Monday Manna

My gratitude to and for you....

Thank you so much, my friend, for subscribing to Monday Manna. I’m so glad and humbled you are here. My prayer with this little pause on Monday mornings is to offer some nourishment (“manna”) for you — via my reflection, prayer, and painting — as you are nourishing the world around you. Together, we are watching for the ways God is with us and for us as we take one day at a time…

The framed original of this piece is in my Etsy shop. The notecards of it sold out, but I hope to make more soon!

Good morning, friends, and peace, love, and blessings to you as we begin November (can we believe it?)…

It was an especially tough week — multiple days of ICE raids right here in my neighborhood, SNAP defunding, and Hurricane Melissa. More on all of that below. But what I had wanted to focus on — and the place my heart really needed to go at the end of this week — is gratitude.

As we start November with a special focus on “gratitude,” it’s really important to me to thank you. I began writing Monday Manna years ago, but moved it to Substack just a little over two years ago with the hope of writing more regularly.

I’ve reflected recently on how thankful I am to all who have encouraged my writing. It was a very difficult decision to leave my pastoral position at the church years ago, but what you have all helped me see is that this writing is a form of ministry. I’ve been blessed beyond measure by the gift of connection to people near and far who subscribe to Monday Manna— from people who watched me grow up as a baby in my home church (that’s intimate!) to people I have never met. With each of you, I feel such connection in God’s Spirit — and that, to me, is a very sacred thing.

The Substack platform offers a paid subscription option as a way to culturally validate how creators and artists deserve to be paid for their work (and that creating matters). I often wish I had endless dollars to support the countless writers whose work I appreciate and am blessed by. From the beginning, I was committed to making and keeping new Monday Manna posts each week free (with archives behind a paywall as a way to support and protect my work).

But, I was amazed how some of you chose to give precious dollars any way out of the generosity of your hearts, supporting this ministry and showing the value you find in it. Each and every donation you have made has been a tangible, grace-filled reminder to me this work somehow matters (especially on days when I’m in a bit of a shame spiral!) And, of course, there are countless ways beyond money you have shown your appreciation — the messages you’ve sent, your sharing Monday Manna with others, and especially your prayers.

All of you know my deep commitment, here, is to show up vulnerably and authentically, because I believe the personal is not only universal, but is also where healing begins.

So, each week, I sit down, I pray, and I see what God is stirring up this time. And I trust that whatever comes is not just what I need, but what you do as well. Each post takes me a lot of time, and I’m so grateful for some writer comrades who write, support, and pray along with me (Thank you, Llama Mamas!). The evolution of Monday Manna has brought me such delight with its surprises, too, including the ways my art adventure became a main thread in this offering.

It’s an exposing thing, and always feels vulnerable whenever I hit publish. Every week, I receive unsubscribes. It’s just part of what I’ve signed up for. When we put ourselves out there, we will be rejected! This is a good soul exercise, always reminding me what this work is actually about.

My vision remains to provide a still, quiet point to care for your soul, to be centered, and to be nourished, because you, my friends, are manna to this world. And this world is so hungry.

So, to each and every one of you, thank you. I’ll close with a favorite quote that’s been threaded throughout my life, and one my husband and I repeat regularly as we cross thresholds…

For all that has been, thank you.

For all that is to come, YES.

~ Dag Hammarskjold

P.S. Out of my deep appreciation to my paid subscribers, I have created a free downloadable holiday print — more on that below!

The surprising email I got last month from Substack, thanks to you.

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A Prayer

Autumn color has at long last come!! Here is my “Prayer for Autumn” from my book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life.

For Autumn

Gracious God,

I praise you as the

Giver and Renewer of seasons.

The earth’s rhythms

remind me of

your faithfulness…

your love…

your promises…

The sun rising each morning,

the leaves turning and dropping,

the stars peeking through

mists of morning gray,

then greeting me as

the day kisses night.

Amidst the cycle, I find

a rhythm for my soul.

I hear echoes of that

ancient and eternal place

into which you beckon me,

and I say thank you.

