The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

—Psalm 27

I have been dancing for more than 14 years which, if you can believe is over 122,000 hours in ballet shoes. For a ballerina like me, the pirouette is an amazing achievement. It is a feat of perfect balance, remarkable strength and graceful beauty. A dancer makes a 360 degree turn on one leg in relevee up on her toes.  Every ballerina seeks what appears an effortless pirouette, the picture of grace. There are many things that need to happen for this feat to take place. You must have a grounding force, a very sturdy leg, so your body can repeatedly turn gracefully on its axis. I can hear my ballet teachers now; “Strong standing leg. Hold the high relevé, shoulders down, elongate your neck, keep your passé high and connected to your knee, oh, and don’t forget to smile.” My left leg maintains the necessary and extraordinary balance, and my right leg pushes off the ground to create speed so that I can turn and turn around myself. I must unite mind, body and spirit to achieve this masterpiece of balance and grace. Without the grounding leg anchoring my body, I will surely fall out of the turn.

Accomplishing a pirouette is a beautiful metaphor for my spiritual life. God is my grounding force. When I am connected to God, in mind, body and soul, I can metaphorically spin and spin to create a life of real worth and much love. With God as my center, I can experience peace, hope, and possibility. Many other things will tempt me in life and If I rely on anything other than God as my grounding force, I will lose my spiritual balance. I have my family and this church to thank for helping me see what truly matters. I have watched my mom and my community put God and others first. Even when times have been challenging, this community of love has leaned on faith, hope and love for one another. And together we have seen our way through. Psalm 27 says: The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Only God can set us on a holy axis and the sacred dance of life can happen.

When I allow God to be my most powerful grounding force, I am brave and full of hope. God will always find a way, and offer me a new path. I take comfort when I remember this verse from John, “Abide in me and I will abide in you.” The promise is that even when I leave to go to school in California, I will never be alone. God will be with me.

When my spirit is connected to God, I feel like I can handle the darkness and disappointments expected in this imperfect world. In life as in the dance studio, I must seek God’s help in mind, body and spirit. The reward will be moments of pure grace. My church, friends and especially my family have taught me so much about the true power of love and how sacred this life truly is. Next year, I will dance in Pepperdine’s dance company, and also continue to work on my faith, trusting God as my grounding force.

I believe my mom’s words: Where there is love, there will always be hope.

♥️ From Farrell: I am signing off for the Summer to spend time with my family, read lots of books, travel and fill up my cup! I hope everyone has a safe and blessed summer! Thank you for spending time with me over this year at Bread and Honey! I will drop Belle off to college in August, and then I look forward to meeting you here refreshed and ready for a new year! Love, Farrell ♥️