Back in the Saddle Again

I took an unplanned hiatus from the blog for the past week. Only one person noticed enough to comment so I suppose it's not a problem of monumental proportions if I step away for a little bit. Things have been interesting to say the least and I have been occupied with many things. My grand daughter Molly was baptized yesterday and as luck would have it, the pastor was away this weekend so I had to preach at both services. Add to that a reunion with my sons' father whom we hadn't seen or heard from in 20 years and inviting about 30 people over for a cookout after church and you may understand why blogging fell off the radar. To make the story even more interesting when I woke up yesterday morning there was a waterfall going on outside at my hot water heater. I had to call a plumber at 7:00 on a Sunday morning when I had to be at church by 8:30 to preach the early service. There was precious little water pressure and I had to shower in the lukewarm drizzle. Oy vey! But thanks be to God, it was just a broken pipe fitting which was easily fixed with $11 worth of parts and $145 for the plumber's labor. It was fixed before I left for church, my sermon was well received at both services, Molly's baptism was a beautiful thing and a good time was had by all at my house afterward.

So, in addition to all of the above, I received an inspiration for the Feedin' Mama website. I have added a page for a daily devotional for caregivers. I have felt for a while that I have something to offer for those who care for their parents or other elders which is how this blog and the website came to be. But there are so many other sites and blogs and so many books have been written about caregiving that I have kept having the feeling that I needed to bring something more to the table and I believe that something is the devotional. I hope to bring a Scripture passage a meditation and a prayer each day that will provide something - comfort, encouragement, strength... to someone who needs it. Please stop by each day if you are so inclined and I hope God brings a blessing for you in it.

Keepin the Faith

I belong to a small local clergy group made up of folks who minister to older adults and we had an event yesterday on Spirituality and Aging with a wonderful priest friend of mine as the speaker. There are opportunities galore for older folks for health screening and information opportunities, seems like everybody and his brother has a health fair at some point. Likewise for recreation opportunities - churches have senior group meetings, go on trips and such and our city has a huge senior program with centers in most communities that are open all day five days a week for classes, games and things. Our community college and our state university have programs for continuing education for senior adults. But there are very few opportunities for spiritual growth specifically for older adults despite the fact that for many, it becomes the most important aspect of their lives. As our physical capacities wane with the passage of time our spiritual lives can stretch and grow, increasing in significance and helping us make sense of our lives. We come to realize the truth that our spiritual lives are, in fact, the most important aspect of our lives and pursuits that enhance and promote our personal spiritual selves are most helpful.

Having said all that, it was a great morning. Father T. was entertaining, inspiring and brought a powerful message about finding purpose and encouragement through our faith practices. I hope we provided something special and spiritually nourishing for the folks who came.