Comprehensive nourishment isn't just about good food and exercise. It's about our relationships, emotions, relaxation, purpose, leisure, service, financial, and spiritual lives as well...
I love the moment of "your return" to a service on that Ash Wednesday in 2017. It feels like Home for the Soul - reading it resonates as a wonderful reminder.
Awesome. Would love to hear more. It’s interesting to hear from others who have similar feelings/experiences. Kind of like with drinking, we didn’t realize there were so many of us until we started taking…
Yes! I was baptized Catholic, First Communion. Love the smell of incense and the look of stained glass. I light candles for my Grandma in cathedrals all over the world. But my Mom remarried someone who was also Catholic and his first marriage was not annulled so that was no longer the place for us. Switched to Methodist. Loved the Fellowship aspect. Sang (badly but loudly) the best choir songs! Was confirmed Methodist. Questioned everything in college. Oprah was my own personal Jesus for a hot minute there. Love tarot, crystals, hiking, bon fires under stars. I am familiar with The Course in Miracles, but honestly Marianne Williamson's Return to Love was my Bible through high school heartbreaks. I still have my elementary school "Prayers for Girls"; book with diary entries. Have witnessed my Grandpa die and my brother being born. Feel so much spirit/energy/Universal collectiveness. Let's keep talking about it! I want to hear, learn, share more! XO! Namaste!
Excited to hear the rest. I grew up in a pentecostal/evangelical church and still attend one to this day. My dad was a pastor. So this is ingrained into my very pores. :) Recently, a friend went back to school to become a spiritual director, which sounded woo woo compared to the way I was brought up. But she told me about a series of fiction written by a spiritual director. I read the series, and was fascinated by the beautiful, ancient spiritual disciplines described. I had never been taught any of them, and I think these ancient practices are part of what we're missing. All of it directs you back to God and Jesus. There was no implenting other religions or anything like that. Anyway...I'm curious to hear the rest of your story. And I'm so glad you've found your way back to God!
Yes! I feel the same --> "I think these ancient practices are part of what we're missing." Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your story here. I really appreciate it! What is the fiction series you were reading? I'm curious to check it out.
It's called The Sensible Shoes Club by Sharon Garlough Brown. I don't think her main gift is writing, but she did an excellent job of showing what spiritual direction can look like through fictional characters.
Oh I hear ya! Just the stack on my desk alone... *sigh* The good thing about The Sensible Shoes books is they are super easy and pretty short. Ones you can weave into other readings when you just want something easy. Not trying to convince you, but they were pretty fascinating in the sense of seeing spiritual direction in action. Anyway... Have a great day!
I’m enjoying this reading and relate to many parts of your spiritual journey. Soon after moving across the country and not attending church for a very long time, I decided to check out a rather traditional Presbyterian church. It was built in the early 1900’s, has beautiful stained glass windows which is what attracted my attention initially. I hadn’t realized how “thirsty” I was for spiritual nourishment. Reconnecting to God has been so beneficial to all aspects of my life. I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip to Israel.
Thank you Jolene for your amazing graceful testimony 🙏 what a bright light and grounding spirit you are!!! Your writing is indeed a blessing to me and mine and I eagerly await your next installment. Much love and gratitude!!! My cup runneth over ❤️🥰
Cliff hanger.. thanks for sharing. I too am on a journey and it is an adventure. God, Christ consciousness, Buddha mind, what ever name we give it is love. A direct experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, we seem to know this on some level even when we are apparently asleep to it. Then to wake up💛, what an adventure. I think alcohol actually on some level satisfies a starving neglected and malnourished spirit just like junk food will feed a body, but not nourish it. I have been pondering this...
Yes! I feel the same way. I hope to flush out those parallels in some of my writing. Once we pull back the veil and see the truth about alcohol there’s a whole other veil to pull back and see the truth behind some spiritual practices😱I think women especially are quite malnourished spiritually- we’ve lost connection to our roots, lineages and (spiritual) origins. More soon...
Love reading this window into your journey and discovery, Jolene! Looking forward to part 2!
A synchronicity: I knew Sara when I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, years ago and attended her yoga classes there. We met up at a cafe one day and she mentioned that she was writing (or planning on writing) that book. Weirdly, I thought of her out of the blue just a few days ago...and wondered where her path had led. Very cool to find her here.
Oh, that’s so cool. Small world. Sara has been a part of my teacher collective over the years. I took a couple classes from her when I was in CO, attended her book signing etc. She’s still teaching online and in person I think? You should look her up.❤️
I’m so excited + curious to hear you talk about this. Being someone who’s questioned, searched and even “tried out” several spiritual practices it’s interesting to hear your journey.
I’ve found I am not my best self without a spiritual foundation + connection. It’s a practice.
Thanks, Heidi! The foundation is what I’m realizing is so important. Just like physical foundations and basics, I need the spiritual foundations too. Thanks for following along.
I love the moment of "your return" to a service on that Ash Wednesday in 2017. It feels like Home for the Soul - reading it resonates as a wonderful reminder.
