July 2020

	Slow me down, Lord!
	Ease the pounding of my heart
	By the quieting of my mind.
	Steady my harried pace
	With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
	Give me,
	Amidst the confusions of my day,
	The calmness of the everlasting hills.
	Break the tensions of my nerves
	With the soothing music 
	Of the singing streams
	That live in my memory.
	Help me to know
	The magical power of sleep,
	Teach me the art
	Of taking minute vacations 
	Of slowing down
	To look at a flower;
	To chat with an old friend 
	Or make a new one;
	To pat a stray dog;
	To watch a spider build a web;
	To smile at a child;
	Or to read a few lines from a good book.
	Remind me each day
	That the race is not always to the swift;
	That there is more to life 
	Than increasing its speed.
	Let me look upward
	Into the branches of the towering oak
	And know that it grew great and strong
	Because it grew slowly and well.
	Slow me down, Lord,
	And inspire me to send my roots deep
	Into the soil of life's enduring values
	That I may grow toward the stars
	Of my greater destiny.


			Wilferd A. Peterson.

As I continue on this up-and-down journey of post-concussion recovery, I have realized my powerlessness over my own and the world’s current CRZ situation (Covid-19 virus, the economy, others’ needs).  It is in these times that I am pushed to remember I need to rely on God (who is my Higher Power).  It is a lesson I have to learn over and over.  You would think I would get it by now, but I like to do things MY WAY, so everything takes longer! 

So I want to check in with you on how you employ a spiritual dimension to the core areas of need in life and offer a simple coping way in each area out of my own life.

Physical:  How are you doing with your self-care?

Self-care is the foundation for all others.  I have asthma and another condition which affects my very breathing, so I have to take medications to manage these conditions.  Another thing I do is work on my ability to breathe more deeply from my diaphragm (remember Kegel exercises?!) This strengthens my abdominal and diaphragm muscles, which in turn improves my ability to breathe.  Also, read the poem above on ways to connect with Nature!  

Emotional:  Our emotions can indirectly affect our immune system, either strengthening or weakening it.  If we stay in a predominantly emotional state, this can be hard on our nervous system, too, and it needs time to rest.  One of the best ways to help yourself is breathing, which is free, effective, and easily done.  

Breathing exercise:  Simply get in a relaxed position, eyes open or closed, breathe through your nose, out through your mouth, 3-5 times for moderate stress, and up to 10 times for greater stress.  Also, remember breathing is a direct connection to God, life itself.

Mental:  Our thoughts can affect us in different ways.  To help manage my anxiety through thoughts, I was given the following phrase from the above poem when I was young, and I still use it today:  “Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.”  

Do you have a phrase, affirmation, slogan which helps you mentally?  PLEASE SHARE!  

Relationship:  We are often harder on ourselves than anyone else could be.  Also, others can affect us positively or negatively. To help myself cope with being hard on myself in relation to caring about what others think of me, I have learned to reach out to trusted friends/family to check out my often off-base perceptions.  I also turn over these issues to my Higher Power or relate to the beauty of the above poem.

How do you handle relationships with yourself and/or others?

Spiritual: When nothing else works, I finally turn to God.  The above poem helps me to remember how to do this in many ways.  Also, a generic prayer I use nightly is:  

“I ask for the best and highest good for myself, others (the two-leggeds and four-leggeds), all life on earth, our planet, the Universe.”

What prayer, inspiration, etc., helps you cope?

Wishing you a week filled with a greater connection to All That Is!

Blessings, 

Carolyn 

Healing, Resources, and Connections:  As I continue through this journey of recovery from post-concussion syndrome, I have had to ask myself what is it that keeps me going.  It is the same foundation that has always sustained me from earliest childhood, my spirituality–I.e., my connection with Something/Someone greater than myself!

The definition of spirituality is very individual. For some, it might be whatever gives meaning and purpose to life.   For some, it might be a connection with nature.  For others, it is their religious belief in a personal relationship with God and others which may also be found through the religious community. For me, the spiritual journey has been so rich and varied, but always in relationship to Something/Someone greater than myself.  

From my earliest memory at age three, I always felt connected to all that is.  My immediate family was nonreligious until I was age nine when we found a home within the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  My life centered on this connection through my first college experience. 

Then I became Catholic in my first marriage.  However, when my marriage broke up and I was told I could not even take Communion, I was so devastated that I became agnostic/secular for many years.  (Even though it was Jesus who led me to a secular community!)  I next went through a deep metaphysical time followed by recovery in 12 step programs. 

I was finally called to the ministry by God (who told me, “I let you do it your way for 40 years; now it is MY turn!”).  I attended an interfaith Seminary in which we studied all religions, and was the perfect training for me to become a Hospice chaplain and later, Bereavement Coordinator, with a ministry of meeting patients and their family members where they were, whatever their beliefs, as they faced the terminal illness, and/or the loss of their loved one.  I also eventually found a home again within Christianity.

I love all aspects of ministry, including officiating at weddings, celebration of life services, baptisms, house blessings/clearings, long-distance prayer/ healing, spiritual direction and coaching, pastoral care, and social justice.

My relationship with God has brought me through every aspect of my life!  I am filled with gratitude and wonder, knowing that whatever I am going through, I am accepted and loved unconditionally!  

And what about YOU?!  I would love to hear from you about your spiritual journey!  Is it a connection to Something/Someone greater than yourself? That which gives your life purpose and meaning? A connection to Nature or a specific place (check out my spiritual home on Earth at Cathedral Rock).  Connection to the Universe, science? Being part of a religious community, 12 step program?  Or like me, some of all the above?

Blessings on your spiritual journey, whatever it may be!

Carolyn Q.