GOD, LET US COUNT the ways you never leave us. Your Light of Day greeted us this morning. The smell of life filled our nostrils with the crisp, chilly air of a new day. The melody of gently crackling leaves whispered your love in our ears. These are among the Good Morning gifts we thank you for. You have given us another day in your Precious Presence.

Come what may this day: angry traffic, angry words, paved roads, paved ways, we will praise your Holy Name! And so we greet you this day with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. Amen.

– Sherrie Dobbs Johnson
The Africana Worship Book: Year A

(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)

While driving back from Elysia’s school, as I was cruising along the Federal Highway heading home, a quiet whisper drew my attention to the need for my spirit to catch up with my body.

I’m no dualist, but sometimes existentially that’s how one might feel. Especially when I’ve been moving from one series of activities to another.  Some of us perhaps wear too many hats, spinning to many plates, and trying to help cover too many teapots. Pulling some breaks might be a good idea before everything crashes.

It’s an ideal if one can immediately go for a retreat and leave everything behind even for a while.  But reality also means sometimes like now, I will have to make to with carving a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual space to face all the “come what may this day” stuff.

As we hurry along our days, we don’t stop enough to take notice of the little stuff along the way.  We scan and skim through life without the needed practice of paying attention to what’s before us and beside us.  And to take it further, we fail to learn the art of dwelling on “grace-filled” moments . There’s too much in our minds and on our schedules. 

The temptation of over-committing beyond one’s resources and energy level is ever before us.  And for me, it’s learning to reboot my system once again.  Maybe a reformatting is needed soon 🙂

For now, some cleaning and defragmenting is needed. But enough of Computer related analogies. I think I better smell the air a little today when I walk to my car afterwards.  Tomorrow, the craziness will start again.  But let tomorrow’s worries come tomorrow and not invade this precious today.

Mental note: I just realized after finishing this blog post my breathing slowed down at a more human pace. For that I am grateful!