Be Still My Soul
By Carrie Gruhn
We have 4 family birthdays in the time between Thanksgiving and Epiphany (Jan 6th).
Epiphany has been important to me for years as the time to celebrate the wise men, but it became even more special when it became my son’s birthday
21 years ago, we spent quite a bit of the Christmas season in the hospital, since he couldn’t decide whether he was ready to be born yet.
With his own meticulous timing, he was born on his due date.
And with him, an extension of the Christmas/birthday joy was born too.
The Advent and Christmas season is so overwhelming,
it felt important to create a tradition *just* for the Epiphany birthday.
I came up with the 12 days of birthday.
1 gift for each day, even if it was just a small note
It’s been a tradition that brings us joy.
Being celebrated brings him joy.
That’s what I want to inspire during this week when we light the candle of Joy.
Hope has been renewed. Peace is flowing. It’s time for Joy to bubble up and fill us.
Take a moment to think.
Take a breath.
Soften your eyes.
What is your favorite Christmas item?
An ornament, a song, a memory
While taking another breath, and keeping your eyes soft
Let that favorite item become more real to you.
Do this for two more breaths.
When I do this,
Even just for a few minutes
It restores some of the joy in my heart that can be saddened by life events.
Our family has had some losses this year. Life can be hard in many ways.
But Joy,
a truly peaceful emotion that lives within us
Is still reachable when we look for it
And the simple exercise of breathing and remembering can bring the spark of joy back to our awareness.
Giver of all, we take a moment to thank you for joy.
We ask that you ignite the joy within us,
helping us celebrate the Christ child
as we sing Joy to the World.
St. John member Carrie Gruhn is a Certified Lay Servant and part of our youth group leadership team.