For today’s Spiritual Thursday post, Ramona suggested we listen to a podcast by Emily Freeman entitled The Next Right Thing. It’s a new-to-me podcast that I am now following. I listened this morning while walking and wrote my response by speaking into the Notes app on my phone.
Henri Nouwen writes in his book Here and Now, “We are inclined to think that when we are sad, we
Emily Freeman, The Next Right Thing Podcast
cannot be glad. But in the life of a God-centered person, sorrow and joy can exist together. That isn’t easy to understand. But when we think about some of our deepest life experiences, such as being present at the birth of a child or the death of a friend, great sorrow and great joy are often seen to be parts of the same experience.”
I am Here
My daughter gave me an Apple Watch.
It watches my every move and occasionally will vibrate my arm
and tell me something like you need to be moving
or you’ve reached your movement goal
or stand up now.
We have found devices in this modern world that help us to be present.
Present with our steps, each one counted and charted on an app on our phones
which we carry with us everywhere,
everywhere to be present with a friend on Instagram or Facebook.
Daily when I walk, I use an app called Voxer to chat with a friend across the globe in another place.
She calls this her daily podcast with me. Funny and true.
And I’m grateful for the technology that allows me to be present with a friend far away.
But sometimes all I need is to just be here–
Here stepping on fall leaves, listening to them crinkling,
listening to the sounds of birds
in the trees losing the leaves.
I’m just here with myself
And God.
Reflections on the Teche 