Have you heard of Swedish Death Cleaning? I read about this new idea – at least new to me – last month as I was writing the series on Healthy Spirituality about the spiritual practice of letting go. Sorting and throwing out all our physical stuff fits our exploration of letting go. Decluttering is a form of letting go and can be extremely challenging to get rid of piles of papers and those out of sight/out of mind boxes tucked away in the basement and garage. We boldly decide to relinquish bad habits, attitudes and assumptions, but avoid the physical material we accumulate and cling to that encumbers our lives. I am bewildered by a local television ad about the solution to having too much stuff – just rent another storage unit so you can buy more stuff. We are packrats! Collect more stuff? No, it’s time to let go. What is Swedish Death Cleaning? Letting go begins with the decision to move from disorder to order, burden to unburden, and confusion to clarity. It starts with … [Read more...]

Quotes bring tidbits of wisdom and insight and an incentive to dive deeper into a thought, belief, and behavior. Often a quote will arrive at our heart’s doorstep at just the right moment we need to absorb its words. Letting Go is October’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. I invite you if you haven’t already to explore the October posts about letting go so far shared here. The Spiritual Practice of Letting Go The Spiritual Practice of Letting Go - Assumptions The Prayer of Relinquishment Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I wrote out for myself and want to share with you a list of “50 Things to Let Go.”  These examples are ideas of people, stuff, ideas, and beliefs that we may cling to that no longer fit, serve, or help us in our journey. I don’t plan to release all 50 of these, but to have the list copied in … [Read more...]

Do you have the courage to put into action the spiritual practice of letting go? I had to face this question when I decided to delve into this discipline this month. Letting go challenges my comfort zone and requires vulnerability and willingness to step into the risky unknown with faith that God will lead me to where and what I need to grow spiritually. Letting Go is October’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I wrote out for myself and want to share with you a list of “50 Things to Let Go.”  These examples are ideas of people, stuff, ideas, and beliefs that we may cling to that no longer fit, serve, or help us in our journey. I don’t plan to release all 50 of these, but to have the list copied in my journal to use in my prayers, asking God to show me what fills my heart and mind that … [Read more...]

In Ohio, colorful leaves are letting go. Trees model for us the necessity of times to release, shed, unburden our lives as a healthy way to live. Seasons revolve, not precisely, but predictably, teaching us lessons if we pay attention. The spiritual practice of letting go is perhaps one of the most challenging of the disciplines. One that takes courage to release what is comfortable and known, and step into faith, not knowing what to expect next. Letting Go is October’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I wrote out for myself and want to share with you a list of “50 Things to Let Go.”  These examples are ideas of people, stuff, ideas, and beliefs that we may cling to that no longer fit, serve, or help us in our journey. I don’t plan to release all 50 of these at one time, but to have … [Read more...]

I’m thankful for tacos. Did you know, not only is today fondly called Taco Tuesday, but tomorrow, October 4, is National Taco Day? When you read this post, I will just be getting back from vacation so thought we'd need a light reading today. Let’s have some fun with this idea! Taco Trivia In 2016, Americans ate over 4.5 billion tacos!  That’s 490,000 miles of tacos, which could take you to the moon and back or, if you prefer, could, at 775-million pounds, equal the weight of two Empire State Buildings. No one really knows the full history of this yummy meal, but some experts report that the word “taco” came from the silver mines in Mexico in the 18th century. Tacos were the little explosives, pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder and place into holes in the rock. When detonated, the ore was easier to extract. Yeah! I’ve eaten some hot sauce that exploded in my mouth, too. Others say the taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico during the 16th century. They … [Read more...]

Listening is a skill we all can improve in. This is one reason by Becky Harling’s new book, How to Listen so People will Talk, Build Stronger Communication and Deeper Connection, appealed to me. I know I don’t listen well. This is hard to admit for someone who is a spiritual director, but when I am listening to someone in that type of setting, I intentionally focus on hearing both the spoken and unspoken words. I quiet myself and pray to have my ego step out of the way. It is hard work, but I have learned to listen better through this practice. But problem is I forget to bring that skill into my other communications. Too often I allow my mind to drift, to rehearse my response, and let lose my mouth to interrupt. I talk when silence or just my presence would be the better gift to the other. I've written about my half listening before on this post.  Listening is key to all relationships. As the author writes, “I wanted to be a wise woman who listened and invested in her … [Read more...]

How do we pray? Prayer is one of the most referred to topics here on Healthy Spirituality. I believe prayer is an essential tool in our spiritual growth and knowing/worshiping God. A few month ago, the research organization, Barna, released the results of a study about how American adults prayed. They asked questions of a sampling of 1015 U. S, adults in June 2017. Self-identified Christians and past Christians comprise 888 respondents. You can read the report here for more details and some interesting graphics. How Do We Pray? Barna acknowledged that prayer is not only the most frequently faith practice, but is also complex and multifaceted. There are all sorts of prayers and ways of praying. Here are some of the insight I learned from this study: How do we pray? Amazingly 94% reported that they prayed at least once in the last three months, most often praying by themselves. Prayer was practiced alone and in silence with only 13% saying their prayers were audible. I can … [Read more...]