Left or right, Dad? Left. Up or down? Down.
The ornaments were laid out on the tray table in front of my father. As I picked each one up, I’d ask him where we should put it.
This is the first tree my dad and I have decorated together in at least 25 years. I was 21 and he was 58. Both of us full of excitement about what our futures would hold. We both went on to get married, create changes in our careers, and see parts of the world we didn’t know existed.
My dad had a stroke six years ago. He lost the ability to feel or move the right side of his body. His short-term memory can sometimes be elusive, and he often falters when trying to form a sentence.
Thanks to my step-mom, my dad has had an amazing quality of life, living in his own home. After a recent health incident though, it became glaringly clear that “home” needed to be proceeded by the word “nursing”.
On first regard, that might seem depressing as all get-out. And it is.
But there is something that can happen when we are in a place we never thought we’d find ourselves. If we are willing to concede our desires and just be present in the situation, we may find we have entered a Sacred Space.
A Sacred Space is where God meets us on this earth.
In that breath, despite all the things that are wrong, we find ourselves filled with a peace, a holiness of the moment, that reminds us we are not alone.
Like Moses in front of the burning bush, we feel the need to take off our shoes in a sign of humble obedience to God’s plan.
At least I do.
I’m curious, have you been in a Sacred Space? What did it look like? What did it feel like? Who was there with you? Can you re-enter it at will or was it a special once-in-a-lifetime experience?
If you feel the nudge to return there in your mind, will you please share it with me via email? My address is info@nicoleJphillips.com. I would love to hear about your Sacred
Space. Thank you for allowing me to share mine.
