Holy Spirit Nudges

I have always been an optimistic person, waking up with excitement and plans for each day. Then came the whammy of an ill husband who needed much caregiving from me, the formerly free spirit. Now morning wake-ups were not happy ones. All my rituals had to be tossed out the window to be responsive to Lee’s needs for the day. I tried to joke about my new key word. Flexibility, I repeated to myself. Let go and let God. Then I tried to find optimism, but it was lost.

That’s when the Holy Spirit nudged me: You are a photographer. You are a writer. You have always found satisfaction in those things. I live on a minifarm in Kansas with great views of sunrises and sunsets. Lee was sleeping later these days, so out I went to catch the sunrise. Pure magic. I took a picture with my phone whenever I felt a nudge. No planning. Afterward, I made myself a cup of coffee, and looked through the photos I’d taken. Then I thanked the Holy Spirit and looked forward to a new day, believing that I really could “let go and let God.”

Getting out and taking early morning photographs became my trusted ritual, and nearly three years later, I’m still doing it. Just the Holy Spirit and me, with my little phone.