Gratuitous selfies from a happy Sunday!
I know already some of you are like what? I don’t have to go
to church how dare you impose your beliefs on me. I’m a Jew, I’m a Muslim, I’m an Atheist…blarrrr! (you are
also a pirate apparently) But hang
in there with me past the title.
Despite your religious, or lack of religious, beliefs I
think we can all agree (those of us who are not sociopaths) that everybody here
on this little planet, we are all just trying to do our best. And in general we’re all looking for
our lives to mean something and to be our best possible selves while we have
time on this planet. Simple as
that. I know a lot of you think
it’s WAY more complicated than that and I’m sure it is, but for the most part
that’s what all this nonsense we call life boils down to right? 1) Enjoy this
beautiful life 2) Be the best self you can be 3) Find a purpose for this
time. (We will call these Sarah’s
3 commandments…10 always was a few too many for me…cue the lightening now)
I haven’t been a regular church go-er for several years
now. As you may or may not know I
grew up in the Catholic church.
Not by force…by direction yes, but definitely by choice. The church I grew up in changed me
significantly for the better. I
made life long friends. I learned
so much about myself. And I
learned how to be a better person.
And every Sunday I got a 1 hour quiet reminder that I had been given the
power to do better, be better, and give more. When I fell away from the church because I’m gay (in case
you missed a step) it broke my heart – a whole other story that I will delve
into another time – and it took me a long time to get the courage to give
church of any kind a try again.
But in that “time away” I realized a lot of things. Like my church, isn’t always a building
or a group of people. Sometimes my
church is a cup of coffee and a really great book. Sometimes my church is a walk beside the river with the
birds chirping. Sometimes my
church is a snuggle with my dog.
And sometimes my church is right here on this blog where I can bear my
soul and I know people will listen.
And sometimes my church is actually at church – where somebody outside
myself reminds me to be quiet for an hour, to slow down, and that there is a
really big world outside of myself.
My God is everywhere.
He (or She?) speaks to my soul in little ways all the time. Urging me not to forget how fleeting
this life is and how wonderful.
And how much more I can give to it. And so while maybe I don’t REALLY think everybody
needs to go to a church building every week. I do think seeking out an hour of quiet and reflection and
beauty each week is a habit we could all benefit from. And, if you are so inclined, going to a
church or a temple or any other place of worship from time to time, can only
help – if nothing else you sit and listen and be quiet and are reminded to
enjoy this beautiful life, to be the best version of yourself that you can be, and
to find a little purpose in all of this crazy.
Today this was my church...a little early morning baking! YUM!
Happy Sunday Friends!
And may your God bless you…whoever or whatever he/she/it may be to you.
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