Hello from Sabbatical! (and a book cover reveal!)
Murphy family hiking in Robert H. Treman State Park, Ithaca, NY
Dear Daybook friends,
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been on sabbatical for 4 weeks! In that funny way time works, it feels like a totally different clock we’re following. Like the time is flying but so deeply different that I’d also believe we’ve been gone for 2 years. I think this is a good sign that sabbatical time is doing its work on our hearts, minds, and bodies.
I hope you are well. Even though I don’t know many of you in real life, I do have a sense of missing our weekly connection here. I’m aware that at least a few of you have been enjoying the Ordinary Time archives and that makes me so glad. (Small note: I updated the Ordinary Time Retreat Series page so that all 3 video recordings are available!)
As promised, here are a couple of highlights and a couple of exciting book updates!
Peace,
Tamara
p.s. We’re headed to Ireland tomorrow! I’ll stop back in a few weeks with more updates.
WEEK ONE
Annual Hill Family Vacation
Camp LeTourneau, Canandaigua, NY
This annual festival of family and fun might be the event I’ve most consistently recorded on my blog the past 16 years. The older we get, the more we grow and change so that every summer includes a little bit of bitter within the very, very sweet. I think that’s how family works and it’s part of our way of keeping time together across generations. Worth every single moment.
Our grandson Julian’s first Hill Family Vacation! He was the star of the show (& most of my pics).
Four generations of the Hill family.
Great Grandma (GiGi) and Grandma (Teema) take Julian for a morning stroll.
Cousins playing games.
Julian’s first boat ride and he loves it! (He also very much loves his Murph).
More great-grandparent love.
(Great) Grandma triumphs over the cold lake water.
Ladies’ Day out to a local winery.
Sunset snuggles with Murph & Teema.
Annual sunset swim (which is normally about twenty of us and only three this year, but a significant moment nonetheless)
WEEK TWO
Murphy Family Vacation
Cayuga Lake, Trumansburg & Ithaca, NY
For the past several years, we’ve been trying to figure out the best rhythm for spending time together with our kids in the summer. We’ve learned from 20+ years of the Hill Family Vacation that it helps to have a set time and place that’s flexible enough to accommodate growing and changing families. Our kids have joined the last few days of HFV the past few summers and then driven back to Connecticut with us. Between that drive and then the drives back and forth to airports, we found ourselves a bit worn out. This year, we tried a different location at another lake in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate NY. Cayuga Lake holds so many sweet summer memories for our kids and us, and last year, when Brian and I stumbled on this Airbnb property with two cottages just a couple of miles from the lake, we dreamed about making this our new family summer vacation location. I’m so happy to report that it worked! Between the lake and the hiking trails among Ithaca’s renowned gorges and waterfalls, plus Ithaca’s bohemian city vibes, we feel like this will be a solution that will meet our needs for several years at least. Our only sadness was that our son-in-law Jordan was unable to join us because of his job. We all tried to pitch in and help Julian and Kendra, which was a joy, but we sure missed Jordan!
Family outing to Sheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lake
Morning outdoor “wrap naps” with Julian
Buttermilk Falls hiking trail (gorgeous photo courtesy of Alex & Rebekah)
Enfield Falls Swimming Hole, Treman Park (This is Alex, but rare footage of all of us jumping off that diving board does exist!)
Boys in the boat, Cayuga Lake
Introducing Julian to the piano (our little cottage includes a piano!)
Evening ice cream excursions
Rebekah’s divine charcuterie skills
Murph’s love language for his family - sunset cruises
WEEK THREE
Sabbatical Begins
Cayuga Lake, Trumansburg & Ithaca, NY
Our sabbatical is technically 12 weeks long, but our church generously invites us to add one of our vacation weeks onto the time, so we’re actually taking 13 weeks in total. In some ways, the third week felt like our first week of sabbatical. With two full weeks of time with our extended and immediate family, the first couple of days felt like a shock. We fumbled around a bit trying to figure out if we were still on vacation or on sabbatical and what, exactly, the difference was. I also had a writing deadline - an essay for a spring anthology from Square Halo Press. In my mind, I would write a bit every morning and then rest and play the rest of the day. In reality, I mostly just rested all day every day with tiny bits of reading and writing prep sprinkled in. (Ironically, the essay is about how ordinary saints take naps, so you could say I was heavily researching the topic!)
Boating to lakeside wineries is one of our new favorite things
New York State Rieslings are another of our new favorite things
More winery
Brian’s epic strawberry shortcake: sabbatical edition
Almost every day, you’d find us here
Taking my turn at the helm
Quiet evening leftovers
More sunset cruises (sometimes we swam or played cards, or read out on the water, other evenings, we just sat and stared at the water from the middle of the lake).
Sunset on Cayuga
The best part of having to leave the boat at the end of the day is racing to get to the ice cream stand before it closed.
WEEK FOUR
Solitude Retreats
St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands Region), Clayton, NY (Tamara)
St. Lawrence River to Rideau Canal System, Ontario, Canada (Brian)
As we prepared for sabbatical, we sought wisdom from other pastors about what they’ve found most helpful. Three suggestions were especially helpful for us as we made our plans:
Spend time with family at the beginning or at the end of the time (or both)
Spend the first part of the sabbatical playing and working on physical projects. Because ministry work is so often done from our hearts and minds, our bodies need space to unwind and receive care.
Take at least a week to be completely alone.
