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Keeping balanced

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Life seems very fragmented at times. There are so many demands… Home, family, community, church to name a few. Life seems very fragmented at times.  And one more– faith. Faith is related to church, but not quite the same. I know that if church became difficult for some reason, I would consider staying away. However I would never, I hope, set aside my faith.

To be more specific, I am attending an Anglican Church regularly now. And if I had to stay away,  I think I would go “off grid” and just pray and sing and try to live a good life on my own so to speak. I would carry on with my short daily meditation and with my spiritual reading too.

Yes, I still try to keep a sentence of my reading in my mind through the day. Today it is from Divine Intimacy again: “…the interior apostolate of prayer, love, and sacrifice…”. That seems to be the best I can manage these days. 

As always, I am not claiming to be advancing spiritually or working very hard about it. No delusion about that. Every day I turn from opportunities for charity and self denial. 

That seems to be the best I can manage these days. 

 

The Season of Christmas

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Long ago when I first seriously began going to church services, I learned that the Christmas Season lasts a long time. I like the idea. I like Christmas being a holy time full of celebration and tradition going on and on and on into January. Hymn singing! Alone at home in front of the computer watching a Youtube service!

Rosalee and I celebrated January 2 Epiphany feast together. She listened to, and I watched and listened to, an English service from Chester, England. I learned a new hymn tune (Caithness). Last week I learned a new (to me) hymn tune for “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”. I have missed beautiful church music. I have missed singing it.

The little church has been closed here for over a year. When I showed my daughter and a granddaughter music for Joy to the World , they didn’t join in. They didn’t know it. Somehow this little piece of cultural tradition was not passed on, at home or at school. Or just forgotten among more basic, pressing daily priorities.

Eventually I hope to get another blog where I can go on and on about church music and religion, and focus more on spiritual thoughts. Spirituality and our material life are one, of course, but writing requires a some discipline.

Rosebud and I went outside together the other day when it was quite cold. Today we have snow! Lots of it. I heard my neighbour come and clear the walk for me this morning with his snow blower. Rosebud came scooting into the bathroom to hide. I was trying out a Christmas gift of home made bath crystals (lovely!).

Stalking the wild lawn grass on New Year’s Day

Rosalee is especially interested in a tiny patch of sheltered lawn. Looking for her daily greens perhaps. I have been offering her a bit of catnip every day now for weeks. No ill effects, and lots of good ones. It helps her cope with being inside so much due to the cold weather. We are both inside a lot these days. Looks like her back claws are extended to grip into the snow!