Good morning…
This is the perfect week to learn from a training on trauma. School shooting. Images of war. Cancer returning. Laying to rest a beloved husband. Powerful pleas for God to heal. In my tiny corner of the world, I am processing a plethora of strong emotions. Do you feel the same?
Two takeaways from our training on Tuesday can help us in very practical ways.
When we feel overwhelmed with mixed emotions, life HALTS us, providing a perfect acronym. H.A.L.T.S. Might we stop and ask ourselves, “Am I feeling one or more of these? Hungry. Angry. Lonely. Tired. Sad.” It may be time to fill in our own blanks. “I feel _____ because ______________, and I need _________________________________.”
Breathing is key. Sitting right here or stepping outside, breathing fresh air enlivens. Breathing in slowly for 7, holding breath for 7, and breathing out deeply for 7. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Getting oxygen to our brain, we give ourselves a calming gift.
Calmed down we connect to the moment at hand, noticing our five fingers, engaging our five senses, asking ourselves and taking time to respond: “What do I hear? What do I see? What do I touch? What do I taste? What do I smell?”
Grounding ourselves in this given moment, overwhelming emotions naturally move through us like a babbling brook releases itself into the sea. O my soul! Return and relax. Come to your true rest, for the Eternal has showered you with His favor (Psalm 116:7, VOICE).
…Sue…
P.S. We seek to build resilience and positive coping skills with those who have experienced trauma. For spring break next week, twelve kids from the PAWkids after school enrichment program are getting away with the loving staff to experience rest and relaxation, fresh sunny air and outdoor adventure. They will cook and eat yummy food together and calmly develop inner strength to cope with the many challenges in their poverty-stricken corner of the world.
There are two tangible ways to support the inner growth of these vulnerable inner city kids:
- We can touch on the Amazon gift list to purchase gift cards to cover cost of food and gas or special personalized items for each child: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1FVHAJ13XSHPT
- We can read the letter below from LaTonya Gates, founder and director of this non-profit in Grove Park, and donate on the PAWkids website to offset the $9,500 cost of this life-giving spring break trip: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=U2CRRRKR399NC&source=url
