Highlights and Lowlights

In a recent post Kimberlee Conway Ireton, author of The Circle of the Seasons, writes about how she has learned to appreciate life more through practicing the examen in her post “The Gift List“:

I began to see that, even on the worst days, there were blessings, places God met me, things to be glad about or grateful for. And as the examen became more a part of my daily life, I began to notice those mercies not only as I reflected at the end of the day but sometimes in the moment, as they were given.

What is the examen? You can go to another one of her posts that provides more detail. Basically, it is a practice of examining your day to pick out the highlights and lowlights. It is an ancient Christian practice that guides us to see God’s presence in our most ordinary lives.

My wife and I have different spiritual practices because we worship differently, but this is a practice I think is beneficial for the whole family to do together, as Conway Ireton suggests.

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted by on Apr 6, 2011 in Liturgy | 3 comments

3 Comments

  1. Candy O'Hearn
    Apr 6, 2011

    I found your blog through Benj’s blog. I just finished Voskamp’s book that Ireton references a few weeks ago. So good. And one of our favorite things to do around the dinner table is go around and share our little gifts from the day. Even the 2 yr old joins in. It’s a really sweet time as a family. Tell your wife hi for me :)

    Respond
    • Thomas
      Apr 6, 2011

      Candy!

      It wasn’t that long ago that you hit your head on the back window of my car freshman year….

      I’ve read Anne Voskamp’s blog for about three years now, and she’s always inspiring. I’m glad she finally had the opportunity to write a book. I would tell people about her blog and wonder why she had never been given the chance to get published…and her book is doing so well through word of mouth.

      Sarah says hi!

      Respond
  2. Kimberlee Conway Ireton
    Apr 14, 2011

    Thomas,

    Thanks so much for his kind shout-out. A friend emailed me the link. I’m not sure how I missed it as I’ve been reading your blog faithfully this past month. (At least, I thought I was…) Anyhoo, thanks for finding my words worth quoting. That’s a compliment I don’t take lightly.

    Kimberlee

    Respond

Submit a Comment