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Gratefulness
Amo Ergo Sum — that’s the hope.
As someone who seeks abundance (both in a spiritual sense, but yes also in the more problematic capitalistic sense) sufficiency is hard to identify because when you’re seeking abundance, most everything measures up to insufficient.
I tell my daughter when she’s pouring out ranch dressing, “that’s sufficient.” It has become somewhat of an inside joke because I say it so often. “Dad said sufficient!” And then her little brother chimes in, “...
I tell my daughter when she’s pouring out ranch dressing, “that’s sufficient.” It has become somewhat of an inside joke because I say it so often. “Dad said sufficient!” And then her little brother chimes in, “Sufficient, sufficient!”
So, beyond a sufficient supply of ranch dressings, I would say my family is sufficient as is their love, humor, and compassion.
Doubt teaches me that my faith, at present, is strong but not indefatigable. I think doubt also teaches that my faith is still living, growing, questioning, and more often than not open to the spirit and signs of the time and not just a blind, closed-off, static faith.
I suppose it would be less me, less victimhood of me, and more others and what I ought to do to help, ease, or end the difficulties of others.
Creative writing; a walk on a new trail; with my six year old and three year old when I’m not being a curmudgeon.
Community and the theorizing, discussing, planning, and perhaps even building of community.
I can reflect before I speak (or email). I can be more precise in my word choices so that I’m not unnecessarily heavier, draining, or frustrating — taking more effort and energy than needed — from those I am communicating with. I am presuming that those I am communicating with are folks I treasure.
Evening Prayers. Though I used to do regular morning prayers from a psalter pre-pandemic. I should pick that up again.
Sitting and silence for a few minutes in the evening helps. To some extent this, focus on gratitude in the morning helps too. I’ll have to keep examining what practices I am doing but not identifying.
Maturity. Maturity is the tall, wide, trunk of a tree and one cannot get that healthy, tall, wide, trunk without a little time, and without good roots that hold it in place, and drink up the life giving water under the soil; roots that enable maturity include patience, love, kindness, discretion, knowledge, and light-heartedness.
Well worded, succinct questions; right now that question is: What do I owe others? Believing I am my brother’s keeper, believing that humans are communitarian, social, group-bound creatures, I need to take stock, or “look directly at my life as it is,” and realize what I have, how it is supported, and what of it I can share.
Also my children by nature of their innocence (and questions) unknowingly support me in looking at my life as it is: blessed though defect filled...
Also my children by nature of their innocence (and questions) unknowingly support me in looking at my life as it is: blessed though defect filled.
Go for a walk (sans music); go for a quiet walk. “But I cannot, I have X, Y, Z, to do.” And I should respond, I will do X, Y, Z for you. Go take 30 minutes to walk.
While I’ve improved in my acknowledgement and understanding that life is change, in flux, evolving, growing, et cetera, I have not improved in my knee-jerk and fearful reaction that follows the acknowledgement that I do not know what will happen. I want to plan and to have a process and timeline in place. There it is, “I” and “want” rather than “it” and “is”.
When I can chip away at the fear, and stubbornness, perhaps I’ll se...
When I can chip away at the fear, and stubbornness, perhaps I’ll see the possibilities.
Dreams.
My sins and the systems of my life, which I control, which facilitate sin. Hard to demand an improvement of the world, of others, when I have yet to remove that rod in my own eye.
Not projecting my stress unto others and knowing that I can set a better example by being tender than tense.
My conscience and my impetuous nature often conspire together to rouse or awaken me to service.
To do and to be of abundance. Believe and act with the perspective of abundance. Where else can the Spirit come from except from abundance? Living whoelheartedly is living abundantly in thought word and action.
I cannot readily choose one for myself. There are a few days that were wonderful for me, and I’d happily relive those experiences/days; there are a few days that were also good but I was a bit uptight and would happily relive them to be more attuned and less stressed, to more readily enjoy the joy I knew that surrounded me.
But, I’d flip this… I’d be happy to wake up tomorrow and relive a day that someone else wants me to relive. Perhaps I did well, perhaps I l...
But, I’d flip this… I’d be happy to wake up tomorrow and relive a day that someone else wants me to relive. Perhaps I did well, perhaps I let someone down, perhaps I played a good role or perhaps I played the role of the protagonist. I’d relive a day for the benefit of someone else.
Not as many folks as I ought, and while it may come off as perfunctory or proforma, certainly I’ve expressed love to my children and wife.
I’m not sure impetuousness is a feeling but certainly the “disapproval,” “certitude,” “stubborn,” and “anger” that barge through the door which impetuousness opens need some honest exploration.
I have feeling of “contentment,” “simplicity,” and “joy” too. While they’re of equal value in an exploration, the priority is probably on these feelings that are most fraught with peril.
My eyes are not the only eyes through which God gleans his grandeur; and not only that, my eyes are just one set, among billions. Other perspectives allow me to see things different, to understand where someone is coming from and thus to better refine my own words and actions.
Walking in someone else’s shoes sure helps journey towards solidarity and understanding, but viewing the sights from another’s view opens different vistas of purpose, understanding, and most importan...
Walking in someone else’s shoes sure helps journey towards solidarity and understanding, but viewing the sights from another’s view opens different vistas of purpose, understanding, and most importantly wisdom.
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