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Tag Archives: birthday

Anniversaries

19 Sunday Jan 2020

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anniversary, birthday, love, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are many dates that we all celebrate in different ways (if we can remember them!). Some are easy, like New Year’s Day, because most people share them, but then we remember and ask: “What about Chinese New Year?”

It can get complicated. Most of us need a notebook to remember all the birthdays that we should be celebrating, especially if we have a large family or lots of expectant friends, but for most of us there are likely a few dates that make it into a special category of automatic remembrance. One of those dates for me is today; it’s my parents’ wedding anniversary.

We joke about the fact that although they probably knew in high school that they had found “the one” with whom they would spend the rest of their lives, it took them until the age of 31 years to formalize the commitment (They were born 20 days apart). It’s true that there were complications: the Great Depression where, as young people they needed to help support their families, the Second World War when they wrote enough letters to fill a trunk the size of a post office, etc. We have so many stories and images of the nearly 50 years of their marriage! My siblings and I often speak of how blessed we are to be considered among “the lucky ones.”

At a time when so many people suffer from a lack of love in their lives, those of us who have been blessed by loving relationships of any description ought to be mindful of those who have not been similarly blessed. Is there someone you know who might enjoy a visit, a call or even a hug today? Why wait?

Happy Anything Day to all!

A Fitting Name

28 Saturday Oct 2017

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birthday, Ephesians, generosity, Jesus, Jude, patron saints, praise God, Simon, sister, sisters, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

asistersToday our Church remembers Simon and Jude, both apostles who are only known by their names or titles. Jude (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot) is mentioned in the gospel with the others chosen by Jesus as his close followers. Simon, known as the Zealot, was one of a sect of extreme Jewish nationalists who believed in the Old Testament concept that God alone was their king so that they were not to be subject to the Romans. Simon was converted by Jesus to a new and gentler way of living, it seems, but that is all we know of him. I didn’t know of him at all in my youth. As far as I knew October 28th was the feast of St. Jude alone, and I knew that much because it was – is – my sister’s birthday. By custom (way back then) she might have been named Judith but circumstances and the fact that we already had a close cousin with that name resulted in the fact that she is Paula.

Patron saints were a big deal in those days and I was proud to have Ann as my middle name so I could call the grandmother of Jesus my patron. I would have felt sorry for Paula if Jude was hers since Jude is the designated patron of those in “desperate situations” (http://www.franciscanmedia.org) We used to know that as “hopeless cases” and actually kidded my sister about that around her birthday on occasion.

I felt a lift this morning when I consulted the lectionary readings for the day. In contrast to some of the recent texts that seemed so serious and dark, today’s are filled with energy and motivation in the spirit of St. Paul. First, Paul announces to the Ephesians: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God! (EPH 2:19) Then we hear the psalmist sing: Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the end of the world, their message – a tribute to the work of Paul and the other early voices as well as creation itself (PS 19:5). Finally, the gospel reminds us of those called by Jesus as his first disciples (LK 6: 12-16) among whom we find Simon and Jude.

I was happy to hear these words – a birthday gift to my sister who has been in her life one who has always labored for the good of the whole, in both personal and professional relationships. Steadiness and generosity of self have clearly defined Paula’s life and blessed all of us who live within her sphere of influence. So today I honor my elder sister (my one and only!) and give praise to God for her life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary’s Birthday

08 Thursday Sep 2016

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birthday, caregivers, celebration, devotion, gratitude, immaculate conception, Jerusalem, model, mothers, nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary, Nazareth, Protoevangelium of James, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

anativityI have lots of people whose birthdays I remember and I celebrate them at least in my mind if not with a card, a call, or (these days) with an e-mail. Today Eastern and Western Catholic Churches celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – a birthday I always mark with a smile and/or a prayer of gratitude for her role in our life. This morning I wondered who came up with this date as probably no birth certificate exists to prove her arrival and most of what we know from that time is less than an exact science. What I found was that the first written mention of Mary’s birth was in the apocryphal text called the Protoevangelium of James, a document probably in its final written form in the early second century. It speaks of her parents, Joachim – a wealthy member of one of the tribes of Israel – and Anna, but is not clear about where or when she was born. Some accounts speak of Nazareth as her birthplace and some say it was a house near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. The date for commemoration of her birth was logically set, but not until the sixth century, as nine months after the celebratory date of the Immaculate Conception.

Regardless of historical accuracy, the Christian Churches have always celebrated Mary in many ways during the year with great devotion. She is particularly dear to mothers around the world who look to her even on the ordinary days as a model for living – in good times and times of suffering. Perhaps that is a good reminder for us today to give thanks for our own mothers and/or those who have “mothered” us with their care and love – all those who have encouraged our birthing into spiritual maturity. I will think on those women today and mark this day joyfully in celebration of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary Afternoons

09 Monday May 2016

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birthday, blessing, celebrate, conscious living, Mother's Day, no ordinary afternoons, One Ordinary Afternoon, tea, Terry Benczik, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

ateapartyI just had three brief experiences as I breathed in the morning from my rocking chair. First I felt the words, “Yesterday I began a new year of life” and felt all the good birthday moments that had occurred. Secondly I reviewed the lovely “Women’s Tea” that we sponsored yesterday afternoon for 17 women, three of whom came with their mothers to celebrate Mothers’ Day. The day was picture perfect, the food exquisite, the camaraderie delightful and the sense of well-being in the end was worth all the time and energy it took in the preparation. My third “moment” was the concluding sentence of a poem by our friend Terry Benczik entitled One Ordinary Afternoon. I had picked up her book as I sat down moments before, just wanting to step into the day with grace. What I found was the ribbon that tied up the gift of yesterday in a tidy, lovely package that I will take with me into all that comes next. The truth that Terry told me was that “There are no ordinary afternoons.” If I can remember this as I proceed I will surely live more fully, conscious that every day is a birthday and a day to celebrate some small or large moment of blessing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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