Lectio Divina and Living with Illness:  Reading the Sacred Text of your Body.

Sheryl received her training as a spiritual director through the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  She also received training as a Labyrinth Facilitator at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.  She earned her B.S. in business from the University of Minnesota and earned an M.A. In Leadership and Spirituality from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sheryl describes her approach to spiritual direction as holding sacred space for the directee allowing the Spirit to work. Sheryl uses Lectio Divina as a way of personally connecting to the Divine and often teaches this to her directees. Sheryl also offers retreats for those seeking peace and connection to the Divine using the sacred path of the labyrinth. She understands what it means to live with chronic illness, pain, and fatigue; and she presents workshops on these topics, drawing from her own experience of living with fibromyalgia for many years. Sheryl writes: Being a first born overly responsible type, I worked full time while raising two children and volunteering at our parish and in the community.  This life was managed by color coded calendars, sticky notes and to do lists posted all over the house and car.  I was either “On” or “Off” (asleep).  Sitting in church, I remember being indignant every time the Martha/Mary story came up in the Gospel reading because Mary was always hailed as the “good” sister, sitting at Jesus’ feet and basking in His presence.  As the older, more “responsible” sister, Martha was running around getting food on the table and serving her guests, someone I could identify with more easily. When my kids got older, I sought a master’s degree in order to change career fields.  But after 4 ½ years of taking one course at a time, plus continuing to balance my work and family responsibilities, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Right about the same time I had also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain and fatigue condition, adding another stressor to my overly full “responsible” life. A friend suggested I try spiritual direction.  I was blessed with the wisdom figure I had been seeking all along without knowing it.  Over time, she helped get me out of my head and listen to my heart and the whisper of the Holy Spirit. My life’s work and purpose began to emerge.  I began to see that my own story was what was important, not comparing myself to others.  I began to see how I could reframe some difficult moments in my past and turn them into learning experiences that allowed me to live my life more centered on God, to focus on the real me, and not the person people expected me to be according to the various roles I played in my life.  Each of the three spiritual directors that I have seen over the last thirteen years was the right person for me at the right time in my life.  Through them, God brought me to self-discovery in ways I couldn’t possibly have reached on my own. Focused time being with God allows me to be able to have the courage and energy to be generative in the world.  Over the last many years, I have come to understand that we are not what we “do” in life.  “Be Still and Know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) has become my mantra.  God’s constant presence in my life, at the center of my very “be-ing” is what grounds me every day and carries me into the world. Whether you are in transition or wondering where God is in the midst of the chaotic world we live in, I invite you to consider meeting with a spiritual director.  Our role is to hold open the space and intentional time for the sacred to reveal its wisdom in your life.  We offer support for your ongoing spiritual journey through an invitation to share your authentic story through reflection on your own lived experiences.   It just takes an intention to “Be Still.”