We’d spent time with family and focused on the physical fun of hiking, boating, swimming, playing, and eating. For week four, we wanted to spend time in solitude. I dropped Brian, his boat, and all his camping gear at a marina on the St. Lawrence River and then set up house in a cozy Airbnb in the charming village of Clayton, NY. Years ago, Brian and a friend traveled the Rideau Canal system that connects Kingston, Ontario (where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence converge) to Ottawa. This time, Brian braved the lock system alone to honor the counsel for solitude. If you ever want some great stories, ask Brian about his trip (especially his return trip on 3-foot swells on the St. Lawrence from his humble little boat). While I’d expected to spend the bulk of everyday writing, I needed to continue patterns of physical activity: walking the town, hiking, doing yoga, and watching the sunset at the town park each evening. Because we married and began our family at such a young age, I’ve never lived on my own and don’t think I’ve ever had this much time completely alone. Certainly, I was surrounded by a friendly neighborhood and could walk to almost any kind of shop or attraction, so it wasn’t the kind of solitude you might think of, but it was an important everyday kind of quiet - a time to acquaint myself with myself - that drew me this week. I began settling into the rhythms I’d expected to come naturally for a sabbatical - extended time reading Scripture, journaling, and prayer. I also tried to notice what I most enjoyed - left to my own devices. What food would I want to cook? Where and when would I see the sights? What time would I go to bed, wake up, and take a nap? It may sound elementary to some, but this felt like a meaningful revelation for me. As much as I found the time restful and enjoyable, I was elated to welcome Brian back at the end of our five days apart!
Hiking preserve on the banks of the St. Lawrence
This is my proud-of-myself face. Part of my childhood trauma involves a wooded setting, so reacquainting myself with the beauty of wooded pathways is a literal part of my healing journey. I only panicked a few times and was able to stay present with the companionship of Jesus and the beauty of the pathway.
The view at the end of the pathway
This storied site has fascinated me since I was a little girl. On my first day alone, I immediately hopped a tourist boat line and spent a happy couple of hours touring through the castle. (Seriously, why hasn’t this tragic love story gotten its own movie yet?!?)
I’d guess I’ve toured this building once a decade for my whole life. I’m amazed at how far renovations have come. I’m also glad some places remain untouched to keep the tragic love story alive.
Sunset evenings in Clayton
Brian’s entry to Rideau Canal
Some beautiful views
Don’t let the gentle waters fool you! Brian camped and boated through some rough weather too!
Sunset date night after Brian returned.
READING & WRITING
While I’ve chosen to cease much of my regular work - spiritual direction, publishing weekly devotional guides, updating social media, and serving in various roles at our church - I do have reading and writing goals for these three months. In my last post, I shared the exciting news about the book I’m writing for Herald Press. Since the manuscript is due on December 1, I’m so grateful for this time to focus on one project from so many beautiful locations in the US, UK, and Ireland.
Writing desk in Ithaca Airbnb
Writing desk in Clayton Airbnb
Reference and assorted reading. My sister asked me if I’d ever heard of a Kindle, and I said this carry-on suitcase is my version!
My family threw a little blessing celebration for the book. Their love and encouragement mean more to me than I can express (which is saying a lot for someone who loves words!)
BOOK UPDATES
If all goes according to plan, my book will be available for pre-sale in a week or so! (which is crazy since I didn’t even know I’d be publishing a book until about a month ago!)
As a thank you to you, my loyal patrons, I wanted to share a bit of the behind-the-scenes process as the publisher prepares the book for pre-sales! When I first pitched the book to Herald Press, I proposed the title Rule of Life: Loving Pathways in the Direction of Jesus, Others, and Our Own Souls, which was inspired by an excerpted quotation from Beatrice of Nazareth: “Love has taught the soul to travel Love’s paths, and the soul has followed them faithfully…”
The metaphor of a pathway kept showing up as I hoped to present the idea of a Rule of Life - so harsh in its modern connotation of rules and rulers - to, in fact, be a pathway we walk alongside Jesus and others in the way of love. As I wrote the first chapter and the proposed Table of Contents, I kept envisioning prayer labyrinths I’ve walked and wanted to explore the metaphor as a framework for the book. Thankfully, my editor and the team at Herald Press agreed! They recommended a few stronger options for the title, and I offered suggestions back until we landed (after a few false starts) on the title that will be printed on the cover of the book: The Spacious Path: Practicing the Restful Way of Jesus in a Fragmented World.
For fun, here are all the iterations of the book title from my first draft of the proposal until now:
Safeguarding Love: Spiritual Practices for a Regular Life of Contemplation and Community
Love’s Pathways: A Rule of Life in the Direction of Jesus, Others, and Our Own Souls
The Spacious Path: Finding Rhythms of Rest in a Fragmented World
The Spacious Path: Practicing Rhythms of Rest in a Fragmented World
The Spacious Path: Practicing Rhythms of Rest for a Jesus-Centered Life
The Spacious Path: Practicing the Restful Way of Jesus in a Fragmented World
There was also another cover the publisher sent. I loved receiving it while I was with my kids in Ithaca. They helped me think through what I liked and didn’t like about the proposed cover (including a little field trip to an Ithaca bookstore for inspiration). I’m so, so grateful to Herald Press for taking my feedback and coming back with the final cover. I’m delighted with it!
What do you think?
I’ll post the link for purchase on social media and here as soon as it’s available.
In the meantime, thank you again for all of your encouragement and for celebrating these good gifts with me!
While I won’t be adding weekly devotional posts through the sabbatical, I’ve created an archive for you to access every Ordinary Time devotional post I’ve ever written. You might choose to follow along weekly from the appropriate liturgical week or select at your own pace whatever seems to be drawing you to linger with Scripture, art, and prayer. You can also download one, two, or all three of the Ordinary Time retreat guidebooks I created last year as a companion guide to the Ordinary Time chapters in Living the Christain Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God by Bobby Gross. If you’re looking for a resource to share with a small group of friends this summer, I highly recommend the retreat guides. Please feel free to share them privately with your close friends.