Plan for self-care and gratitude in the new liturgical year

First Sunday of Advent

When digital planners and calendars weren’t yet the norm, I always looked forward to the ritual cracking open of my brand-new liturgical calendar ordo and my pristine dayplanner to make my first calendar entry for the new liturgical year. Beginning anything anew, we often feel more motivated to throw off the bad habits, disappointments, and missed opportunities of the past and get ourselves more organized and ready for what is to come.

But before you get too focused on the liturgies, projects, and tasks of the new liturgical year, be sure to include time for yourself. Small habits of self-care, gratitude, and delight won’t take away the work you must do in your ministry. However, they will help you become a better minister. Here are some entries and small habits you might add to your personal liturgical calendar and to-do list.

Light a special candle on your baptism anniversary and the baptism anniversaries of your loved ones. Consider doing the same for the baptism anniversaries of your choir members! Give yourself a birthday octave, and do something delightful for the eight days after your birthday. Once a month, send a thank you note—written by hand on a real card mailed by real people—to someone who doesn’t expect it. Each Monday morning, jot down a word or short phrase from that Sunday’s psalm to carry with you in your heart that week.