Recently, I spent a week with my family. It was a week away from work and my normal routine. It was a week of laughter, fun, good food, and memories made. Here are 10 lessons I hope to remember as I am back at work and into my routine again.
If you know me in real life, you know I am not a morning person. I can get up early in the morning, however, I prefer to wait until the sun is up before I get up. This morning I was up before the sun as was my hard working husband. We leave for a much needed vacation soon, and have a long to do list that must be accomplished before we leave. So in order to check things off that list, we got up before dawn.
One important task for me was to ensure that my Woodstock Windchimes from my best friend were carefully moved before work on the deck began. I don’t know how long ago she gave these to me. I do know that they have hung outside my each place I have lived and called home. When I hear them, I think of her and I smile.
So taking them down is one way I say good-bye to a home. We have purchased a new home where new memories will be made. Our move is just across town to a beautiful new place that will be a lovely home for myself, my husband, and my wonderful mother-in-law. We have much to celebrate as we prepare to create new memories, and we all will be bringing with us (too much stuff and) many memories. This morning as I packed my wind chimes I gave thanks for the people who have walked this journey with me as well as the people who will join me on the next chapter of my journey.
Creator God, You made us in your image and you gave us the ability to be in relationship and to remember. Thank you for those amazing gifts. In changing times, you are our constant companion. In challenging situations, you seek to steady us. Thank you, God, for memories and for the time to make new ones. Thank you for this day, and thank you for the gift of life. Amen.
This delightful collection of tea was a recent gift from loved ones. It includes eight different types of tea that you are encouraged to select based on your mood or the mood you could like to achieve.
So far, I have enjoyed Focus, Balance, and Energize. And I’m looking forward to enjoying Invigorate, Inspire, Sleep, Reflect, and Refresh. The first tea I tried was Balance which is an Aged Earl Grey. It is delicious. Very smooth and not at all bitter. Next I tried Focus which is their Breakfast Blend. Another delicious tea perfect for getting me moving on a weekday morning. Yesterday was a morning when I needed more pep in my step, so I tried Energize, Emperor’s Pu-erh. And again, I was not disappointed. All three of the teas I have sampled have been easy to drink and tasty. I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of the teas.
On the back of the wheel of tea is a detailed description of what is in each tea. This side is called Tea by Flavor. Numi includes descriptions of how much of each tea is fair trade certified and all of their teas are organic. These are teas you can feel good about drinking while also improving your mood. I’m hoping this weekend I’ll find some time to try the remaining teas as the weekend is the perfect time to Refresh, Reflect, Invigorate, Inspire, and most importantly Sleep.
Life has been very busy lately. I haven’t taken the time to write on this blog. My to do list keeps getting longer and longer. Major changes are happening in my life (good ones which will be the focus of other writings). So with all this to do, guess what I did on Saturday? I went to the beach with a friend. We sat together with our toes in the sand. We talked, and we sat in silence and watched the waves and all the people.
Some might say this was a wasted day. Sure, I did not cross one thing off my to do list, and yet I do not consider it a waste at all. If God took a day off to rest, then we should too. (Genesis 2:1-3). I came back from my day of rest renewed. I heard music that made me smile and saw dolphins swimming in the ocean. I sat in wonder amazed at creation and God’s love for all of us.
Life is busy and we all need time to rest. So find your time. Mark it on your calendar if needed. And rest in a way and a place that is meaningful to you.
God of All Creation, You created this amazing world and all who live in it, and then you rested. Why do we think that we are more important than you? Why do we think there is no time for rest? As those created in your image, remind us to rest. Remind us to find those things or places or people that bring us calm and joy and to seek them out regularly. Open our eyes to all that may renew our spirits whether it be prayer and quiet time, a walk in nature, loud music to sing along with in the car, a good meal with friends, a good book, or anything meaningful to bring rest. With you as our example, Loving God, we will strive to find more regular times for rest. Amen.
As you celebrate Pentecost, you might enjoy this call to worship or sermon used on past Pentecosts.
Here is a benediction to end your Pentecost worship time.
Go out into God’s world filled with the spark of the Holy Spirit. Let love guide your actions. Listen for the Spirit of Truth. Spread the peace of Christ and remind everyone you meet that each one is a beloved child of God. Amen.
Earlier this week, my husband suggested we watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix. Halfway through the first episode, he paused the show and said, “Are you ready?” My bewildered look was enough to let him know I was unsure for what I was supposed to be ready. He said, “We start with the clothes.” Looking at the clock and seeing it was 8:45pm on a work night, I wondered from where this burst of energy and excitement came. So, together we decided to modify the plan and begin some of the clothes that night as sleep is important. Now, after two nights of tidying all of the downstairs clothes have been sorted (we find ourselves in a complicated season of life with clothing upstairs and downstairs). Seven bags of clothing and shoes are ready to move on to new homes.
