Tag Archives: spirituality

Apr 16 2025
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Bible, health, random

Healing and Reflection: A Journey Through Lent

AKA #lentphotoaday April 16th, word is “HERE“

HERE for it. Present. Ready and willing. Open to God.

I talked about this little Lent refection project to my therapist today. I hadn’t seen her for a few weeks since I was sick, then hospitalized for a week. She was worried and we had a lot of catch up on, mostly focusing on how I need to put all my concentration on getting better. There is no more room for any energy to go elsewhere, other than healing up. We talked about how me being more present to reflect during these spiritually guided meditations is really helping me to stay in my lane. It’s also filling my empty and lonely times with purpose.

So let’s dig in. With Easter just a hop, skip and a jump away…see what I did there?

Not HERE: On what we call Easter Day, Mary Magdalene and the women go into the tomb to see Jesus’ body and they are met with these words: Matthew 28:5-6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

I remember going to Sunday school when I would stay with my grandparents in New Franklin, Ohio. My parents would drop us off there for a week at a time, when they would go on fancy, tropical vacations with friends. There were the good church and there was the yucky church. The good church was the little Presbyterian church right down the street from their house. Grandma was the Sunday school teacher and I can almost smell the glue that we would use to adhere the felt Jesus on the construction paper. We would paste him coming out of the tomb where he was resurrected and leaving for his ascension to Heaven. We colored in the words “HE HAS RISEN” and we framed the paper with popsicle sticks. Then we drank apple juice and munched on Voortman-esque wafer cookies.

I feel like I need a refresher. I remember there being a Jesus cross and resurrection timeline, but I don’t remember the details.

WHOA. I’ll give you a minute. Fascinating to look at it with grown up eyes.

So, Nisan is the first month is the Jewish calendar. Palm Sunday is also the 10th day of Nisan. Today is the 13th of Nisan. To put it in the perspective of this week, on Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, Jesus called himself the Passover Lamb. Wednesday (today) is the day before The Last Supper. It’s also the day that Judas decides to betray Jesus and also, they are getting ready to have a last meal together. Wouldn’t you have given anything to be seated at that table?

Love you.

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Apr 15 2025
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Bible, family, health, holidays, random, writing

Journey of Silence, Celebration, and Preparation

#lentphotoaday weekend catch-up for April 12th, 13th and 14th “SILENT,” “CELEBRATE,” and “PREPARED“

I guess I can’t really get myself out of Saturday’s prompt by being SILENT. (insert cheeky grin). This is my journey and it’s pointless for me not to be on the actual ride, so off we go.

There is “A time to keep silent, and a time to speak” – Ecclesiates 3:7. 

I have spent my whole life getting into trouble being too vocal. Mostly oversharing. I think it’s a battle of self-control. Proverbs 17:28 says  “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” Focusing on being interested in listening, instead of talking is always good practice. In my younger years, I think it might have come off as more cute and a little kooky. Now, it definitely puts people off and I think it’s one of the reasons that, particularly right now, I’m short in the friend department. I’m nothing if not self-aware. That’s a 2025 goal to find a new friend. I am putting in the work and the reflection and I do think opening myself up to be more spiritual is part of the process. It’s just a symptom of being lonely. It can be corrected. For starters, I have been working on trying not to share every little feeling that I have with every little conversation I have. It’s been a practice that I have been working on for at least a year. Sometimes I think it backfires because I think it just makes me come off as a little weird and distant. I’m still tweaking it, as I continue to be a work in progress. Getting out more, focusing on others, searching for ways to put myself into the land of the living is another perfect spring goal. In the SILENT moments, my heart, my ears and my mind remain open to everything.

