SLOW DOWN, YOU MOVE TOO FAST

"Slow down you move to fast, You've got to make the morning last." Art Garfunkel

 Sometimes when a health issue pops up it's little presence in my life, I find myself wondering why it showed itself up. Has that thought passed through your mind at times as well? Then, when I stop to think about it, I realize that it may be Spirit's way of telling me to slow down, take a look at my life, and to really appreciate it. 

In my late forties I discovered I had colon cancer. It was not on the "Top ten things that could happen to me in my life list". I looked at Louise Hay's book, "You Can Heal Your Life", and she said, that sometimes you are not doing what you enjoy doing. I thought to myself, What am I not doing that I enjoy doing? At the time I was teaching speech, and I put my teaching of drama on hold. I realized that I also had not acted in a play in a few years. I looked in the paper and saw that there were auditions for a play called, "Love from a Stranger". I got a copy of the play and found the perfect character to try out for, Aunt Lulu, the comic relief in a heavy drama.

I tried out, and got called back to read one more time for the part. I also got a call, the same day, to say that my colon cancer surgery was scheduled for the day after call-backs. I decided to go to the call-backs and tell the director why I couldn't be in the play.

When I got to the theatre, the director immediately saw me, and had me read the script with a southern accent.  I then told her about my upcoming surgery. She asked me how long I would be out, and I replied, about a week. And she said I was so right for the part that she would let me skip the first week of rehearsals. The play was a success, and the very next year, I asked if I could start teaching drama again.

What seemingly terrible events have you gone through, only to realize it was a blessing in disguise? A divorce that led you to take a new path in life? Loosing a job, only to find a much better one? Slow down, and consider, Is there a blessing hidden here?

“Some of the best things that have ever happened to us wouldn’t have happened to us, if it weren’t for some of the worst things that have ever happened to us.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

 Are you getting enough time to relax? Are you doing what you love to do? Or, are you weighed down by life: bills are piling up; finding a job is a hard thing to find; family is not close by? Take inventory, find a place to sit quietly, write down what you are feeling, and then share it with someone you trust. Find a group of people and explore your interests, maybe find a place you can volunteer: an animal shelter, a teen shelter, or a rec center. Sometimes finding a place where you can help others, opens up opportunities and connections for getting a little support for yourself.

Love and Light,

Rev Sandy Smith

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