Love this discussion. I can't wait to hear more! Thank you for sharing your spiritual story. I relate!
Awesome. Would love to hear more. It’s interesting to hear from others who have similar feelings/experiences. Kind of like with drinking, we didn’t realize there were so many of us until we started taking…
Yes! I was baptized Catholic, First Communion. Love the smell of incense and the look of stained glass. I light candles for my Grandma in cathedrals all over the world. But my Mom remarried someone who was also Catholic and his first marriage was not annulled so that was no longer the place for us. Switched to Methodist. Loved the Fellowship aspect. Sang (badly but loudly) the best choir songs! Was confirmed Methodist. Questioned everything in college. Oprah was my own personal Jesus for a hot minute there. Love tarot, crystals, hiking, bon fires under stars. I am familiar with The Course in Miracles, but honestly Marianne Williamson's Return to Love was my Bible through high school heartbreaks. I still have my elementary school "Prayers for Girls"; book with diary entries. Have witnessed my Grandpa die and my brother being born. Feel so much spirit/energy/Universal collectiveness. Let's keep talking about it! I want to hear, learn, share more! XO! Namaste!
Excited to hear the rest. I grew up in a pentecostal/evangelical church and still attend one to this day. My dad was a pastor. So this is ingrained into my very pores. :) Recently, a friend went back to school to become a spiritual director, which sounded woo woo compared to the way I was brought up. But she told me about a series of fiction written by a spiritual director. I read the series, and was fascinated by the beautiful, ancient spiritual disciplines described. I had never been taught any of them, and I think these ancient practices are part of what we're missing. All of it directs you back to God and Jesus. There was no implenting other religions or anything like that. Anyway...I'm curious to hear the rest of your story. And I'm so glad you've found your way back to God!
Yes! I feel the same --> "I think these ancient practices are part of what we're missing." Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your story here. I really appreciate it! What is the fiction series you were reading? I'm curious to check it out.
It's called The Sensible Shoes Club by Sharon Garlough Brown. I don't think her main gift is writing, but she did an excellent job of showing what spiritual direction can look like through fictional characters.
I just checked it out on Amazon. It looks really good! I definitely want to read…so much to read, sigh. Thanks for the top. I love book rec’s.
Oh I hear ya! Just the stack on my desk alone... *sigh* The good thing about The Sensible Shoes books is they are super easy and pretty short. Ones you can weave into other readings when you just want something easy. Not trying to convince you, but they were pretty fascinating in the sense of seeing spiritual direction in action. Anyway... Have a great day!
I’m enjoying this reading and relate to many parts of your spiritual journey. Soon after moving across the country and not attending church for a very long time, I decided to check out a rather traditional Presbyterian church. It was built in the early 1900’s, has beautiful stained glass windows which is what attracted my attention initially. I hadn’t realized how “thirsty” I was for spiritual nourishment. Reconnecting to God has been so beneficial to all aspects of my life. I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip to Israel.
So glad to hear you've found similar nourishment in the traditional, older church as well. It's great to hear I'm not the only one :-)
Thank you Jolene for your amazing graceful testimony 🙏 what a bright light and grounding spirit you are!!! Your writing is indeed a blessing to me and mine and I eagerly await your next installment. Much love and gratitude!!! My cup runneth over ❤️🥰
Aw, thank you, Kathy! You are a blessing and bright light in my life as well. Thanks for your lovely words.
Cliff hanger.. thanks for sharing. I too am on a journey and it is an adventure. God, Christ consciousness, Buddha mind, what ever name we give it is love. A direct experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, we seem to know this on some level even when we are apparently asleep to it. Then to wake up💛, what an adventure. I think alcohol actually on some level satisfies a starving neglected and malnourished spirit just like junk food will feed a body, but not nourish it. I have been pondering this...
Yes! I feel the same way. I hope to flush out those parallels in some of my writing. Once we pull back the veil and see the truth about alcohol there’s a whole other veil to pull back and see the truth behind some spiritual practices😱I think women especially are quite malnourished spiritually- we’ve lost connection to our roots, lineages and (spiritual) origins. More soon...
Love reading this window into your journey and discovery, Jolene! Looking forward to part 2!
A synchronicity: I knew Sara when I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, years ago and attended her yoga classes there. We met up at a cafe one day and she mentioned that she was writing (or planning on writing) that book. Weirdly, I thought of her out of the blue just a few days ago...and wondered where her path had led. Very cool to find her here.
Oh, that’s so cool. Small world. Sara has been a part of my teacher collective over the years. I took a couple classes from her when I was in CO, attended her book signing etc. She’s still teaching online and in person I think? You should look her up.❤️
Beautifully written Jolene. I’m really looking forward to part 2.
Thank you!! Thanks for reading.
I’m so excited + curious to hear you talk about this. Being someone who’s questioned, searched and even “tried out” several spiritual practices it’s interesting to hear your journey.
I’ve found I am not my best self without a spiritual foundation + connection. It’s a practice.
Thanks, Heidi! The foundation is what I’m realizing is so important. Just like physical foundations and basics, I need the spiritual foundations too. Thanks for following along.