Tap, Tap, Shuffle Shuffle, Tap Tap Stomp! Yes, steps to a new tap dance I started learning last night! Imagine…10 years out of practice, a pair of tap shoes off ebay, and a willingness to dance again! I was thrilled! Yesterday evening I walked in the door of a dance studio ready to embark on my newest adventure of tap dancing after being out of practice for way too long! As the class proceeded I found myself totally immersed in the dance steps, embracing the routine, and letting my inner child dance her heart away. I found myself only thinking about making sure my feet were moving with the beat of the music and I lost myself tap dancing across the floor. I was truly there, truly present.
Today I took my first steps into Jernigan Hall on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte as I journeyed into orientation for fall semester at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Dean Currie elegantly shared that indeed these may have been our first steps in the classroom at Union Presbyterian Seminary ready to achieve a Masters of Divinity - but they weren’t our first steps along our faith journey. A seasoned student share what all she had learned thus far in Seminary. She simply said, “BE where you are! When you are here studying the History of Christianity…be here! When you are at your child’s soccer game…be there! When you are at your job…be there! When you are catching up with a friend..be there! When you are with your family…be there!” She was saying…be where you are, truly present!
Life moves quickly. Time doesn’t slow down. Each of us has opportunities in our 24 hours of the day to be present: To be present with our vocations, to be present with our families, and to be present with ourselves. If we truly look at who we are and who God is calling us to be, I feel God is inviting us to be authentic, to be where we are, to simply be the child of God where God is calling us to be whether in job, relationship or in the silence. I pray I will practice being where I am in the days to come! From learning dance routines in tap class, facilitating a bible study, spending time with my husband, accompanying young people on their faith journey, enjoying time with loved ones, to reflecting on what it means to be a disciple, loving with my whole heart, and striving to be a servant leader…My prayer is that I am in the moment!
