By Chrissy Tatum Williamson

What will make your heart sing? 

Strange question, isn’t it? That’s the prompt for the Lilly Grant for Clergy Renewal. “What will make your heart sing?” Two years ago when I began working on the grant proposal, this question was a barrier for me. It was easy to think of ways to spend the money; but narrowing down what it was that would make my heart sing, that was an impossible task. So I called my friend and told her about everything I wanted to do with the grant funds. As I spoke to her, she listened without interruption. That gift of friendly listening gave me the freedom to hear myself think out loud. You see, I’m an extrovert and sometimes it takes the freedom to speak without restriction for me to uncover what I actually think, need, feel, want, etc. That’s how it happened. I was on the phone with my friend when I heard myself say, “I just want to rest, play, and look at the stars!” 

“Stop right there!” She said, “That’s it, that’s what will make your heart sing: rest, play, look at the stars!”

Two years have passed since that conversation and those six words have become so real to me in that time. I didn’t realize it until they poured out of my mouth and my friend recognized their significance, but this is exactly what my soul needs, has needed, will continue to need, until I stop and tend to them. I wonder what does your soul need? 

I’ve got a plan now, to attend to these needs in the months ahead; but recognizing the needs has allowed me to prioritize them even in the normal times (the non sabbatical times). I’ve made a conscious effort to rest by taking 10 minute naps when I feel my eyes start to droop on Sunday afternoons. I’ve tried to recognize that my family members also need rest, so I’m working on not being so bitter when I see them claiming that gift for themselves (even when there’s a sink full of dishes to be done). I’m trying to remember to have fun, to loosen up, and to play. Mia helps me with this, so do board games. And whenever possible, I am trying to remember to step outside after dark, to look up and wait for my eyes to adjust, and to notice the stars. 

These are some simple practices that are sustaining me right now. Turns out, they really do “make my heart sing,” as corny as that phrase may be. 

What might sustain you? How will you make those practices a priority?