The meaning of spirituality has evolved over time. I am not an expert on philosophy nor religion but have personal beliefs and experiences.
My interpretation of Sprituality is, it can be based on religious beliefs, traditions, one’s personal growth or beliefs, or using Yoga/meditation to connect to one’s inner voice. They all involve a period of quieteness and reflection. I am guilty of not allowing myself to have a period of quiet time on a ‘normal’ day.
At challenging times, subconsciously or not, we reflect and seek comfort in our ‘spiritual self’.
Today is Good Friday and Easter is around the corner. Good Friday reminds us of the death of Jesus. Christians mourn the death of Jesus on Good Friday. Christians meditate on this day as they follow the journey of Christ to crucifixtion and death. It’s a time of quieteness to listen to the voice of God. A time that is dedicated to God and one’s self. A time of learning and reviewing our priorities in life.
Being a Christian country, Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in the UK. It’s a long bank holiday weekend that spreads over 4 days. Quite often we are blessed with sunny and warm days.
Easter marks the resurrection of Christ. It marks hope, positivity, a new beginning, a fresh start and time with family. And of course chocolate.
In the past as a family we have used this time to meet up with family who live away. Last year we caught up with friends we hadn’t seen for awhile. We exchanged late Christmas presents and Easter Eggs!
Several church attendees will be missing the opportunity to worship in a church setting and having family get togethers. Kids will be worrying about the Easter Bunny being in isolation this year. I am grateful for this as we haven’t even caught up on our Christmas chocolates!
4 years ago, when I was struggling with family events, I remember a friend sending me a text to say..look after yourself and your family, let us pray for you. Those words lifted me that day and I often remember this to remind me of the power of prayer.
I picked up a book today that was given to me a few years ago by a family member. In the book she wrote me a note that says ‘life can be so hard to understand at times…worry about nothing, pray about everything’.
See! The winter is past: the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth: the season of singing has come. Song of Solomon 2:11-12
Meaningful and caring words stick in my mind and it is brought up to the surface at times like this. My spirituality comes from God as well as words and advice that have been given to me over the years, whether it be family, friends or words of encouragement via various sources.
I don’t often talk about my religion. It’s a personal thing to me. However I cannot forget the teachings of Christianity that have contributed to who I am today. Believing in God gives me hope, comfort and reassurance .
Last Sunday I listened to an online palm sunday service by our church. The Poem by Mary Stevenson was mentioned by our reader. It’s called footprints. It’s a poem I think that many will find useful at this time.It reminds Christians that their burden is shared and supported by Jesus. This is the link to the poem. https://footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php
Whether we believe in God or not, we all seek and reach out for that something that is normally tucked away when we lead our busy lives. It is these times that we reach out for them and feel supported.
I was inspired when I saw my older daughter K making an invitation list for a party she is planning when we are through this pandemic. Friends, family and party is her way of coping and it’s helping her think positively.
My younger daughter M has been baking and choreographing dances. Cake and dance is keeping her positive.
My husband and I are health professionals. We are keeping up with the news and recent research and it affects us when we hear about the number of people dying. Every death is a human being that will be missed by a living relative or friend.
Medicine at the moment is like nothing we have seen before. We are off work at the moment . Fortunately able to take our annual leave and spend time with our daughters. We feel safe as we are at home.
One day is the same as the other at the moment.
M, my youngest daughter, says the only way for us to remember if it is the weekend or not is when K, her sister, has eggs for breakfast. K has her routine and eggs for breakfast is her way of marking the weekend!
We worry about our colleagues, family and friends who are exposed to this virus at their work.
My husband and I will soon find ourselves possibly exposed to this virus as we return to work. It will be diffciult to keep being positive but we have to reach out for that ‘something’ to give us hope.
Stay safe and stay home this weekend.
Listen to My Thoughts 