Self-compassion, Sabbath, and disability

In this short narrative essay, I describe how my identity as an autistic woman interacts with my faith and Sabbath practice. This is a current issue because concepts of identity, such as disability and faith, are both personal and societally contextual. In describing how Sabbath is a restorative practice that supports my compassion for self while embracing my disability, I share my versions of components of Sabbath (cease, rest, worship, and delight). I give a specific example of my divergent participation in conferences, and I show how Sabbath helps me to disrupt the social construct of normalcy in my work as a teacher educator in order to shape my understanding of normalcy in my work, personal life, and hopefully the profession of teaching.