What’s saving my life right now? Have you ever asked yourself this question? I do occasionally and find this question is life-giving, uplifting, refreshing and provides a moment of rest for my spirit.
What’s saving my life right now is a question Emily Freeman (A true mentor of mine) asks frequently. She discovered this question in a book by Barbara Brown Taylor (another mentor of mine!) in her book, Leaving Church. Taylor shares the story of being a guest speaker at an event. When she asked for her topic, this was her host’s request: “Tell us what is saving your life right now.” These words invite us to pause, reflect, and savor what is giving us life at this moment.
When I relistened to Emily’s podcast and what she was noticing in her life, that question dug deep into my soul. What is saving my life right now?
What’s Saving my Life Right Now?
Matlock
Kathy Bates and the TV show Matlock. Have you watched this yet? A friend – thanks, Dee – mentioned the show to me a few months ago and I binged it to catch up with the first 4 episodes and fell in in love with this 75 years old lady on a mission of revenge. What a world of lies and twists and turns this series creates. Funny and entertaining and well written and a delight to watch. Look out! Older women can rule the world!
Birdfy
My hubby bought me a Birdfy for Christmas, one of those birdfeeders with a camera so as the birds come to eat I get a notification on my phone and I can watch my little birds up close feast and enjoy their winter dinner. I can save photos and videos. I can watch it live or catch up at a later time. I love seeing my little birds gobbling their seeds but also notice when the squirrels invade the porch to steal some treats too.
Grief Companioning
I am taking a new course this winter – learning to be a grief companion. With my work as a spiritual director, I notice so many people also carry much loss too and I want to be able to companion them better with that part of sorrow. This class meets twice a month till early May and has already stretched me because it makes you rethink how grief is handle/not handle well in our society and stirs up our/my own grief stories. The instructor, Jan Lundy, is very tender, reminding us to be self- compassionate as we walk through our own memories and healing too. Learning and growing and healing and stretching.
Eye Drops
As I grow older and especially during winter, my eyes get drier. Last year my optometrist recommended I begin using eye drops which have worked well until these past few very dry months. I saw him again last week and he suggested a new regime of more drops and a new eye mask adding lots of more moisture to my eyes – big difference! I am seeing better with so much more comfort. Vision is such a gift and one we take for granted until something interferes. I am grateful for seeing better and for eye drops and those who help us take care of our eyes. Reminded me of the Zig Ziglar quote: “I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes.”
Getting Ready for Lent/Ash Wednesday
Do you realize Ash Wednesday is March 5? Pastor and I have been meeting and planning for Lenten and Ash Wednesday services. Knowing Easter is coming reminds me of spring and warmer weather, greening, and more sunshine will soon be here. That gives me hope which saves my life! I scoured my bookshelves looking for Lenten devotionals to read this year instead of buying new ones. If you are looking for a devotional, I humbly remind you I did write one a few years ago that is available on Amazon called 40 Voices: A Lenten Devotional.
What Give Me Life Practice
I was talking with my spiritual director and shared I had difficulty naming things that brought me joy. She asked me to rename that to what brought me life. At first, I still wasn’t sure so we decided I would simply pay attention over the next few weeks and notice and listen to my heart. Soon my list grew and grew and grew and still is growing. Simply by paying attention! Things like those birds in the backyard by the Birdfy. The blue sky. Journaling. Cinnamon toast. Art museum. Talks with my hubby. Learning new things. Traveling. And more. Joy and life surrounded me all the time – just was hard to see on the foggy darker days of winter. I just needed to notice them.
That is enough for now. Let’s hear from you. What’s saving your life now?
What a wonderfully deep question to ask ourselves, Jean. What is saving my life right now? This would be a great Lenten discipline to practice beginning in March and to keep that up throughout the year as a meaningful reflective practice. Thanks for sharing so many beautiful ideas with us here, and I love your Birdfy. How cool is that? Blessings always!
I love this question too, Martha! Makes you think doesn’t it? And this Birdfy has been so much fun. with a sunny day today here in Ohio they are really active and I am getting lots of close up looks at my little birds!! What joy!
My “word” of the year – I call it a class God enrolls me in – is “joy” – his kind of joy. I want so be filled with God’s joy that I laugh. Oh, yes- the sunshine lifted my heart. My window beside me is open right now, too. I love watching our birds at the bird feeder. I haven’t been out there this year taking photos of them, but I hope to, soon! My husband and I love a good mystery. We need to check out Matlock! Grace & Blessings in your Lenten season!
Interesting that your word is Joy, God’s joy. I hadn’t consider that my word – courage isn’t MY courage but God’s courage. mmmm, I need to think about that. That is a great new perspective for me and may be a future blog post. Thanks for this wisdom!
Will have to check out that Matlock series! Thank you for the recommendation, Jean. Sunshine is a powerful life-saver for me. Those mornings when sunshine pours in through the windows across the back of the house give me a lovely uplift. Add a fresh cup of Highlander Grogg coffee, a few cavorting squirrels to watch (as long as they’re not in the deck planter (!), and my morning is off to a delightful start! Should I discover deer in the yard, I’m downright euphoric!
I hope you enjoy Matlock. I sure do. and I do know sunshine makes a difference in my life. Ohio gets so cloudy in winder. and I know we both enjoy our nature in our back yards where we love finding moments with God! Blessings, Nancy!!
Thank you, dear Jean!