I try to take one day every week as a Sabbath day. It’s a very old idea, found in Judaism as a day set aside for God. Many Jews celebrate Sabbath (or Shabbat) from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday; many Christians see Sunday as the Sabbath day, a day of rest. My Sabbath practice is a spiritual practice also, but a personal one. It feels like a good idea to have a day to myself (sometimes I call it my Drew Day). One approach is to think of it as: I won’t do anything today that I have to do.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the park on my Drew Day and deliberately took the Little Boy inside me out to play. This took the form of playing Frisbee golf on the course at Deerfield Nature Park near Mount Pleasant. I allowed myself to romp and run, to laugh and have fun. All of us have an Inner Child, and I think it’s good to let that child out sometimes. Just as there’s a part of me that is the Responsible Drew and part of me that is the Emotional Drew and part of me that is the Minister Drew (among others), the Little Boy is part of me.
A year ago, I had another day when I deliberately took care of my Little Boy and went to a baseball game in Midland. This was shortly after I had moved to Mount Pleasant. Going to baseball games with my own father when I was a kid was a favorite memory. My parents are in their 80’s now and it’s not their responsibility to take care of me anymore. I have to take care of myself. So when the Little Boy within needs love and joy and fun, the Ideal Parent that is within me takes care of that Little Boy.
I love this quote, although I can’t find who said it: “I am the only one who can make my well-being my top priority. I owe it to myself to take care of my body, mind, and spirit.” Showing love for myself is of primary importance to my emotional and spiritual health. This means keeping a Sabbath day every week if I can, and this means recognizing that I have an Inner Child which is my gateway to innocence, joy, and creativity.
As Pema Chodron says, “Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.”
Prayer:
May we all find spiritual practices that nourish and sustain us.
May all people know that they are loved, and may that love begin within ourselves for ourselves.
God in all things, help me find the ways to keep myself healthy in mind, body and spirit, so that I may spread love to everyone with no exceptions.
May it be so.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the park on my Drew Day and deliberately took the Little Boy inside me out to play. This took the form of playing Frisbee golf on the course at Deerfield Nature Park near Mount Pleasant. I allowed myself to romp and run, to laugh and have fun. All of us have an Inner Child, and I think it’s good to let that child out sometimes. Just as there’s a part of me that is the Responsible Drew and part of me that is the Emotional Drew and part of me that is the Minister Drew (among others), the Little Boy is part of me.
A year ago, I had another day when I deliberately took care of my Little Boy and went to a baseball game in Midland. This was shortly after I had moved to Mount Pleasant. Going to baseball games with my own father when I was a kid was a favorite memory. My parents are in their 80’s now and it’s not their responsibility to take care of me anymore. I have to take care of myself. So when the Little Boy within needs love and joy and fun, the Ideal Parent that is within me takes care of that Little Boy.
I love this quote, although I can’t find who said it: “I am the only one who can make my well-being my top priority. I owe it to myself to take care of my body, mind, and spirit.” Showing love for myself is of primary importance to my emotional and spiritual health. This means keeping a Sabbath day every week if I can, and this means recognizing that I have an Inner Child which is my gateway to innocence, joy, and creativity.
As Pema Chodron says, “Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.”
Prayer:
May we all find spiritual practices that nourish and sustain us.
May all people know that they are loved, and may that love begin within ourselves for ourselves.
God in all things, help me find the ways to keep myself healthy in mind, body and spirit, so that I may spread love to everyone with no exceptions.
May it be so.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
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