Hi! MG here again (so you don't have to scroll to the bottom and see whose entry this is)!
I can't believe December is almost over! This month has been a little scary, given the fact that we are undeniably through the first semester of fellows. As quickly as time has flown, I can't believe how much has happened in these past few months and how much I have changed.
At the same time, I'm starting to feel the effects of the things that have been pushed aside for now to make space for fellows. I've been missing my creative outlets, something I didn't notice until Christmas rolled around and I didn't have the space, capacity, or time to do the crafting or creating I typically enjoy. While it's been hard to feel like my time is limited for random things like this, it also has been giving me hope for my life post fellows. As the light at the end of the tunnel becomes more and more real, I've been delighted to find many things that I'm looking forward to incoporating and reintroducing into my life. Even things like cooking and traveling, which are not typically that important or vital for me, have become things I am excited to do again after the program.
Luckily, I'm a HUGE fan of “seasons”, both in nature and in life, and this year especially has allowed me to lean into the blessings and challenges of different seasons. There's something so hopeful in this finite season of fellows, something sweet knowing that these things are only for a short time.
I recently received two books for seasonal prayers. One from Ashley called “Circles of Grace”, a book of blessings for the seasons (instead of To Bless The Space Between Us, as I already had it and love it). The other is one I saw at Mary Young's house and asked for for Christmas, called "The Celtic Wheel of the Year”, Celtic and Christian seasonal prayers. I love all things liturgy and seasons, and I'm so excited to continue to dive into these books and allow them to guide me through all that is to come in 2026.
Here is a quote from Circles of Grace, part of a prayer called "Blessing the Way":
With every step you take, this blessing rises up to meet you. It has been waiting long ages for you. Look close and you can see the layers of it, how it has been fashioned by those who walked this road before you, how it has been created of nothing but their determination and their dreaming… Look closer and you will see this blessing is not finished, that you are part of the path it is preparing, that you are how this blessing means to be a voice within the wilderness and a welcome for the way.
So long story short I'm acknowledging all the things that don't have a place in my life this year, but will be blessings in future seasons, as well as embracing the blessings of this fellows year, which is not finished yet. It sounds so vague but it's so helpful for realigning my priorities while I'm in fellows. The people I'm learning from, the books I'm reading, and community I'm spending so much time with, are actively changing me and preparing my heart for all the blessings of the next season. But that season isn't here yet, and honestly thank God. I have too many sweet things to soak up until then!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love, Maddie Grace