Creating the Possibility of Abundance
It is through our dedicated and creative work that we will grow into the unknown.
Networked with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, “Brick by Brick” is a publication that provides generative space to allow young people to grow, explore, and see how monastic wisdom, paired with their unique experiences, takes root in their life. Interested in contributing? See our about page.
The morning after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, I accompanied my daughter on her preschool field trip to a local nature center. Walking into the group of bleary-eyed parents and preschool teachers, I wondered whose idea it was to schedule a trip to the woods with 30 preschoolers the morning after the election- it was clear that no one had slept well, and everyone was abuzz with uncertainty. The whole thing seemed so unnecessary – the world was burning, and we were turning over fallen leaves to look for acorns hidden beneath.
We stared at the treetops looking for the birds we heard singing, we crouched down to get a closer look at the moss and the lichen, the kids showed each other their discoveries, sharing their excitement and astonishment. Poet Mary Oliver says “to pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” This is the work that children engage in, and encourage us to engage in, everyday- paying attention, being curious, and doing something about it.
As the world feels heavy and uncertain to me, I’m realizing that this is part of the everyday work I commit myself to in order to create the world anew. How will I teach my kids to love the world if we don’t spend time being close to it and curious about it? How will I teach my kids to love those around them, to be vulnerable, to have boundaries, to stand up for justice, and to be kind, except through the constant messiness of showing up to the people and life around us.
Always, but especially now, work that seems small is deeply meaningful. In her book Emergent Strategy, adrienne marie brown notes that “creating more possibilities… is where we shape tomorrow towards abundance.” Slow, repetitive, and creative work is not a waste. We create more possibility in the world every day when we feed the hungry, write poetry, show up to hard conversations, pray, grow something, invite a friend for a meal, (invite an enemy for a meal!), educate children on the world around them.
Sister Joan Chittister writes that “one of the most demanding, but often overlooked, dimensions of the creation story is that when creation was finished, it wasn’t really finished at all. Instead, God committed the rest of the process to us.” The potential for abundance, for change, for justice, lies in our creative work – our ability to look into the unknown and see possibility.
Showing up together, caring for the world, caring for and supporting one another, carrying on the work at hand to whatever degree we are able – that’s where hope is. Community itself is our most creative act. Love is creative, relationships are creative, growing and working together- within this networked Erie Benedictine community, as well as your other chosen communities- is creative.
In the Gospel, after the death of Jesus, the women carried on with the work, showing up to the people and places in their life that needed care. It is through this work- as Mary Magdalene and others brought spices to the tomb- that the women became the first witnesses to the resurrection.
It is through our dedicated and creative work, that we will grow into the unknown.
In the words of Beyoncé, “If we’re gonna heal, let it be glorious.”
AUTHOR
Michelle Scully is the program and events coordinator for the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. Contact her if you are interested in contributing a piece to this space, or becoming connected to the Erie Benedictines through a variety of ways, including the Benedictine Peacemakers.