The moon is a tiny speck in the morning sky. Photo by Susie Taylor
Start your day with purpose
My son and I have a morning routine — not necessarily a “Miracle Morning” (as defined by Hal Elrod in his book of the same name), but, let’s call it a “Spiritual Morning.”
Every morning, after my husband gets our son, Evan, out of bed, Evan and I sit at the kitchen table eating our breakfast while we listen to three daily podcasts: The Bible Meditation Podcast, Our Daily Bread and Pray Every Day with Mary DeMuth.
Before I go any farther, I need to explain a few things. Evan is 27 years old, and he doesn’t EAT his breakfast per se. Instead, I use a 60 ml syringe connected to a tube that connects to a device in his abdomen and I flush his breakfast into his stomach (while he tries to hold the tube, pull my hand, knock the syringe out of my hand and send pureed food flying. It’s his idea of fun.).
Evan was born on Nov. 3, 1992. He wasn’t supposed to arrive until Feb. 9, 1993. My water broke when I was 19 weeks pregnant. I was on bed rest for seven weeks when I developed an infection and the baby had to make his grand entrance 14 weeks too soon.
He was about a foot long and weighed just more than 2 pounds. He looked like a newborn mouse, with a light fuzz all over his body, his skin pink and fragile. He barely had fingernails or toenails. I remember showing off those early photos to friends, saying “Isn’t he beautiful?” Now, I find it difficult to even look at those photos.
“You are a spiritual being running around Earth in a physical body.”
Jen Sincero, “You are a Badass at Making Money”
Everything that could have gone wrong with a premature baby did. He lost his eyesight, had a brain bleed that led to cerebral palsy and seizures, was on a ventilator so long he never developed the ability to swallow without choking.
He spent the first five months of his life in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or the step-down unit. I remember the doctor telling us, before we walked out of the hospital to take him home, that he was sure Evan wouldn’t make it — that we’d be taking him out of the hospital in a tiny, baby-sized body bag instead of a car seat.
By the time he was two years old, he had spent half his life in the hospital. He was taken to the emergency department once (one of dozens of trips to the closest emergency facility), and, as I detailed his diagnoses, the doctor stopped me and asked if I was a nurse. Well, I’m not. But I am the mom of a health-challenged, fragile son.
Evan says about five words: Mommy, Daddy, go, way and NO (“no way” and “go away” are two favorite phrases). But two things have always been obvious: he loves listening to music and he loves listening to The Bible. If he wakes up in the middle of the night and is fussy, all I have to do is start playing his audio Bible and he calms down and is content to listen until he falls asleep again.
“There is no lack of things to be grateful for if you remember to pay attention.”
Jen Sincero, “You are a Badass at Making Money”
Thus the reason for our Spiritual Mornings together. I feel like he enjoys it and I get to start my day focused on more important things (instead of my morning breath and bed head, what I have to get done that day, and wondering if I made the car payment this month).
Since the advent of our stay-at-home quarantine, Evan hasn’t been away from home since mid-March. As I write this, it’s almost July. So, I really NEED to get my mind right every day or I think I would become a paranoid, worried mess.
In light of recent events in the United States and the deep divisiveness in our culture, some people may wonder at my reliance on prayer and the Bible. Aren’t I being weak and cowardly for relying on an unseen force to make up my mind for me and tell me how to live instead of thinking for myself? How could I believe so blindly in a God who would allow Evan to suffer for the past 27 years?
My answer? It’s not easy.
“We live in an energetic Universe; what you put out comes right back to you.”
Jen Sincero, “You are a Badass at Making Money”
Being a believer in the Triune God doesn’t mean I follow blindly like an ant in a long line of thousands of other ants. I have doubts and fears and SO MANY questions. But, I’ve chosen to put my faith in a loving Creator who made me and Evan, and every person on Earth, in that Creator’s image. Evan’s life is not a mistake. He is a reminder that God brings joy in the most unlikely places.
My spirituality has developed over the 59 years of my life, and it will continue to develop as I read, study and live in whatever time I have left in the physical realm. I’ve have come to accept author and researcher Brene Brown’s definition of spirituality:
“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.”
Notice, she doesn’t mention religion or any specific belief. She doesn’t say that only those who believe in God can be spiritual, or that only people who are straight, or white, or middle class, or who live in the United States. ALL of us are connected by a universal power. So when one of us is injured, we all feel the pain. When one of us is left out of what we call “normal society,” we all feel the loneliness. When one of us goes hungry, we all feel the hunger pangs.
Maybe your source of power and purpose comes from the Koran, or the Talmud, or the stars, or nature. The source doesn’t matter so much as the connection to that source and each other.
“We all have the power, through our thoughts, to harness the power of the Universe.”
Jen Sincero, “You are a Badass at Making Money”
My constant, daily prayer is that God would give me God’s eyes, so I can see people as God sees them. As God’s creations. Not as black or white, young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, but as beings to whom I am connected spiritually. A part of me and as necessary to my fulfillment and growth as water or air.
How we treat each other matters, not only to others, but to ourselves, too.
How are you going to look at other people today? Will you see their differences or will you see their beauty?
I’ll leave you with one more quote from Jen Sincero:
“The thoughts, beliefs and emotions we don’t consciously reject, we unconsciously accept.”
I wish you well! Until next time,
Susie
BTW: Can you tell which book I’ve been reading? If you get a chance, I highly encourage you to read You are a Badass at Making Money, and DO THE EXERCISES at the end of each chapter! This book will change your entire outlook and mindset when it comes to money and the limiting beliefs we have about it.
Links:
Bible Meditation Podcast
Our Daily Bread
Pray Every Day with Mary DeMuth
Brene Brown
Jen Sincero
Hal Elrod
6 thoughts on “Miracle Morning or Spiritual Morning?”
You are a wonderful story-teller and such a light. I love how you interpret being spiritual and the way that you empathise with… just about everybody. Evan is lucky to have this morning ritual with you. Sending you love and many soothing moments of calm.
Thank you, Eilidh. I feel very lucky to be Evan’s, Philip’s and Derek’s mom. They’ve all taught me so much. Blessings to you, friend!
This is a beautiful, faith-filled and faithful morning routine. Why do we care for loved ones with challenges? Because we love them.
My morning routine: cold shower, breakfast, meditation, journaling, daily planning, Quiet Time (study my Bible and pray).
I’ve been developing these habits and refining them for years.
Thank you, Daniel! Sounds like you have your own “Spiritual Morning”! Thanks for visiting and for your kind words!
Thanks for sharing this, Susie. Sending love to you and Evan.
Thank you for reading, Mike! Stay in touch, and thanks for the love!
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