Skate Well!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go ice skating. I had not skated in over a year, so my main goal was to stay upright and not kill myself. As I stepped on to the ice and began to gather a little speed across the ice, I remembered why I loved this sport. While I had my skates on, my roles in life were virtually non-existent. I had a freedom to soar and fly across a small part of my world.

As I left the building, I first of all thanked God that I was still in one piece. I may have been a little bruised, but that was okay. I also tried to make plans to keep me connected on a regular basis to something which gives me so much joy. I live approximately two hours away from the nearest rink. How in the world can I commit to skating when the rinks are so far away from me?

I began to realize that my priorities may need to shift for a while. I may need to find a place in my schedule that allows for me to drive and experience my respite from the world. This is my contact with myself. Should it not be something that is of prime importance?

I am sad to say that my faith life is many times like my skating. It is either hit or miss. Just as I make plans for skating I must make time to the creator who sustains me. Skating connects me with who I am, but my true sources of connection are the rituals which keep me linked to the Divine. Skating brings me joy, but God brings me hope.

Perhaps the drive time might allow me to connect with God as I prepare for the skating ritual which keeps me healthy. I stand amazed at how those things which bring us joy and God are completely interconnected. It seems be that living in those things which bring us true joy also yields to an awareness of the presence of God in our lives.

I hope this week that you “skate.” Find that passion that brings you joy and embrace it and honor it. I am sure that through your experience you will discover the underlying presence of God.