"Self-care is never a selfish act- it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others."
~ Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak, pg. 49-50.
Well I did take some time off- these past two days. It was lovely because I didn't do much. I am always surprised at how tired I feel on those days- when I let my body catch up with herself and not force her to run at a crazy pace.
One thing I did was spend a lot of time with my dog, Jonah, pictured above. I walked him, played with him, snuggled him, and just looked at him (i think he is very cute and nice to look at!). If you didn't know this about me before, I really love my dog! Up until I started at Grace I got to spend a lot of time with him each day, and I've really missed that. It was so great to be with him. He is a place where I get renewed. When I come home, he is usually curled up in his bed or on the couch, and I go over to him and lay/kneel down beside him. I immediately feel so much better just being with him. He is a reminder to me of God's love and presence in my life. Sometimes he will jump up on the couch and lay right on top of my laptop as if to say "HEY! Put that thing away and give me some love!" Sometimes he'll bark at me until I get up and play with him, feed him, or just come down to his level. Sometimes I need to be barked at to remember to pay attention to Jonah or to God.
Another thing I did was go for a long walk with Brian over to Lime Kiln Park. We stood by the raging river and watched it go by, getting dizzy concentrating on the rushing water. We noticed all kinds of things around the banks- different trees, the way the water flowed and swirled in places. It felt so good to just lose myself in it. Nature is so refreshing and a great reminder for me of who God is and who I am in this world. There is much to learn and much to appreciate just by being still in nature. For our Grafton Clergy book study this year we are reading Leaving Church, by Barbara Brown Taylor (one of my favorite authors). I read this yesterday and it was exactly how I felt standing at the rivers edge:
~ Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak, pg. 49-50.
Well I did take some time off- these past two days. It was lovely because I didn't do much. I am always surprised at how tired I feel on those days- when I let my body catch up with herself and not force her to run at a crazy pace.
One thing I did was spend a lot of time with my dog, Jonah, pictured above. I walked him, played with him, snuggled him, and just looked at him (i think he is very cute and nice to look at!). If you didn't know this about me before, I really love my dog! Up until I started at Grace I got to spend a lot of time with him each day, and I've really missed that. It was so great to be with him. He is a place where I get renewed. When I come home, he is usually curled up in his bed or on the couch, and I go over to him and lay/kneel down beside him. I immediately feel so much better just being with him. He is a reminder to me of God's love and presence in my life. Sometimes he will jump up on the couch and lay right on top of my laptop as if to say "HEY! Put that thing away and give me some love!" Sometimes he'll bark at me until I get up and play with him, feed him, or just come down to his level. Sometimes I need to be barked at to remember to pay attention to Jonah or to God.
Another thing I did was go for a long walk with Brian over to Lime Kiln Park. We stood by the raging river and watched it go by, getting dizzy concentrating on the rushing water. We noticed all kinds of things around the banks- different trees, the way the water flowed and swirled in places. It felt so good to just lose myself in it. Nature is so refreshing and a great reminder for me of who God is and who I am in this world. There is much to learn and much to appreciate just by being still in nature. For our Grafton Clergy book study this year we are reading Leaving Church, by Barbara Brown Taylor (one of my favorite authors). I read this yesterday and it was exactly how I felt standing at the rivers edge:
"How long do you think this river has been here?" I asked Ed..."Forever, I guess," he said at last. If I softened my gaze and stopped holding myself apart from all that surrounded me I became part of something so old and so powerfully alive that I lost track of my self. The river ran through me. Trees breathed for me. My feet grew from rock. (85)
She also writes, "I know plenty of people who find God most reliably in books, in buidlings, and even in other people. I have found God in all of these places too, but the most reliable meeting place for me has always been creation. Since I first became aware of the Divine Presence in that lit-up field in Kansas, I have always known where to go when my own flame is guttering. To lie with my back flat on the fragrant ground is to receive a transfusion of the same power that makes the green blade rise." (80)
I guess our sabbath times and places can be closer than we think.
I guess our sabbath times and places can be closer than we think.
1 comment:
I agree so much. God's creation does amazing things to me when I take the time to let it. Thanks for the reminder. ~ Kate Peterman
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