Tarry a Little

Today I am grateful for electricity and lights that help me see my way around in the dark hours of the day. I am also grateful for my ability to read and the people who first taught me how.

As I go back to work after a holiday and a few days off, heading into the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas that can be busier than usual, these words are welcome:

"All this hurrying soon will be over. Only when we tarry do we touch the holy."

(Rainer Maria Rilke)

Actually, I am not one to get too caught up in all of the holiday hustle and bustle, or at least the parts that tend to stress people out. I enjoy some aspects of the season and make time for them. Doing some holiday baking with family recipes. Writing my annual holiday letter and getting it sent out via snail mail. Sitting in the warm glow of holiday lights and our tree.

We keep gifts reasonable in both volume and cost. We try not to over-schedule ourselves and we try to keep our priorities straight. Like any time of the year, this season comes down to the choices we make on how we are going to spend our time.

And like any time of the year, some well-timed pauses can make all the difference in a day. Tarry a little. Tarry is a word seldom used any more. It means to linger, wait, dawdle. These are not words that typically describe me once my day gets underway. All the more reason to give them some attention, to focus intentionally on them.

Linger in the moment of stepping out into cold morning air and feeling it on my face. Dawdle over a sip of coffee and a bite of toast. Wait a few seconds before responding. It is then that we touch the holy gifts of life, when we experience awe, when gratefulness fills us.

Tarry a little. It will matter a lot.