One person can make a difference. This video is worth watching.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
One Step at a Time
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
-J. R. R. Tolkien
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Oscar Wilde Quote
"A man who does not think for himself does not think at all. It is grossly selfish to require of one's neighbour that he should think in the same way, and hold the same opinions. Why should he? If he can think, he will probably think differently. If he cannot think, it is monstrous to require thought of any kind from him."
-Oscar Wilde, The soul of man under Socialism (essay), 1891
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Just as I am
Sacred Space once again reaches my spirit and draws me to a peaceful place.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius writes: “I will stand for the space of an Our Father, a step or two before the place where I am to meditate or contemplate, and with my mind raised on high, consider that God our Lord beholds me. Then I will make an act of reverence or humility” This is a beautiful and simple way of entering sacred space. I am not alone with my thoughts and feelings. God is here with me. So I can say to him, ‘Here I am, Lord’. Let me repeat this inwardly several times. Here I am, Lord. Here I am, in this place, for this day. Here I am, Lord, as I am, just as I am, not as I feel I ought to be. No, here I am, just as I am, with all my real thoughts, real feelings, real worries and concerns, and also my deeper wishes and desires. I come before you Lord just as I am.
It is Mother's Day and I am grateful that my own Mom is alive and I am so Blessed to have her in my life. She has been a source of strength and wisdom and my prayer is that I would not be focused on my own deep wounds today but full of grace and adoration for my Mom. It is a day to honor those who have brought a life into this world and I very much want to do that with a heart of peace.
The memories of my Mom go back to childhood. I have a memory of her lying in a hammock we used to have in our backyard where she would lay in the summertime enjoying the sun. I always thought she was so beautiful and still do. I can picture her raking leaves in the fall and shoveling snow in the winter with energy and beauty. She has such a comforting way about her and I remember how she would tickle my arm during church and I would snuggle in to listen to the sermon on Sundays up in the balcony of First United Methodist.
We went on so many wonderful walks during my teenage years and would often stop at the village doughnut shop to share a treat together. She would occasionally take me to breakfast before school at the restaurant by our house and we would chat and enjoy our time together a great deal. She was a wonderful listener and would let me talk about anything and everything. She helped me in so many ways. One time she even reached into a toilet to pull out my notecards that I had dropped by accident for the speech contest I was participating in!
It is a time today for me to remember the good and wonderful quailties that my Mom has. No one is perfect but love overlooks so many things. The love between a Mother and a Child can sometimes be like that.
I believe that God also knows me as I am and accepts me for who I am. My hope rests in Him. I am blessed that He gave me a Mom who taught me so much and she has shown me God's love through her concern and care.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius writes: “I will stand for the space of an Our Father, a step or two before the place where I am to meditate or contemplate, and with my mind raised on high, consider that God our Lord beholds me. Then I will make an act of reverence or humility” This is a beautiful and simple way of entering sacred space. I am not alone with my thoughts and feelings. God is here with me. So I can say to him, ‘Here I am, Lord’. Let me repeat this inwardly several times. Here I am, Lord. Here I am, in this place, for this day. Here I am, Lord, as I am, just as I am, not as I feel I ought to be. No, here I am, just as I am, with all my real thoughts, real feelings, real worries and concerns, and also my deeper wishes and desires. I come before you Lord just as I am.
It is Mother's Day and I am grateful that my own Mom is alive and I am so Blessed to have her in my life. She has been a source of strength and wisdom and my prayer is that I would not be focused on my own deep wounds today but full of grace and adoration for my Mom. It is a day to honor those who have brought a life into this world and I very much want to do that with a heart of peace.
The memories of my Mom go back to childhood. I have a memory of her lying in a hammock we used to have in our backyard where she would lay in the summertime enjoying the sun. I always thought she was so beautiful and still do. I can picture her raking leaves in the fall and shoveling snow in the winter with energy and beauty. She has such a comforting way about her and I remember how she would tickle my arm during church and I would snuggle in to listen to the sermon on Sundays up in the balcony of First United Methodist.
We went on so many wonderful walks during my teenage years and would often stop at the village doughnut shop to share a treat together. She would occasionally take me to breakfast before school at the restaurant by our house and we would chat and enjoy our time together a great deal. She was a wonderful listener and would let me talk about anything and everything. She helped me in so many ways. One time she even reached into a toilet to pull out my notecards that I had dropped by accident for the speech contest I was participating in!
It is a time today for me to remember the good and wonderful quailties that my Mom has. No one is perfect but love overlooks so many things. The love between a Mother and a Child can sometimes be like that.
I believe that God also knows me as I am and accepts me for who I am. My hope rests in Him. I am blessed that He gave me a Mom who taught me so much and she has shown me God's love through her concern and care.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sacred Space
Sacred Space is a place of prayer maintained by the Irish Jesuits. One can go through the various stages of meditation at whatever pace one prefers. I go there to quiet my soul. Life gets so incredibly hectic and here is a place of rest. At the beginning of each week there is a new reflection to think about before entering the prayer.
"In one of the gospel parables, the rich man is mulling over his treasures, and plans to build even bigger barns to store all his crops. He relishes his security: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come. Jesus reflects: A man’s life is not made secure by what he owns. As we grow quiet in prayer, our hearts can be invaded in the same way by false securities. In the measure that my heart is in past treasures, I am fossilised and dead, for life is only in the present. So to each of these past treasures I am grateful yet I say goodbye, explaining that, grateful though I am that it came into my life, it must move out, or my heart will never learn to love the present."
How true. It is so hard to balance the holding on and letting go. To treasure our lives by holding with an open hand, never grasping and always being willing to let go is not an easy feat for us humans to have within our feeble hearts. We long for solid ground underneath us, sometimes even if that ground is a pile of rubble or a complete illusion. Help me Lord to know that my only security and my only constant in this life is You and help me to be at peace with that truth.
"In one of the gospel parables, the rich man is mulling over his treasures, and plans to build even bigger barns to store all his crops. He relishes his security: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come. Jesus reflects: A man’s life is not made secure by what he owns. As we grow quiet in prayer, our hearts can be invaded in the same way by false securities. In the measure that my heart is in past treasures, I am fossilised and dead, for life is only in the present. So to each of these past treasures I am grateful yet I say goodbye, explaining that, grateful though I am that it came into my life, it must move out, or my heart will never learn to love the present."
How true. It is so hard to balance the holding on and letting go. To treasure our lives by holding with an open hand, never grasping and always being willing to let go is not an easy feat for us humans to have within our feeble hearts. We long for solid ground underneath us, sometimes even if that ground is a pile of rubble or a complete illusion. Help me Lord to know that my only security and my only constant in this life is You and help me to be at peace with that truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)