As we move toward the end of the summer, I have found myself reflecting again on what is sustaining and how to make sure that every season of life is filled with renewal. It is often in summer that we focus on rest and relaxation, a slower pace, and doing things that fill us up. Much of the rest of the year we seem determined to run ourselves ragged. We do what needs to be done and much more. We leave little room for pauses and almost no time for reflection.
What is spirituality, or the religious impulse for if not to help us do what nurtures our spirits, or to find meaning in the midst of overly cluttered days? Whatever our beliefs or theology, we human beings share a desire to have our lives filled with moments and people that matter to us. We want to make the most of the days we are alive.
The challenge is that as simple as that sounds, we lose sight of that focus all the time. We get caught up in the tug of constant doing. We fill our days. We forget to make sure that what matters most to us doesn’t get pushed to the margins of our lives, the edges of our existence. The practices that sustain us and the people we love often get the least of us, the leftovers in terms of our time and energy. When I find I am drifting away from all that I say is important to me, I find the words of Howard Thurman begin echoing in my heart.
Howard Thurmond was one of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most treasured teachers and mentors. In his book entitled The Inward Journey, he wrote a meditation that I return to regularly. He wrote:
“Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve. Despite the dullness and barrenness of the days that pass, if I search with due diligence, I can always find a deposit left by some former radiance. But I had forgotten…I was sure that I would never forget. In the moment of its fullness, I was sure that it would illumine my path for all the rest of my journey. I had forgotten how easy it is to forget.” I hear that phrase in my mind upon occasion when I let the routines of my life crowd out checking on a friend that I know is struggling. “Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve.” I think of it when I stop going for walks or journaling or listening deeply to music. I think of it when I don’t put my phone down when talking to my son. What matters? What do I do and how can I be in ways that bring out the best in me? Why do I so easily lose sight of that? How can I ensure that the things I do that sustain me and nourish me (and make it possible for me to do everything else) are held at the centre of my life, the centre of my being? “Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve.”
As summer prepares to turn to fall, and you see your calendar filling with work and school, how can you remember what matters? How will you make space to pause - to reflect, to laugh, to love? May you find the resolve to live a life full of what matters most to you. May that life be full of hope, peace, and love.
Rev. Shana Lynngood serves as Co-Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Victoria. She and her wife and two children have lived as settler/guests in Victoria since 2010. When not deeply engaged with work, Rev. Lynngood is likely to be found reading poetry, listening to music, or walking outside to soak in the beauty of the land and sky and sea and creatures with whom we share this part of the planet.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking\
*This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, August 31st 2024
