans
*
#advent #adventjoy #joy #christmasjoy #advent2022 #adventpoetry #poetry #amwriting #sacramentofsmall #poetsofinstagram #chickadee
There’s a place for sitting wearily in the left- There’s a place for sitting wearily in the left-hand corner of Christmas. 

NEW BLOG POST: The Devil in My Manger Scene
[Link in bio]

#advent #advent2022 #christmas #nativityscene #mangerscene #hope #christmashope #amwriting
A poem for the Second Sunday of Advent: 2 :: Whi A poem for the Second Sunday of Advent: 

2 :: Whisper

Hush
	to the worried restlessness of not-enough
	to the hurried rushing of not-yet
	to the wound-tight storm and its unalterable course of collision.

Oh listen, soft and low it comes
	— a whisper — 

	It is the lung-warmed vibration 
	of presence near and intimate,
	the sweet everything in the ear.

And when I am sounded in the timeless space between these lips
	I become still, 
 	still,
 still,
 at peace.

*

From Small: An Advent Poetry Sequence, composed for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org)
Free digital download on: lindseygallant.com (link in bio)
Illustration by Elizabeth Evans

*
#advent #adventpeace #advent2022 #adventpoetry #poetry #amwriting #poetsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #peace #sacramentofsmall
Hope is green ferns still growing on our little fo Hope is green ferns still growing on our little forest floor. Every year we gather some to make our Advent wreath. This year the girls put it together, and it's one of my very favourites. We found some escaped garden ivy to add as well, along with horse chestnuts beneath the damp leaves, and snowberries. The ferns dry and curl up as the days go by, but I love our foraged decor. 

As November ends each year I feel a lift as we swing into the Advent season. We light the candles and begin to sing about hope and joy. We've made it through November, and the season of anticipation and celebration is upon us!

Thank you to all who joined me on this journey of #noticingnovember! I hope the prompts helped open your eyes to the beauty and goodness around you this month. I so enjoyed every post and photo and comment. I hope this little community helped lift your spirits too. <3 

#noticingnovember #hope #payattention #advent #sacramentofsmall #smallbeauty
It is still November, though we've turned the corn It is still November, though we've turned the corner into Advent! This week's prompt is a little different - we are looking for HOPE. Where do you see signs of hope in your November world?

#noticingnovember #Advent #hope #payattention
A poem for the first Sunday of Advent: 1 :: Match A poem for the first Sunday of Advent:

1 :: Matchstick

Strike!
This is the sound of hope
one splinter of wood, dynamite tipped,
	dashed against a scrap of sandpaper
invisible breath of God ignited into a single flame
	small, but seen
	small, but just as much of the reality of day
as the great, blazing ball of glory hidden beyond 
 the rim of night,
	light of light,
	a begotten beacon in thick darkness 
a rising,
	first to waiting wombs
	and tiny, trembling yeses,
	and all the small forgotten
holding candle stubs. 

*
From Small: An Advent Poetry Sequence, composed for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org)
Free digital download on: lindseygallant.com 
Illustration by Elizabeth Evans

*
#advent #adventhope #advent2022 #adventpoetry #poetry #amwriting #poetsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #hope #sacramentofsmall
Advent begins tomorrow, and I've got something spe Advent begins tomorrow, and I've got something special to share with you. 🙂 This year, I composed some poetry for the caregivers of The Good Samaritan Society (www.gss.org). The theme of the sequence is finding God in small places, and when feeling small yourself. 

The sequence contains a prayer, four meditations on small things which correspond to the four themes of Advent – hope, peace, joy, and love – and a final blessing. I will be posting the poems individually here and on the blog over the Advent season, but if you would like them put together in a little booklet (with beautiful illustrations by young artist Elizabeth Evans), go to my blog (link in bio), subscribe by email, and you’ll receive it in your inbox. My little gift to you. ❤ 

Tonight, this eve of Advent, I'd like to share the first poem of the sequence, along with the first illustration. 

* 

The Prayer of the Shrinking Day

The geese have flown
and the black-tipped fingers of night
claw into my fading colour
a little earlier, a little hungrier,
like thin winter mice
nibbling the edges of my capacity.

And I find myself growing smaller,
pulling this threadbare coat tighter against the cold,
	tighter,
	colder,
	smaller,
	darker.

Is there enough of me left to withstand
the expanding night?
Have I shrunk out of sight,
out of rightful mind,
out of the migration path of God?

Oh heavens, the horizon is lost — 
	do you hear my meagre cry? 

* 
#advent #adventpoetry #adventprayer #small #eveningprayer #advent2022 #amwriting #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram
To all my #noticingnovember people... sorry I've b To all my #noticingnovember people... sorry I've been AWOL most of this week! Due to technical difficulties, I haven't been able to take pictures with my phone camera, and I've (only temporarily I'm sure) lost the connector between my big camera and the computer and so... my apologies! 

I can tell you about some of the textures I've noticed this week... the gloriously deep weave of a warm wool blanket, the soft stretchiness of dough when it's been kneaded the perfect amount of time, and the varied patterns of bark on the trees as they slow their sap flow in the freezing temperatures. 

I hope you've reached out and touched some of the textures of November? Let me know if you have. :)

#noticingnovember #payattention
Yesterday was our first real snow here on the isla Yesterday was our first real snow here on the island! Waking up to that first white world always makes me giddy. I went out in it for a few minutes and noticed the soft crunch under my boots. The leaves of the sugar maple are still crunchy on the branches, and our small hemlock tree is growing to carry more of the snow on its spiny needles.

#noticingnovember #firstsnow
This week’s prompt is to get one step closer wit This week’s prompt is to get one step closer with TEXTURE. We’ve looked and listened and now it’s time to touch. What are the textures of November? How are its threads woven together? What does it feel like in your hands? 

#noticingnovember #payattention #texture
This morning I stood at my daughter’s bedroom wi This morning I stood at my daughter’s bedroom window and watched the sun rise and the smoke curl up from the neighbours’ chimneys. As I took in this graceful, quiet movement, the words of Jesus came to mind - the kind of rhythm he invites us to:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

(Matthew 11:28-30)

And so my prayer for you today is that you would “learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” 

#noticingnovember #prayer #sundayprayer #grace #unforcedrhythmsofgrace
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