#17 – Do Something Spiritual

A lot of times we narrowly define taking care of ourselves by eating well and exercising. While that’s good for your physical body, we are more than just skin and bones. How often do we take care of our spirit? Sunday’s task for the I’m Too Busy to Take Care of Myself Challenge was:

#17: Do Something Spiritual, however you define that.

Some people find their spirit through yoga or meditation; others by hiking through the mountains or staring at the ocean; I find mine through prayer. Whether you believe in God, or evolution, or any combination in between, sometimes it’s comforting to think that we are only a small piece of the world’s puzzle, and therefore should not get too bothered by our personal strife’s.

I did two spiritual things yesterday. My mother cannot move very well right now so I made arrangements with the church for her to receive communion each week at our house (I receive it too.) My mother always looks more relaxed after praying Sunday mornings.

The second spiritual thing I did was watch Joel Osteen, who is a preacher out of Houston whose sermons are televised Sunday mornings. As luck would have it, he was speaking about viewing your hardships as an opportunity to make you stronger and help you work on some of your character flaws in the process.

And I have to tell you – his sermon did raise my spirits. Because if hardships make you stronger, I will soon have the strength of Thor. Seriously, nothing has been going right for anyone in my family lately.

Before we left New Jersey, my best friend, Jenny, made a prayer shawl for my mom. It’s beautiful – dark blue and purple. During chemo the treatments make you cold, so patients are covered with heated blankets. My other friend, Carole, suggested we bring a special blanket to her infusions, and my mom has been wrapping herself in this shawl ever since.

If you are going through tough times right now, I’d like to share with you this prayer Jenny gave to my mom:

Prayer for Comfort

As you wrap yourself in this shawl

May the Mother of Mercy,

Wrap you in all-encompassing love this day.

May you find comfort from all that appears too much to bear at this moment

From all that feels as if it might be the breaking point

From all that seems to threaten your peace of heart.

May this prayer shawl be

A shelter from time of overwhelming grief

A shade in times of sorrow too deep for words

A shield from times of unimaginable loss.

May you be comforted

By the presence of those who love and support you

By faith in the eternal Loving One

By the memories of what you hold most dear.

May you be strengthened

In your daily comings and goings

In your tentative new beginnings

In your unfolding new memories.

Blessings of Comfort be with you and all you love now and forevermore.

How about you? Have you done anything to lift your spirits lately?

Lisa

One thought on “#17 – Do Something Spiritual”

jennydambeck says:

September 23, 2014 at 5:44 am

Lisa,

I’m so glad that the prayer shawl is meaningful to you and brings you and your Mom comfort. I’m in a place in my life where religion is very important, and it’s made my life better. I want to share this with others, without being pushy. I joined the prayer-shawl-making ministry a few years ago, and really wanted to make one for your mom at this time.

To me, my religion does not promise to make all the problems go away (I haven’t won the lottery, my kids still misbehave, I still lose my temper and hunger, poverty and war still exist.) but believing and praying and doing religious things make it easier for me to get through, and see beyond my own troubles.

Keeping you and your mom in my prayers,
Jenny

PS I’m FAMOUS! Someone blogged about me! ( see, I’m the same loopy chick, still ) squeeeeeeeee! I’m on the INTERNET!

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#17 – Do Something Spiritual