Blackberries

Christine Hall’s Blog

Blackberries & Burning Bushes: The Holy in the Ordinary

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries…
           —From ‘Aurora Leigh’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

Better Uses of Solitude

Better Uses of Solitude

Pondering solitude, I’ve remembered that “alone” isn’t the same as “lonely.” Solitude can be lonely, and through the pandemic we’ve learned far too much about suffering through loneliness. But this week, I’m engaging solitude more as intentional seclusion, a retreat, a withdrawal for re-collection.