by Karla Koon
The buzzer on my alarm clock startled me at 4:30am. I have not been up that early in years. I sprang out of bed because I knew some well-needed rest awaited me. I typically associate “rest” with sleep and unscheduled time, neither of which was planned for this “rest” day. On this day, I was taking my first trip in nineteen months. The trip was to be nothing extravagant, just a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. My day was full, meeting with friends, hiking, dining, and returning home at the end of the day. It would be a long day and perhaps to some, not very “restful.”
Despite the early start, I felt my battery recharging as I settled into the cabin of the ferry. Gliding over the water, the steady hum of the ferry engines lulled me, coaxing me to relax. I gazed out the window and watched God wake creation up. My body melted into the seat cushion as my mind eased. I saw everything yet looked at nothing in particular. I felt content to let thoughts drift through my mind as if a whisper on the breeze.
Swirling above me, around me and through me.
I empty myself; I empty myself.
Dancing above me, mingling around me and evaporating through me.
I empty myself; I empty myself.
Shining above me, inviting around me and healing through me.
I empty myself; I empty myself.
There I sat, opening, emptying, and resting. In that 30-minute ferry ride and while fully awake, I felt as though I had a deep, soul-cleansing nap. The ride was just the beginning of my rest and restoration on that day, perhaps the first moments I truly recognized the depths of my cumulative weariness. This brief respite reminded me of how many ways there are to empty myself into God’s hands and rest.
Karla Koon is a Worship Leader and Eucharistic Minister at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. When not serving at church or working as the Director of HR Operations and Administration for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (Catholic Charities), you can find Karla, reading, quilting, golfing, hiking, kayaking, and gathering with friends and family.