One summer when my niece was 8-ish years old, she came to visit our family in Madison for a few days. One of the activities we did together was press wildflowers.

This involved picking flowers (like Queen Anne’s Lace) on our walks; placing the blossoms between layers of paper towels, newspapers, and heavy books; then letting them sit for several days until they were dry. We used the dried flowers to create greeting cards that we then mailed to her grandmother.

The process of creating such greeting cards all started with noticing. Noticing the flowers in our environment. Noticing which ones were white and lacy, which ones were lavender with numerous petals, which ones were bright yellow poofs. Noticing was foundational to our creative process.

No matter what we humans are creating, noticing is an important first step:

• Creating a feast? Notice the spices in the dish, the arrangement of the food on the plate
• Creating a poem? Notice the sounds of words, the way they roll off the tongue
• Creating a dance? Notice the stretching of the muscles, the feel of the air on one’s limbs

The same is true for other spiritual practices – noticing is an important first step:

• Creating a home altar? Notice the meanings of the sacred objects you place with reverence
• Creating a hymn sing? Notice the lyrics of a favorite song, the harmonies that soar
• Creating a chalice lighting? Notice the Shared UU Values, placing Love at the center.

As the Jewish Studio Project puts it: “We are all created creative.” In other words, we all have creative inclinations. It might just take some noticing to get our creative juices flowing.

Last month I went to visit my niece who is 28-ish now. She’s still noticing the beauty of flowers. This time she created a living bouquet from her backyard flower gardens. She gave the colorful bouquet to her grandmother.

This month, may you notice the beauty and love that surrounds, sustains, and creates with you.

Growing in Faith, Rev. Carin