Breath

🎶“It’s your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise,

We pour out our praise to you only.”🎶

As I struggle to get a full breath and every inhale brings discomfort, these words are being sung all around me. The humidity outside and a busier schedule than usual mean that it has been a rough week for my breathing muscles. This morning as I sit in mass I’m constantly readjusting my clothing and my positioning to keep my diaphragm unobstructed.

I can’t sing along on days like this and so as this song starts I expect to feel the sharp sting of frustration and envy which is a familiar feeling lately.

But instead I notice the sensation of breath in my lungs and I am grateful. Every breath, no matter how laborious, is evidence of life.

I’ve written before that every day I get is a bonus. Jeremie Saunders* talks about living past your expiry date in his TED talk and that’s exactly what I feel I do.

So I take as deep a breath as I can and I relish the feeling of being here, in this church, with my family, breathing together.

(If you haven’t seen his talk yet you should definitely watch it. He’s amazing.)