RevGals Friday Five

Sally, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

Over the last year I have found that life has been tough for various reasons, in bits and pieces I might cope with them all, but one after another in a relentless overlapping procession has left me drained and in need of resources that bring life.
Sometimes even those resources are hard to lay my hands on, but even then if I choose to be mindful the memory of them can be sustaining.

So I wonder,

1. What brings you light in the dark places? I am trying to move away from using "darkness" as a metaphor for negativity or challenges. I am trying to understand darkness as the source of life, where life itself begins in the dark womb. However, despair and bleakness are real emotions in my life which have profoundly impacted me. When I am in the depths of despair and hope is lost and life is bleak, I turn to exercise. Moving my body seems to really help. I also turn to prayer. And I read novels, fiction, or poetry (Mary Oliver).
 

2. How do you connect/reconnect with God, and where do you find him/her holding you? In my daily meditation. I try to spend 30 minutes every afternoon in silence. It's restful, soothing, and certainly is the place where I feel God's presence most profoundly.






3. Is there a prayer/poem/piece of liturgy that speaks life/sustains you? Almost any Mary Oliver poem will suffice. I can usually find a poem of hers that speaks into what I am feeling, and she says it so very well. Occasionally Billy Collin's poetry will also (I do love his poetry, but it serves a different purpose for me). And often music sustains me. There were literally years when the old, famous,
Dixie Chicks album - and in particular the song, "Not ready to make nice" got me through every day.


4. Is there a piece of music that lifts your heart?(share it or a link to it) see above.







5. Is there a place you run to (even in your imagination? I meditate or exercise or read..

Comments

Sally said…
thanks for playing, exercise is so important isn't it
river song said…
oh, I LOVE darkness as a source of life--Mary Oliver, too. peace!

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