I take a moment of silence that follows an exhale, and use this as a means of releasing the goodness, people, and beauty back to the Lord.Cheers! I love good, glass-clinking CHEERS! There’s something about it that brings a bubbly sense inside of me. When gathered around a table with one or many people, I think Cheers is a great way to bring honor to a person or an occasion. Cheers is a celebratory word that also marks well wishes and a farewell. It’s quite simple, but it really can mark a special moment of wishing someone off to a new part of their journey or even into a new landing place in the sense of geography. Cheers brings a sense of mutual joy and acknowledgment that something/someone has been good and therefore we raise our glasses, clink them together, and take a sip! A loving gaze and a word of gratitude This ritual costs nothing and yet has the ability to leave an impact on one’s heart. Whether it’s parting for a short time or a long time, there is nothing that compares to a short moment of attunement coupled with a few words of gratitude. We live in a world where we move at such a fast pace, from thing to thing, and rarely do we take time to slow down and share a few words of kindness and honor face to face. Endings can be painful and bring a lot of grief, but they can also bring a lot of joy. When finishing up serving at a weekend retreat, or at the end of a sweet few-day cross-country visit with a friend, I like to take a moment to consider a few words of blessing and gratitude to impart to those I am leaving. It’s in these short moments that I notice a slowness and one last moment of intimate connection before departing. A few words and a kind gaze can go a long way. Endings are meant to be marked with an embodied ritual. Even though we weren’t made for endings, we can reclaim this disorientation through an act of intentionality and creativity. Whether it’s a toss of confetti, stacking stones, clinking glasses and exclaiming, “Cheers!” or offering a word of gratitude face-to-face before departing, endings are opportunities to mark moments and name the beauty, goodness, and truth of what has been.
Sandhya Oaks is a ministry leader, spiritual director, writer, and speaker. She is fiercely committed to inviting people to curiosity and possibility through hosting Kintsugi Story Workshops and Story Retreats. She is one who brings light to dark places and invites others to courageously do the same. She is a Transracial Adoptee with Pakistani and Indian roots, and her joys include traveling, gathering around the table, and water sports. You can find more of her good work at Sandhyaoaks.com.
