I'd also like to hold up the readings as an incredible source of inspiration, in so many different areas. I'm a firm believer that "spirituality" is the art of living our lives well, and working to build the beloved community with ourselves, each other, and the whole world. The readings and discussions in this class have involved so many facets of life, and shown me even more how everything we think, feel, do, say, makes a difference. It is up to us to learn about ourselves; we must learn how and when to fill and empty our cups (depending on the metaphor) in order to be the best we can be in the world, to hear the spirit calling us.
I'm very interested in leading small spiritual discussion/exploration groups in the future, and this class has given me many helpful tools for this purpose. I'm excited not only to have so many resources to draw from, but also to seek them out and explore them in the future as a spiritual practice in itself, as a way of life to cultivate. Pui Lan's leadership has inspired me to do this, as she leads by wonderful example in finding and writing insightful and relevant articles-- relevant not just to this class but to contemporary life as a whole, whether overtly spiritual or not. I feel that I have been learning to fish throughout this class.
I've been thinking about sacraments lately. Not necessarily sacraments as defined by a specific church, but rather those defined by each of us in response to our own needs. I feel that spirituality is about fulfilling genuine needs, and my spiritual life has been enriched this semester as I notice specific needs I have, in terms of what I can do to keep myself on the path to wholeness, and giving myself time to stop and breathe when I need to. I believe everyone's spiritual practice will be different, and that finding what is right requires deep looking and listening, experimentation, and a willingness to be lost.
Thank you, everyone, for helping me learn how to feel the sanctity that exists in our world, and in my self.