Oh, God, how will you

show yourself to me today?

I am longing for

a closer connection,

a stronger fire,

a self-forgetting confidence

that fills me and makes me

a whole, abundant person.

I want to find myself so full

of your loving presence

that it spills and splashes

over my life’s rim,

blessing and baptizing

every trip I make,

every meal I cook,

every task I do,

every person I meet,

every smile I share,

every worry I carry.

Thank you, God, for lifting me

over the threshold of this season.

May I watch for the stars tonight

and the sun tomorrow,

finding you in both.

Amen.

Psalm 19:1–6 * Galatians 2:20 * Colossians 3:17

“The heavens are telling the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.”

—Psalm 19:1

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Something that nourished me recently…

*In the latter part of last week, several ICE crews were in our neighborhood. It has been a truly traumatizing few days. On Halloween, squads were circling our block and street, pulling people off of neighbor’s lawns. My husband, Jeff, followed an ICE squad team, who then stopped to confront him, leading to a long conversation that we’ve been processing over and over. In the midst of the trauma, our community is rallying. People took shifts in front of the library and grocery stores. Women and men, young and old, walked the sidewalks carrying whistles. School staff walked home children whose nannies felt too unsafe to come to school pick-up. A large group of moms met in the basement of our church that night to assemble more whistle blower kits with Know-Your-Rights cards. Yes, there is so much evil happening right now. But I look at what people are doing in response and I know the Spirit is here. Here is the link to be a part of the New Trier Rapid Response Network on Signal. And please, friends, keep praying.

If you live in the area, click on the picture above to be taken to the google form.

* This was a challenging week, but in the midst of it all, there were kids decked out and ready to celebrate Halloween. A group from our school put together halloween goody bags for families who were needing to shelter in place in light of ICE. And as far as our crew went, we had two astronauts and a Welch’s fruit snack.

*I have long loved

Kendra Adachi

’s work with the Lazy Genius. I’ve also long been a “planner” person. This fall, I tried her “Playbooks” for the first time. These are not a planner. They instead help you reflect on your life by naming what’s most important to you right now, give ample spaces for brain dumps, and help you align your priorities with your values. She has prompts like, “what’s making you feel like yourself right now” as well as sections for “have to” lists and “hope to” lists (which are different things!). I highly recommend.

I made a little painting to decorate the cover of mine….

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Ash and Starlight, plus other good things…

*GIFT FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ~ As mentioned above, I have been beyond blessed by the generosity of support with Monday Manna. As a thank you, I have an early Christmas present. :) I created an 8x10 digital download of my original holiday watercolor, “Peace on Earth,” which you can print (as many as you like!). Put it in a Michael’s on-sale frame with a mat, and you have yourself a very nice Christmas present for $15! I plan to give many of these away myself next month. The message we need, the reality we pray for….A separate email will be coming to you next week.

*ARTWORK IN MY ETSY SHOP and PERSONALIZED PRINTS ~ I’ll be sending a separate post in the coming weeks with new things I’ll be adding to my Etsy shop in time for the holidays, but in the meantime, I’ve added a Customized/Personalized Print. You tell me the word or phrase you want, and I’ll hand letter it on the print. Another great and specialized holiday gift! There are also a few originals left from my art show, many different prints, and some cards. A portion of each sale here goes to World Central Kitchen which provides food relief, especially urgent right now with the SNAP defunding. You can view the shop here.

*SECOND EDITION OF ASH AND STARLIGHT ~ Find the updated edition of my book here at Chalice or at the Bookshop link.

*MONDAY MANNA ARCHIVES ~ Paid supporters of Monday Manna can view previous Monday Manna reflections here, or for the really old stuff, go to my website.

*WHAT DOES MANNA MEAN? ~ Check out an earlier post to learn how this little bit of “daily bread” got its name…

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Feel my hugs of gratitude, friends, and again, thank you. You are a gift and are keeping hope alive each and every day.

Love and Light,

Arianne

I love hearing from you! You are manna. Reply to this note to send a message directly to my inbox.