Lent is just around the corner. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season and in 2019 will be March 6. How about some quick facts about Lent? First, what is Lent? It’s not the fibers in your dryer…that’s “lint.” Lent is the 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays. The word comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten” meaning spring. The symbolism of 40 days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry and being tempted by Satan. I like the sound of spring but hesitate at the temptation and wilderness portion. LOL Purple is typically associated with Lent, suggesting repentance and solemnity. Purple, as all colors, is full of symbolism. Its deep dark richness invites us to slow down and consider the sacrifices Jesus did for us. In most Christian denominations, Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, which is derived from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance to God. The ashes are … [Read more...]
10 Lessons from 10 Years of Blogging
10 Years. 10 Lessons. Yes, on February 20, 2009, this blog, Healthy Spirituality, was born. And now more than 1500 posts later, I am amazed 10 years have flown by. Wow! Some of you have been with me from early on, every week – thank you. Some of you joined along the way – thank you. Some of you are new friends – thank you. To celebrate I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one of you. Just leave a comment below by midnight Sunday, Feb. 17 2019 and a winner will be chosen by random. I will email that person early next week and announced the winner too on the Feb 19, 2019 blog post. Again thank you for being part of my little celebration and our Healthy Spirituality Community. Did you know we have a Healthy Spirituality Facebook group where we share inspiration and our walk together in faith? Hop over to Facebook and search for Healthy Spirituality Community and join us. It's free! FYI – the behind the scenes crazy tech update of this blog is almost completed – So far … [Read more...]
Do You Wonder about Wonder?
I am wondering about wonder. This word is one of my three WWW's I am exploring in 2019. I introduced this theme last month and will periodically write about each of the W's throughout the year. WWW stands for wisdom, wonder, and whimsey. I felt God inviting me into these three words several years ago and been thinking of studying them deeper, possibly expanding them into a book(s). Why not start that journey with you all here on the blog to see if there is interest, enough "legs" to become book-worthy and to expand my own insight into these themes? I am starting my WWW journey with this word since Socrates wisely advised us that “wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” What is Wonder? A definition is always a good place to start. Wonder can be both a noun and a verb. The dictionary states that to wonder is "to think or speculate curiously or to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel." As a noun, it can be "something strange and surprising; a cause of surprise, … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in January
January Monthly Musings I am not a winter person (it's cold and snowy in northwest Ohio where it tends to have endless dreary cloudy days too). BUT I do love the fresh start of a new year. I am grateful for January – new beginnings, looking forward to a full year of surprises and life and my obsession with organizing that hits a frenzy this time of year. How has January greeted your spirit? Each month I look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musing Journal. You can use anything, scraps of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musing Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of this post to get a … [Read more...]
Where Does God Fit into our Schedule?
Where Does God Fit into our Schedule? Face it. We are busy. Busyness is a badge of honor anymore – but one that wears quite thin for me. Life interrupts. People interfere. Chores need to be done. Others want and need our presence, love, and hugs. Saying yes and wanting to help with good intentions overwhelm our calendars. Unexpected detours arise. Emails and text messages chirp. Instant responses are the assumption. Facebook and Pinterest lure our attention and drain our time. We set goals then wake up later realizing how far behind we are doing the things that really matter. Exhaustion and distraction rule our lives more than our dreams and deeper desires. Where does God fit into our schedule? This is a question I have been pondering and want to explore more now and throughout this year. My desire is to have my life, my time, my schedule built upon God, not upon the weak crumbling foundation of busyness. Jesus didn't rush through life. I haven't found a parable describing … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from 43 Years of Keeping a Spiritual Journal
Yes, you read that headline right. I have written in a spiritual journal for more than 43 years. And yes, I have them all. I haven't caught up with my great aunt Anna yet – I have her diaries from more than 60 years. Quite a treasure that I featured in this blog post. I reached high on the top bookshelf this past week and brought down my first three journals. To be honest, my 43 years have not been consecutive but since 1985 I have written every year – that alone is 34 years – still amazing to me. My first journal is dated January 19, 1976, married but pre-kids and I wrote about 5-6 entries. The following year I wrote 4 times in early 1977 as I was expecting my first child. Wish I recorded more during this key life-changing time of life – one of my key lessons. In 1985 I began the regular practice of writing about my spiritual journey in a journal – averaging 2-3 times a month. Interesting lessons emerged as I strolled backward through time. Lessons Learned about … [Read more...]
Tests, Themes and Threads, Oh My!
Tests, themes, and threads turned up in my notes as I pondered this week's blog post. Oh my, I thought what a start to the new year – a good start, though and not one for panic. Busy but blessed. What do I mean? Tests I want you to know as readers of Healthy Spirituality, I am changing some background, behind the scenes structure of this blog. In January, there may be times the blog may not be available as it gets tweaked and tuned up. For example, many of you have noticed the change in the web world from http to more secure https – that is one example of the structure renovation. Tests? I am hoping you never see much disruptions and I survive the details of working with a much more advanced techy person who speaks in words and language I don't fully understand. Yes, it is in English but all this techspeak is outside my comfort zone. When we remodeled the house last year, the project was messy, uncomfortable, and unpredictable. But once the project was completed, the … [Read more...]
Spiritual Shuffle – Relinquishing the Old Year and Receiving the New Year
Shuffle? You know the movement – dragging feet, stumbling back and forth between two sides. Changing our body weight from one leg to another, moving only slightly when feeling awkward, embarrassed or uncertain. Or to intermix like the cards in a deck or shuffling papers on our desks into a different order. The movement between 2018 into 2019 shuffled in my spirit this year. I normally love this time of year and relish the fresh new year just waiting to emerge. But this year I found myself vacillating back and forth in my annual reflection of the old year and the yearly planning for the new year. But now as 2019 is birthed and time moves on, I am realizing the lessons I learned while doing this wavering spiritual shuffle. I needed the time bouncing back and forth to gain a new perspective about how I was feeling and recalling the past 12 months. And my opinion about 2018 did change during this spiritual shuffle. Guess an occasional swing between old and new brings … [Read more...]