this is one of those days I'm not really into posting anything. but I'm soldiering on in this once a month commitment:) just posting some kinda random ideas that have been floating around in my mind...
people aren’t projects we check off a list.
people will disappoint you
you will disappoint others.
people will surprise you….in beautiful ways.
we all do pretty much exactly what we want to. we make time to go and do and support or not support what we want to….. (significant illness is one real caveat to this)
I've never regretted "giving". we live in an age of "self-care" and I'm all for that. but it's never simple. we're all connected to one another....and caring about what happens to another person (esp those closest to me) IS self-care....
we will only “make a difference” in the lives of others if we’re willing to dig deep and get through our own stuff….
but we don’t actually make the difference : the Holy Spirit has to do that….sometimes through us.
it is true that my own life experiences provide good ground for serving others with empathy. but I also tend to have a pretty low tolerance for whiners. Sometimes the line between compassion and take no bs can be pretty hazy for me. I have to watch this;)
I’m willing to work really hard….for a lot of things. But I’ve stopped fighting so hard for some things. some connections. maybe I’ll make peace with that someday.
there’s always always always more to the story than what you can easily see.
so much more is alike about us than what’s different about us. if we just bother to look and learn from one another.
I’m not sure we really get much wiser as we age…maybe just more realistic if we’ve been beat up a bit by life. (which applies to most folks…though there do seem to be those special few that escape unscathed:) I hope I’m getting softer as I’m getting more worn, too? (like the Velveteen Rabbit). there’s certainly the risk of that Not happening…
The balance tipping us towards wisdom vs irrelevance (perhaps) is figuring out how to stretch and stretch and stretch….without breaking. The stretching seems to work as a winnowing process. As we understand a whole lot of things don’t matter nearly as much as we were once led to think…
a lot more than meets the eye has the potential to break us. so very aware of this…
“ministry” shouldn’t be something we do To another person but rather With. the process is reciprocal. or it’s hollow. (if you’re brave, ask me sometimes what I really think about the word ministry often being so misused)
grace & forgiveness….over and over again…are what get us through. sure, there are other things that make us resilient (I kinda hate that word) but those are the bottomline must haves…and laughter…that’s a must have, too!
“True confidence is living in uncertainty : and still moving forward.” a quote I wrote down recently….can’t remember for sure who said it! but it’s where I’m living most days. Age hasn’t brought more certainty for me….but more awareness of complexity. And more understanding of my own dependence and need for God’s goodness and mercy. It’s an honest if not always comfortable way to live…this song has been on repeat for me the last couple of weeks. it's an anthem to hold onto....
~I am a caregiver (with my Dad) for my mother who suffered a serious stroke in April, 2000...we moved back to the South as a result of this family crisis...it has been quite an unexpected, interesting, and difficult journey. I work as Bereavement Coordinator for a hospice company. I enjoy serving as a musician for the Catholic church and in various roles in my own church. I've been blogging since 2007 and have appreciated this way of self-expression (the "deep" and the not so much!) and connecting with others....I value your comments and your friendships!~
it's a phrase from the dedication in An Uncommon Correspondence by Ivy George & Margaret Masson. There are many dynamics that can affect the scripts of our lives: our families, churches, peers, media, society in general: some with worthy foundations...others obviously not. What really matters is that the stories we write of our lives reflect Godly truths, not the expectations or often flawed agendas of others. My greatest desire is that my
life-script will honor and please the God who knows me best.
"Be daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burnt in the fire of love, real enough to make others see how phony you are." Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
