What Makes Your Heart Sing?

The Lilly Grant that we received challenges candidates to ask the question, "What will make your heart sing?"  As Stacy and I started thinking about things that refresh us, we found that most often whenever we were hoping for retreat, we found ourselves beside some body of water.  Growing up, my family retreated to Beaver Lake for days of swimming and water skiing and nights of games and family times.  Still when we get away, we naturally drift toward the beach, either at Lake Michigan or some place in Florida.  There's something about being near water that makes our hearts "sing."  So most of or experiences over the summer will take us "to the water's edge." 

One of our family's favorite water spots is our friend Chip Mann's lake house on Clear Lake in Fremont Indiana.  For the past several years, the Mann's have graciously offered our family a week to stay there each summer and it has become one of our favorite family memory spots.  We usually kick off the summer here, skiing, tubing, eating, and playing family games like kick-the-can, Pit, or Phase Ten (a LONG card game which our family has affectionately renamed "Slow Death.")  This time at the lake refreshes us every time and we're so glad that our friend has allowed us to start the summer off here. 

Our kids are still in school, but Stacy suggested that I go on up and set the place up for our arrival. She will come midweek and will transport our kids to school on her way to work until they get out.  I had a couple of days at the lake by myself to read, cook, and fish.  (Fish count to date--3)  I love to fish, even though we do not eat fish, but I rarely get the chance to do it.  This has been such a nice time to get away to be on the water, read, pray and think.  Quite often I would realize that I had a big grin on my face, relishing the time here.  Listened to a lot of music, so my heart really has been singing! 

The main thing I'm feeling at this point is: gratitude. So grateful that the good people of Oak Creek have allowed me the time to do this sabbatical...  Grateful for Stacy being willing to suggest that I go up early to have some time alone...  Grateful for the friendships I've made, and for the Mann's generosity to offer this place to us...  Grateful for my dad and that he taught me how to fish...  Grateful for a good guacamole recipe... on and on it goes.  God is SO good to us and we have a so many things for which we must give thanks.  I'm not entirely sure what a "singing" heart looks like, but I think that gratitude has got to be part of it. 

For your own benefit, it might be worth asking, "What is it that makes your heart sing?"  What makes you feel the joy that God intends for us to enjoy?  Someone has called these: spiritual pathways.  They are pathways that enable you to connect with God.  Maybe you do that through being in nature... Maybe by listening to music or seeing art?...  Maybe our pathway is being with people...  I'm hoping to be attentive to those things through this process and cultivate a heart of joy each day this summer.