Once, during a visit to Stockholm, Sweden, I took two of my sons to a golf course an hour north of the city. Getting there was not easy without a car. It involved riding a train and a bus, then walking two miles through rural countryside.

I learned (the hard way) about the critical nature of sleep for health and functioning. But it took me a long time to learn that rest is also essential beyond the physical realm. Our souls need rest as much as our bodies. And the consequences of not partaking in spiritual rest can be even more devastating than those caused by sleep deprivation.

A unique series of events brought me to a small stone house in the middle of a desert one hot summer day. The old cottage was tired but intriguing with its sagging, dusty floors, shabby furnishings, and curtains that crumbled when touched. With the air of a good poker player holding cards close to the chest, the structure made me wish the walls could talk.

Sometimes, I miss the daily life I shared with my kids when they were young, with its abundant opportunities to participate daily in their flourishing and be a buffer against the world's harsher realities. Now, every goodbye reminds me of my new role and what it means for my faith.

I often plan not out of wisdom and prudence but to reduce anxiety about the future. But no amount of good planning prepares me for "rogue waves," unanticipated and unwanted events that hit me out of nowhere.

Sheep can become cast on their backs in several ways, and so can we. In the spiritual realm, casting is a state of being discouraged in one’s soul.

Though I have spent tremendous energy banking on earthly things to anchor me, I have been known to casually release, or hold loosely, my trust in God.