Follow the Sun

by Michele Boy | November 17, 2022

Snow fell Monday morning. It was beautiful, wet snow showers that continued for several hours. It was joyful to see the ground wet, to see the white flakes glisten on trees and vehicles. And it was sad when it ended. 
We live in an area well known for drought. We cherish the drops of moisture that fall from the sky. 
  As I write this, the temperature is 14 degrees. A little too much winter in my autumn for me.
But I will take cold if we can get moisture. In my opinion, cold without precipitation is just mean.
But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the roof over my head, my family and warm clothing.
 I threw a pair of long johns on under my jeans, added a heavy coat, hat, and gloves and took a morning walk with my dogs and a good friend. 
 For this walk we decided to follow the sun. And as I thought about what I should write for my column, I liked that - follow the sun. And deeper, follow the Son.
In our life, busyness and getting the next thing checked off my list seems to be the priority. But once in a while I need to check in and see where I am giving my energy. Even great things can be too much, if out of balance.  
  Next week is Thanksgiving and my birthday or birthdaygiving lol. It’s five weeks till Christmas, six till the end of the year.
 And it’s the time of year I reflect a bit on where I am, what I have accomplished, what I am happy about in my life, and what I would like to change. 
So in the spirit of following the sun, the warmth, the joy, what am I working towards. 
I have a fitness watch I wear on my wrist to keep track of my steps, exercise, and to remind me to stand up. 
I have always been vehemently opposed to these devices for myself because they felt like I had an electronic monitor on. 
But the truth is, it is helping me. If near the end of the day I only have 9,000 steps, I walk around my house for the last thousand. 
If I have 27 minutes of exercise logged, then I get on my bike for ten or fifteen minutes. I hate to admit it but I was wrong. The watch helps me. 
 I have never been a fan of shoes. I like boots, sandals and being barefoot. 
But my daughter got a pair of these comfortable slip on shoes. I tried them on. Yes, my eleven year old daughter wears the same size shoe as me.  I bought myself a pair. A couple of weeks ago I was in church and looked down at my feet, smiling, and thought wow, these are really comfortable shoes.
 I admit it. Some of my uniqueness is giving way to comfort and functionality. 
 And if it is helping and challenging me to head in the right direction, then it is what I need. 
What about you? Where are you at?  
 Following the sun to me means going towards the things that I believe spur me on towards where I want to be as a person, a wife, a mom, a business owner, a friend, and a community member. Following the Son means I need to stop and check in with Him. 
So as we are heading into this wonderful holiday season, I need to remember to stop. Maybe my challenge for the rest of the year will be to open my bible up and just read a scripture or a chapter daily.  (Pause as I grab my bible for the first time in a long time.)
 I just opened to Psalm 103, verses 1-6 - 
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
I wish you could feel the peace I have compared to right before opening the bible.  
There will be a lot of noise this season about what you need to do, why you aren’t a person of faith, why the  religion you believe is false or  the mistakes you have made are too great. Remember He renews you. Just ask Him.