The Sound of Silence

For the past few years I have enjoyed the spiritual practice of discerning a "word for the year." Among others, my words have included fallow, dance, Jesus, play, and trust. My word for 2024 is SILENT and I have thoroughly enjoyed leaning into this invitation to be more quiet, still and present in my daily life.

In keeping with my word for the year, my Belly of the Whale 10th Anniversary gift to myself was a week-long SILENT retreat at Mercy by the Sea Retreat Center on the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound. I love to play with words and was especially delighted by the opportunity to embrace a "silent" retreat on the "sound" ... a place to dive deep into the "sound of silence!"

Sharon GarnerAugust 14, 2024Comment

10 Years and Counting...

On this 10th Anniversary of the Belly of the Whale, I thought it might be fun to dive into the Whale Spouts archives and look back at the very first edition of Whale Spouts. Enjoy!

Sharon GarnerJuly 1, 2024Comment

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

Last month, my daughter-in-love, Jordan, and I were hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains along the Deep Creek Waterfall Loop trail when we noticed butterflies... not just one or two, but a whole slew of them! We were amazed by how many there were! "What do you call a group of butterflies?" we wondered….

Sharon GarnerJune 1, 2024Comment

Totality

Rare are the moments of true unity in our world; times when the seemingly incessant hostility steps back and our shared humanity steps forward. On April 8th, those of us who were lucky enough to be in the path of the recent total solar eclipse shared one such rare moment of unity. Divisions fell away as we collectively focused our attention on the light of the sun and the movement of the moon…

Sharon GarnerMay 3, 2024Comment

May Christ Easter in You

On Easter this year, I rose early to see the sunrise - or rather the dark grey sky transform to a light grey sky over Lake Erie. I then had the immense blessing of attending Easter morning worship with the women of Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) in Cleveland where I see new life rising out of the ashes all the time! At the end of the service, one of the prayers that was offered was, "May Christ Easter in you." Wow! Let those amazing words sink in…

Sharon GarnerApril 1, 2024Comment

"My Memorial Service" Playlist

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust," are the words that Christians around the globe will hear on Ash Wednesday as we begin the 40-day liturgical season of Lent. We begin our journey toward the Easter celebration of new life with a reminder of our own death…

Sharon GarnerFebruary 5, 2024Comment

Sacred Silence & Purposeful Nothingness

This year, I want to lean into the practice of niksen - purposefully doing nothing but being still with God in the sacred silence, then waiting patiently to see what sort of dynamic "doing" God has in store for me.

Sharon GarnerJanuary 5, 2024Comment

Miss Piggy, Chinese Food, and Santa in Triplicate

My very favorite Christmas tradition has always been the night we decorate the tree together. Because each ornament holds a bit of our family story, it feels like a gentle stroll down memory lane as we reminisce, laugh and sometimes shed a tear or two. We listen to John Denver & the Muppets Christmas Album and belt out Miss Piggy's line of the 5 golden rings - BaDum Dum Dum!

Sharon GarnerDecember 1, 2023Comment

Giving Thanks by Giving Back

Thanksgiving is one of those rare holidays that has not been over-commercialized by the relentless pressure to purchase our way into each other’s hearts - and I give thanks for that! As we pause collectively to give thanks, perhaps we can also be inspired collectively to give back.

Sharon GarnerNovember 1, 2023Comment

For the Beauty of the Earth

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary by walking 30 miles along the breathtaking coast of western Ireland (the Dingle Peninsula). The slower pace of walking allowed us to truly savor what we saw…

Sharon GarnerOctober 2, 2023Comment