Rev. McKinley L. Sims, M.Div.

Being a minister is everything I hoped it would be. I love getting to help plan worship, meet with parishioners, attend conferences and budget meetings….well, maybe not the budget meetings. Everything feels exciting and nourishes my soul as I start down the road that I hope will become my life path. I’ve got my toes pointed in the right direction and my heart and head have followed suit magnificently.

But the days sure can be long.  

To help combat the feeling of my days lengthening even as the days themselves get shorter as autumn comes on stronger and stronger, I turn to my spiritual practices for renewing a weary mind and for healing a weary spirit. Most of these practices are pretty typical of intentional routines that connect me to the Holy, to Nature, and to other humans. I read scriptures and poetry by a fireplace, stare at the stars on a clear night, and play guitar while sitting on my front stoop. These are all low-entry spiritual practices, and they are a great way to center my soul and ground my spirit in the here and now, recharging and reenergizing me after a long day. But the best spiritual practice I have going for me in this season can only last for a few more days and nights at all, as it is dependent on the temperature outside and my toughness inside: when I get done with a long day of work, I walk out into the cool night air, get in my car, roll the windows down, turn the radio up to a Country/Western station….

And. I. Jam.

I sing loudly (drive safely) and run my hand out the window as the wind pushes it to and fro like I’m on a roller coaster. I’m filled with gratitude and wonder at how magical everything seems, how alive the world sounds, and how electric my soul’s outpouring of joy feels at the end of a long and potentially frustrating day. Cultures across time and space recognize the healing power of music for our tired souls, and I honor that with as many rounds of High Valley’s “Make You Mine” as I can get before I get to the highway. The whole process only takes seven minutes or so, but it is so revitalizing that I will be sorely missing it as the air gets colder in our march towards the end of the year. When that time comes, I’ll focus on a new spiritual practice to keep me clear-eyed and full-hearted. Spoiler alert: it may involve Christmas carols. Until then, I hope we all indulge our bodies and spirits in whatever practices we need to renew and reenergize, because healing can take many forms. May we all be healed during the long hours and short daylight of the season to come.