Editor's Note - Communion

I want to encourage time spent listening to self.

I carry three stones in my pocket: one found rough on the beach, wearing smooth from years of possession, a green stone replaced many times over the years due to breaking, and one shaped from a riverbed fitting the curve of my thumb.

The stones remind me of my daily imperfections and my lifelong need to improve. I used to carry a stone representing an intolerance that blocked me from living a whole and satisfying life. I wore the stone smooth from the habit of improving. When I overcame my fault I skipped it into the lake.

Every day I go out into the world, I pick up the stones and put them in my pocket. I remember four things: love better, center your role as a husband and a father, act with patience, and listen. I think there is a world where we imagine we are excellent at all things. I think the rough and unpredictable sides of who we are must wear down like weathered stones to become the shiny people we might be.

I recently heard a story in which a woman was asked, "How do you pray?" The woman replied, "I listen to God." Then she was asked, "What does God do?" She replied, "God listens to me."

In our fast-paced world of information, light, video, and sound, I see people surrounding themselves with input from electronics. We are barraged. We invite useless noise in our lives.

My friend Katie recently said she is taking drumming lessons, and the lessons are releasing for her. My friend Beth is a plein air painter. In the act of creating, she finds peace in herself. In acts of expression and creation, my friends listen with their whole selves to the world around them, and the world around listens to them. They are in communion with self-awareness and creation. In their acts of communion, they create a stillness around them.

I find release in the woods, listening to the wind, the bird song, touching the rough tree bark, the unraveling cattail, and the sparkle of water upon the river. Walking along a well-worn path in Michiana, the rhythm of my feet vibrates up through my body, releasing the tensions of the day. In the woods, I clear my mind, make space to listen to myself, and experience an internal conversation of a deeper purpose and creativity.

We make promises to ourselves in the new year. I want to encourage this one activity: Listen. Take time once a week to listen to yourself. Find a way to still the world around you. Listen to love and allow love to listen to you. Knowing your love, you might love others better.

At PAN-O-PLY, we hope to be a space where you can listen, reflect, and find joy.

Thank you for reading PAN-O-PLY.

El Corazon (2016)28 x 38 inches, Acrylic on Wood Panel by Freddy Rodriguez Guest Artist January 2025. See More of his art under Guest Artist tab.