May Meanderings From Savannah
Postcards Along the Way - May 2026
Happy May, friend!
May’s moodiness meanders here in Savannah. One day, we swelter in the humid heat that reminds us summer is coming, while only a day or so later, we shiver as cool winds and welcome rain greet our drought-parched area. It’s that time of year when grandchildren and neighborhood kids tell tales of field days, sporting events, and grand finales as school draws to a close.
Summer beckons, and we await its arrival. There’s something grand about the shift in seasons and schedules that accompanies school’s end, even if you are no longer a student. I’m ready for popsicles, peaches, and pops of color in the garden as the heat rises. What are you looking forward to as May dances across its full calendar into June?
Lately, I’ve enjoyed reading Every Moment Holy’s Rites of Passage volume. Douglas Kaine McKelvey’s text and Ned Bustard’s artwork offer wonderful liturgies. I recommend the book as a grand companion to the occasions braided through the fullness of May.
Here in May, as the Easter season draws to a close, I am spending time thinking of Christ’s Ascension (Jesus’ going) and the Holy Spirit’s Descension (Spirit’s coming in Pentecost), both celebrated this month. Join me in reading Ashley Tumlin Wallace, a lovely writer who is well-versed in the comings and goings of the liturgical calendar. She offers wonderful insights into Ascension Day and the Day of Pentecost.
The comings and goings of the Trinity are fascinating to ponder and deeply meaningful to our everyday comings and goings. I’m curious which member of the Trinity you relate to most readily and which one you would like to know better. Each Person of the Trinity makes such a difference in how we live this Kingdom life on earth.
In my lifetime, I’ve lived in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Colorado. No matter where I lived, two constants remain. I savor crisp mountain air at higher elevations, and I delight in the salt air that leaps over waves at the shore.
These days, we can drive to the beach in under thirty minutes or sit by the waterfront at the Savannah River’s port in even less time. My parents met and married by the sea. My dad was a US Naval Academy graduate and a pilot, so an awareness of ships and planes has been a thread of the tapestry of my heritage.
Recently, Bob and I joined some of our local family on a Saturday morning. We traipsed down to the riverfront to tour the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle, America’s Tall Ship. One of only two active commissioned sailing vessels, the Eagle is used by the Coast Guard Academy to train cadets and officer candidates during the summer.
On an overcast, drizzly Saturday, we climbed up and down the ship’s steep stairs as we explored the three-masted, 295-foot vessel. Did you know that it will be one of the eleven USA tall ships joining other tall ships from thirty-two countries across the globe in the flotilla during New York’s harbor festivities for the 250th anniversary of the USA?
Many tall ships are performing training voyages before the big summer events in harbors along the Gulf and East Coasts. If you are traveling anywhere near a coast this spring or summer, you might investigate where you could tour one of these magnificent vessels in a port nearby. Wear sturdy shoes and expect to be awed!
My family of origin’s particular affiliation and affection for the Eagle come from my dad’s model of the ship. I was determined to see it in person. Climbing aboard the real thing, I imagined life as a sailor and realized how little I knew about it!
I learned to sail at camp as a kid, but a tiny sailboat is nothing like a square-rigged sailing vessel. Even in the short time we were on board, my body adjusted to the sway of the ship, so finding my land legs came a bit slowly once we disembarked. Sailors used terms appropriate to ships, many unfamiliar to us who live mainly on land. Terminology and terrain change how we think and live, don’t they?
What terrain of heart and soul, of body, mind, spirit, and gifting are changing how you think and live these days?
Making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius brings about new ways to deepen one’s prayer life, experience intimacy with the Trinity, and gain a clearer understanding of oneself. My retreatants who are concluding their ten-month retreat in the Exercises have gathered new ways, new words, and new terminology for being with God, and it’s changed the terrain of their hearts.
Likewise, the writers I accompany as they work hard to create a book or revise one are finding depth and wonder as they discover new language for craft and creativity in their writing life. Change doesn’t come easy, yet it does spur on our growth, doesn’t it?
As the weather settles down and planting season arrives, I’m investigating drought-hardy plants as I get started digging in the garden this year. Time in the dirt among weeds and seedlings offers moments of prayerfulness as I consider how Christ the Gardener plows, plants, and weeds what my soul needs to flourish rather than wither.
Where would you like to flourish this year? Where are you parched? Psalm 1 is one I return to regularly as it offers a lovely, prayerful place to consider how we are planted and what we yield. It’s a short psalm, easy to memorize, and great to meditate on at any time of year.
Whether you are sailing into a new season or discovering new terrain of your art, your heart, or your garden, I hope your May is full of wonder.
Joyfully,
Lane
PS - I mention Ashley Tumlin Wallace earlier in the newsletter and also enjoy her Substack writings as well as her Advent resources, if you ever need a recommendation.
