Who Decides?

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blame, blog, criticism, following, gratitude, Meg Wheatley, perseverance, praise, read, regret, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Every once in awhile I ask myself if writing this blog is still worth the time and energy it takes to do it. At those times – and in between as well – I look at the statistics. Yes, I can tell how many people read what I write each day and once in  awhile someone leaves a comment about what s/he has read. In addition, there is a way to ascertain where readers live – by country. That is the most amazing part of this endeavor as it shows me the reach of the “worldwide web.” Who would have thought that someone in Norway and/or Azerbaijan would be reading my simple morning musings! I generally remain unfazed by all of this information but occasionally realize I am worrying when the bar graph shows a dip or the number on the blog page says someone stopped “following.” Those are the moments when I usually hear gratitude from someone – especially someone I don’t know – who leaves a supportive comment and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I was made aware of this tendency to judge my practice by listening to other voices when I picked up Meg Wheatley’s book this morning. On a page called “Praise and Blame” she writes:

There is absolutely no way to avoid being criticized. Nobody gets through life described as totally wonderful. The question is, what do we do with criticism?…Do we assume that a criticism of something we’ve done is a condemnation of who we are? Or can we filter criticism and keep it focused as perhaps valuable but bounded information? Can we look for the kernels of truth there that might help us improve? Can we not instantly push criticism away, yet not accept it totally? And can we treat praise the same way? (Perseverance, p.65)

I think I’m closer to healthy answers to the above questions than I would have been in my younger days, but it was a good reality check. I trust that I will continue to write the blog as long as it feels right and then will let it go without regret and with gratitude to God, the author of it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purely Personal

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blog, divine Spirit, kind, love, nurture, patient, practice, ready to forgive, spirit, St. Paul, synchronicity, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, uplift

This weekend has been all about family for me – and about the love that we hope will last forever for Paul and Gemma who were married on Friday. That was the message that I proclaimed for them, one of the most commonly quoted Scripture passages of St. Paul. It’s the one that tells us all about the qualities of love (kindness, patience, never boastful…) and ends with the certainty that “love never ends.” I would add: if we continue to nurture it. Actually there was a lot of love being spread around the venue then and into yesterday morning at breakfast.

It is a great grace that not only my generation of cousins (the “old guys”) are truly fond of one another. The 16 cousins in the younger generation – all of whom but one attending the event – traveled from near and far and were delighted to be together as well. The eldest, the ‘missing one’ (my godson) was even there by the miracle called FaceTime, so he was included in the “cousins photo” where they all held up their numbers in the birth order over a span of 30 years. Even the fact that Peter now resides in South Korea couldn’t ruin the perfect joy of the night; he was there as surely as the love that conjured him on a telephone screen. And then there were the several babies & little folks who were incredibly happy and well-behaved. It was the kind of experience that lifts the spirit and calls us to be our best selves.

Speaking of things that help us grow, I was surprised to realize that this blog post is number 1,200 for me! It seems uncanny that I have been able to sustain such a practice in the early hours of most days (although not today!) for the better part of four years. What drives me, however, is my desire to do something – no matter how small – to uplift the spirits of good people, some of whom are struggling to make sense of our world. And although I use the prompts of Scripture on many days, in addition to various contemporary writers on others, I am quite often astounded at the message that unfolds. Some call that synchronicity; I believe it is the divine Spirit directing what needs to be said. I sometimes think it might be time to close up my computer and find another path to roam. Days like that are the ones on which someone usually writes or calls to say something like, “Your blog this morning was so helpful for me! Keep them coming.” Then I go back to read it again and find it helpful for me too! It’s all part of the mystery and beauty of how God works.

So if you can keep reading on the days when the result is a bit “ho hum” I guess I’ll keep listening and writing what comes for a while, remembering that love is patient, love is kind…love is always ready to forgive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Widow’s Mite

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blog, donation, giving, gratitude, Mark, milestone, poverty, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, uplifting, widow

I always thought the catch phrase/title for this text (found today in MK 12:38-44 – the Widow’s Mite) was strange somehow. This morning I realized the reason. The word mite not only means a small amount but is also a small insect – a fact which I knew but never put together – thus, my sense of distaste that has nothing to do with the poor widow! She is, au contraire, someone to be admired. As most people know, she is  the woman who gave not of her surplus wealth but from her poverty. This got me thinking about giving and how often we can find ways to give that have little to do with money. I recalled the man who came to a study day on Thomas Merton that we did earlier in the year for which he could not pay. His pastor had sent him and asked us for a scholarship. The man was grateful that we obliged but told me he wanted to do something to contribute so he had made a large pot of soup to complement the box lunches we had ordered. Not only was it a lovely gesture but many people commented on the wonderful soup. My sense is that it had something to do with the love that went into it in the making.

Today I will ask myself, what can I give of myself that will be uplifting to someone else? If I am attentive to what is happening around me, I might just see something that no one else would notice but which would bring a bright light to someone’s day.

PS: As I posted this entry just now, I saw that it is the 500th post of this blog. That seemed ironic in the context of what I have written above and made me think that, perhaps, this is my “widow’s mite” – a gift that I can give that flows from my love of God and my desire for all seekers to be gifted by God. I truly believe it has little to do with me and much more to do with what God wishes people to hear. So my gratitude is to people (amazingly!) all over the world who have somehow found our website and heard one or many messages that might be considered as words of love from a generous God!