My long time readers may remember that this isn’t my first time time tidying. I reviewed the book and tidied up back in 2015. Keeping up with tidying is challenging. When I do this process (whether it is exactly as suggested or with my own variations), it is freeing. I smile when I see a piece of clothing that has been a part of important celebrations like the dress I wore to a wedding or the shirt I wore to my Grandma’s birthday party. And just because something played an important role in my life does not mean it still sparks joy, so I smile, remember, and thank the item for its time with me.
So despite all that must be done in the day, we are taking the time to take evaluate what we have and what we need. It is challenging and it is exciting too. If you are feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff living in your home, you might try this book or show and spend some time tidying up!
Gracious God, Why do we hold on to stuff we don’t need? Why do we let our stuff control us? Free us, Holy One, from the power our stuff has over us. Help us to surround ourselves with what sparks joy and to let the rest go. Amen.
O Great Creator, Rain is one thing that is hard for us humans to understand. Why is there too much or too little of it? Why does it rain so hard it bounces right off the dry ground instead of soaking in to nourish the soil? Why does it rain when I want to be outside? Why do we complain so much about the rain?
Today, O Holy One, we pray for the rain to fall softly on the fields in need of moisture. We pray for the rain to not fall on the parts of the world that are flooding or near flooding. Keep safe all those near floodwaters. We pray for all who need better shelter from the rain. Help us to give thanks for the rain even when it disrupts our plans because this planet we call home needs regular rain to provide food for all your children. Amen.
LGBTQ-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care: A Practical Guide to Transforming Professional Practice by Kimberly D. Acquaviva
This is a must read for anyone who works in palliative or hospice care. In an easy to read and understand style with time spent looking at nursing, social work, spiritual care, physicians, and aides, this book provides ideas and a framework for how to improve your work. Through reflections by professionals and examples of how well care can be provided, you will learn from this book. You may be challenged by this book as you are encouraged to change the way you do something or the way you think. Each chapter includes-chapter objectives, key terms, chapter summary, perspectives (the reflections by professionals), key points to remember, discussion questions and a chapter activity. The structure of the book makes it perfect for a book study at work or personal reading to enhance your work. I recently led a discussion at my work using the first chapter and focusing on our own bias and key terms. One activity that I shared in my recent presentation comes from page 17 of the book, “Over the years I’ve been asked many times why lesbians, gay and bisexual people feel the need to ‘tell people about their sex lives’ by coming out to others. Rather than answer the questions directly, I like to respond by asking the questioner to try the following exercise. If you are heterosexual and currently in a relationship with a person of another gender, keep track of how many times you make reference to this person (either by name or by such terms as boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife) in your conversations with colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family members this week. At the end of the week, reflect on why you felt the need to share your heterosexuality with so many people.
This exercise never fails to leave people surprised by how often heterosexuality is casually disclosed in everyday conversation. Mentioning your sexual orientation to others isn’t telling people about your sex life; it is sharing a part of who you are as a person”.
It is a good exercise for many of us to try. In fact in one presentation, I had just spoken about my husband and no one paid any attention until I read this piece and then people pointed it out to me. This is just one example of how the author will increase your awareness of what you are doing well and what you could be doing better to care for all the people you serve in hospice and palliative care.
So if you or someone you know works in hospice or palliative care, please read this book and share it.
I am grateful for the opportunity to combine two of my passions together in one article. I love great preaching, and I love supporting people as they approach the end of their lives. The piece I wrote for Working Preacher encourages preachers to talk about death and dying from the pulpit using Scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary. It is meant to inspire more conversations about end of life in churches where people of all ages gather together in community.
So, I hope you’ll read the article. And if you attend a local church, share it with your pastor and say you would like to hear a sermon about dying and/or death. I don’t think that is a phrase most pastors hear often! If you need help starting conversations about death and dying in your faith community or local group, reach out to your local hospice. I’m sure they’ll be glad to support your efforts.
For Christmas, I received this fancy box of tea. Opening it and selecting a tea makes me feel special like when I’m at a nice restaurant that brings out an assortment of teas or on a cruise ship where the waiter offers teas from a wooden box.
So far I have enjoyed six of these eight teas. You won’t be surprised to know that the Decaffeinated Breakfast Tea and Green Tea with Jasmine remain to be sampled. I like my black tea with caffeine and usually leave the green tea drinking to my husband. I have previously enjoyed Taylor’s Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Organic Chamomile, and Organic Peppermint, and found them all to be delicious in this box too.
The biggest surprises to me are the Lemon and Orange Tea and Assam Tea. I’ve been enjoying the Assam Tea in the morning to wake me up. I add some honey to sweeten it a little and find that this tea kick starts my morning routine. The Lemon and Orange Tea is advertised as a “zesty and vibrant black tea”. I like the hints of fruit flavors that enhance but do not overwhelm the black tea on morning when I need a more subtle wake up.
I am thankful for these tasty teas in their fancy box which have been brightening my mornings and bringing a sense of calm to my evenings.