I was delighted when I opened the Soul Matters packet this month and read the words of Barbara Brown Taylor. She really speaks to me and my life-long “issue” of self-loathing my body. Here is what she has to say:

I think it is important to pray naked in front of a full-length mirror sometimes, especially when you are full of loathing for your body. . .
You have gotten glimpses of your body as you have bathed or changed clothes, but so far maintaining your equilibrium has depended upon staying covered up as much as you can…
This can only go on so long, especially for someone who officially believes that God loves flesh and blood, no matter what kind of shape it is in.
Whether you are sick or well, lovely or irregular, there comes a time when it is vitally important for your spiritual health to drop your clothes, look in the mirror, and say, ‘Here I am. This is the body-like- no-other that my life has shaped. I live here. This is my soul’s address.’
After you have taken a good look around, you may decide that there is a lot to be thankful for, all things considered.
Bodies take real beatings. That they heal from most things is an underrated miracle. That they give birth is beyond reckoning. . . Here we sit, with our souls tucked away in this marvelous luggage, mostly insensible to the ways in which every spiritual practice begins with the body.

If any part of Barbara Brown Taylor’s words resonated with you please consider joining us for a new Adult Religious Exploration offering called “Living Body Positive”:

Living Body Positive
Celebrating the inherent worth and dignity of every Body…
May 21st 9:00 – 10: 15 a.m. in the Youth Room
Facilitators: Alana Franklin, Cynthia Hackett, Susie Maharry

Join us in a small group setting to discuss questions, such as: How do I feel about my body? What influences my perceptions? And how do my perceptions about my body impact my life? How can we work to reframe incoming messages in a way that is body positive? All are welcome here. We will meet monthly on the 3rd Sunday of each month before service.

Click on the below for further reading:
“Six Ways to Be Embodied While You Eat
Informal mindfulness practices for those of us who don’t have five minutes to contemplate a raisin.”

Namaste,

Susie