The Sunrise Story

The title is from my favorite Anne Lamott book, "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" . I first read this book in the mid-nineties when it was first published. This book, along with "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg, served as my writing bible when I was in graduate school. This was the first time I remember thinking, "I love writing." And wondering, "Could I be a writer?"  Her story, her words...changed my life. As she wrote, I read and read. I shared. I listened. It was a relationship between me and the story. Her storytelling is brilliant, funny, real, and powerful. I can't stay away, so when I heard that she was speaking thirty miles away from me, I HAD to go.  Tickets purchased. Directions scouted. Plans made. I attended alone. It's how one should always meet a hero. The drive, though only thirty miles, took almost two hours...DC traffic! I could hardly wait! The venue was beautiful. I grabbed...

Thank you to Holly for the opportunity to write and reflect and share my spiritual journey. Today our topic is laughter. Join us here ! Laughter. Laughter is the soundtrack to my life. When I think of laughter, I imagine a life preserver. Laughter has saved my life, saved my sanity over and over again.  I remember when my dad was in the ICU at the hospital, my sister and I started playing around with his cell phone. Changing ring tones. Taking silly selfies (before anyone knew what selfies were)...and the giggles started. My sister is someone with whom I've shared some of the best moments of laughter.  Laughter is healing. I believe that laughter signals that no matter how bad things are, everything will be okay. I'm blessed to share my life with friends who are hilarious! Friends who know when I need them to crack a joke, or point out the irony in a situation.   Laughter is holy. As Anne Lamott says, "Laughter is carbonated holiness." I feel closer...

I'm so grateful to Holly for the inspiration and opportunity to write about my spiritual journey. Please stop by her blog and share your own spiritual journey. Prayer. As a child, prayer meant reciting prayers...Our Father and Hail Mary...before dinner we said grace, "Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts,  which we are about to receive, for your bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." Before bed we said, "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take." These were recitations said without any thought to the meaning behind the words. I said them to please my parents, to please God. I said prayers.  I had never prayed.  Six years ago I was invited to a small group with some neighbors I had recently met and about a year after that I started attending their Methodist Church. That's when praying took on a whole new meaning for me.  In our small group,...