In our current political environment, it’s hard to find the CELEBRATIONS. But they are all around us, we just have to open up our eyes to find them. Birthdays and anniversaries happen around us every day. Last week I got to celebrate two amazing birthdays of two out of three of my outstanding children. These were CELEBRATIONS that were responses to God’s gifts of the blessings we have in our lives. My oldest turned a quarter of a century and that’s certainly a humdinger. My baby turned 19 and while she was a thousand miles away at college, I worked really hard to make sure she felt celebrated, even when she was not with her family for the first time in her life. I sent her a cheesecake and she loved it. I went out of my comfort zone and went to a Comicon show with my son; loved every minute. Meet the world’s newest D&D fan. I figured out workarounds to make their celebrations happen and being to CELEBRATE joy and thanks of one of God’s many great gifts.

Lots of different meanings in the Bible for PREPARED. It can mean preparing for events coming, as in spiritual readiness or just simply packing a good backpack to be ready to do God’s good work. I would like to think that packing that bag and figuring out what to put in it is kind of part of my journey here. I am exploring what tools and supplies I may need to become a better spiritual version of myself. Noah built the Ark, The Wise versions prepared their lamps, Israelites preparing for Passover. This way, when the time comes that I need to call on my spirituality for help and guidance, I am PREPARED.

Love you.

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Apr 08 2025
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Auto Immune Disease, death, family, Getting old, health, mental health, random, rheumatoid arthritis, writing

Navigating Illness and Spiritual Growth

Or also know as: A Lenten Reflective Journey…With Hiccups.

Ahhh, Facebook….the best online hang in the world to connect, yet simultaneously annoying, politically stressful and chock full of HACKERS.

Last month, I saw a dear friend involved in a Facebook #rethinkchurch daily practice, inspired by The United Methodist Church. She was participating with another lovely friend who moved to the Big Stone Gap, and it’s been nice to be able to keep tabs on her and her wonderful life out there. I was intrigued by the idea of spiritual reflection, with a sprinkle of accountability. It’s always been a good look for me. In the last three years, I very painfully lost my dad and have been suffering from chronic health issues. My kids are getting older, life is moving so much faster. I feel very grateful for my soul mate husband, my loving children, family, friends, my home and my life. I am washed over with the overwhelming need to express my gratitude and thankfulness.

I had somewhat of a darker experience with religion when I was younger. Dark isn’t quite the right word. It’s not a positive word to pinpoint, but it was…problematic? So, as we sometimes do, I put it all in my pocket and I shoved it in the back of the closet. Well. Seems like I’m feeling the need to clean a little house. Exploring my relationship with religion and God has slowing inched over to me on the couch. I’m starting to lean in and I’m starting to listen.

At the beginning of March, I started the daily #lentphotoaday, prompted by a suggested word. I would post it on my FB page, tagging my reflective Lent tribe. I loved it. I was waking up every morning, inspired by nature outside my window, old photos, memories and pulling out our old family Bible. It all felt very cathartic and warm to explore.

And then we got Facebooked hacked.

And then I got really sick.

And then, instead of being able to reflect on my past, present and future relationship with God, and preparing for Easter in my own little way, I was just praying to God that I would get better and not die in the hospital. Not the journey I was intending.

I was in there seven days with a virus that turned pneumonic, and heavy IV steroids that bumped me to coma-high blood sugars. All of that craziness thrust me into a rancid, full-blown case of Diabetes. It sounds dramatic because it is. It sucks. I’m home now in insulin, bruised like a pin cushion, beat-up, weak and exhausted. My new medical path has changed and I will be now focusing on getting better. But I remain positive because LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. I am babying myself so I can keep plugging along. Summer is coming…summer is coming.

In the end, if I can also be honest, I think this worked out. It’s getting me writing again. Also, It was not a comfortable platform for me to be sharing my reflections anyway. My FB circle is used to handling my funny meme’s, annoying mom brag posts and lots of music promotional material. I think it works out for me to head over to this crazy little Heatherland. Its feels so much more appropriate; a public blog, but ironically personal, since no one really reads it.

Therefore, here I am, jumping back into the Lent pool.

Next post: The word of today is BRING.

Love you.

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