Blog #126: LivingLight in Summertime |
| June 29, 2023 Gabriel Byng and Monika Weber-Fahr |
| Summertime is here! Last week’s June 21st marked the summer solstice or midsummer. Next week, on Monday, children in Vienna will begin their two-months long summer breaks. Also, many doctor’s offices and other services will close for some time in the coming month or so, and even Christ Church moves onto a summer schedule. In July and August clocks in Vienna will be ticking slower than for the rest of the year. |
| Summertime is for many of us an opportunity - indeed an invitation - to notice life around ourselves with more attention. We take time out of our busy schedules, and if we are lucky we are able to slow down and create more harmony between the speed at which we live and the pace of nature and its beings. A perfect time, it seems, for reflecting on what God’s creation means to us. |
| This the spirit of Living Light in Summertime: Instead of the regular blog, we want to invite our readers to contribute what they see and feel, and to share short observations on creation or creation care. To make it easy, we will again invite you to use haikus as the main format. Haikus are a short form of poetry, originally from Japan. Traditionally, they consist of three phrases - in a 5 - 7 - 5 pattern, containing a seasonal reference. They seemed a good fit for the Living Light Blog in Summertime last year: If you want to see what we did last year, do check out Brandy’s Haiku on the Beauties of a Flowerbed in Blog#76 - or any of the following Haikus, about the Heat, Rainbows, a River’s Fingerprint, What To Do, Quiet Buzzes, the Moon, and our Space, through to Rosalind’s concluding reflection on Haikus for Creation in Blog#86. |
 Foto: Rubenspark in the Fourth District in Vienna is where Gabe put together our first Summertime Haiku - reflecting on a moment of appreciation of God's creation around him. |
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To inspire us all, Gabe is giving us a head-start with a Haiku called Rubenspark - a beautiful little recreational area in the fourth district, worthwhile spending some time at. * |
| So, now the invitation to you all is to compose a creation-minded thought or observation in three lines, the first one with five syllabi, the second one with seven syllabi, the third with five syllabi again. And yes, Philip, if you’d like to compose a Limerick, you are very very welcome (and so is everyone else). The emphasis is on short and creation-minded. |
| You can do it! Just write a three-liner, or put together several, telling a longer story. Or you can send us a Haiku together with a text or picture. Or just send me some bullet points and I’ll turn them into a Haiku (no promises on Limericks). Inspired? Do send your haikus to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Or any other idea or thought, of course. |
| Have a great summer! We look forward to hearing from you! |
