Heaven and Hell
A tale from China
A curious man once asked to visit heaven and hell. Expecting hell to be a terrible, frightening place, he was amazed to find people seated around a lovely banquet table. The table was piled high with every delicious thing one could possibly want. The man thought, Perhaps hell is not so bad after all.
Looking closely, however, he noticed that everyone at the table was miserable.
They were starving, because, although there was a mountain of food before them, they had been given three-foot-long chopsticks. There was no way to carry the food to their mouths with such long chopsticks, and so no one could eat a bite.
The man was then taken to heaven. To his surprise, he found the exact same situation as he had seen in hell. People were gathered around a banquet table piled with food. All the diners held a pair of three-foot-long chopsticks in their hands. But here in heaven, everyone was happily eating the delicious food, for the residents of heaven were using their extra-long chopsticks to feed one another
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Table Where Rich People Sit
The table where rich people sit
If you could see us sitting here at our old, scratched-up, homemade kitchen table, you’d know that we aren’t rich. But my father is trying to tell us we are.
Doesn’t he notice my worn-out shoes? Or that my little brother has patches on the pants he wears to first grade? And why does he think that old rattletrap truck is parked by our door?
“You can’t fool me,” I say. “We’re poor. Would rich people sit at a table like this?”
My mother sort of pats the table and she says, “Well, we’re rich and we sit here every day.”
Sometimes I think that I’m the only one in my whole family who is really sensible.
Maybe I should mention that my parents made this table out of lumber somebody else threw away. They even had a celebration when they finished it.
Understand, I like this table fine. All I’m saying is, you can tell it didn’t come from a furniture store. It just doesn’t look like a table where rich people would sit. But my mother thinks if all the rulers of the world could get together at a friendly wooden table in somebody’s kitchen, they would solve their arguments in half the time. And my father says it wouldn’t hurt to have a lot of cookies piled up on a nice blue plate that everyone could reach without asking.
But tonight it’s our kitchen and our argument and our family meeting and our very spicy ginger cookies piled up on my mother’s one good blue-flowered plate exactly in the center of the table.
I’m the one who called the meeting, and the subject is money, and I say we don’t have
enough of it.
I tell my parents they should both get better jobs so we could buy a lot of nice new things. I tell them I look worse than anyone in school.
“I hate to bring this up,” I say, “but it would help if you both had a little more ambition.”
They look surprised. You can see they never think about the things we need.
Right here, I might as well admit that my parents have some strange ideas about working.
They think the only jobs worth having are jobs outdoors. They want cliffs or canyons or desert or mountains around them wherever they work. They even want a good view of the sky. They always work together, and their favorite thing is panning gold—piling us into that beat-up truck and heading for the rocky desert hills or back in some narrow mountain gully where all the roads are just coyote trails.
They love to walk the wide arroyos, the dry streambeds, where little flecks of gold are found. They used to tell us that the truck just knew which roads to take and that coyotes showed them where to look for gold—but I never did believe it.
After a month or two out there, they always had a little bit of gold to sell, but you can tell it never made them rich. As far as I can see, it was just an excuse to camp in some beautiful wild place again.
They don’t mind planting fields of sweet corn or alfalfa. They like to pick chile and squash and tomatoes. They’ll put up strong fences or train wild young horses.
But they say they can’t stand to be cooped up indoors.
So now, of course, my dad is asking, “How many people are as lucky as we are?”
But I’ve called this meeting and I say, “I bet you could make more money working in a
building somewhere in town.”
“Remember our number one rule,” he says. “We have to see the sky.”
“You could look through a window,” I say.
But they won’t even think about it.
Do you see what I mean about being the sensible one?
Finally, my mother says, “All right, Mountain Girl. We’re going to explain how we figure our money. You be the bookkeeper tonight.” She hands us each a pencil and some yellow paper. She gives some to my little brother, too, though he’ll just sit there pretending to write when we write, or he’ll draw people dancing up in the sky.
And by the way, my name’s not really Mountain Girl.
They call me that because I was born in a cabin on the side of a mountain where they were looking for gold one summertime in Arizona. They say it was the most magical place, the most beautiful mountain they ever climbed. Maybe it was, but you know how those two exaggerate. Anyway, they wanted my first sight to be that mountainside, so they held me up outdoors at sunrise when I was just about eight minutes old. The truth is, I still like sunrise quite a lot.
And my little brother... They call him Ocean Boy. They say since I already had the best mountain for my first sight, they thought they ought to find the most beautiful ocean for him. I think they went all over Mexico looking for a place where ocean touches jungle. And they had to find a certain kind of purple-blue night sky and the exact green waves they like. They held him up to see those waves for his first sight
.
Someday we’re all going back to his green ocean and my high mountain. But for now (even though they claim to be so rich) they can’t take us anywhere at all. No wonder I had to call this meeting about money.
Can you believe my father is sitting here looking me straight in the eye and saying, “But, Mountain Girl, I thought you knew how rich we are.”
I say, “We can’t get very far in this discussion if you won’t even admit that we’re poor.”
“I’ll prove it to you right now,” he says. “Let’s make a list of the money we earn in a year.”
“How much is that?” I ask. “I’ll write it down.”
But he says, “Not so fast. We have a lot of things to think about before we add them up.”
“What kinds of things?”
My mother says, “We don’t just take our pay in cash, you know. We have a special plan so we get paid in sunsets, too, and in having time to hike around the canyons and look for eagle nests.”
But I say, “Can’t you give me one single number to write down on this paper?”
So we start with twenty thousand dollars.
That’s how much my father says it’s worth to him to work outdoors, where he can see sky all day and feel the wind and smell rain an hour before it’s really raining.
He says it’s worth that much to be where (if he feels like singing) he can sing out loud and no one will mind.
I have just written twenty thousand when my mother says, “You’d better make that thirty thousand because it’s worth at least another ten to hear coyotes howling back in the hills.” So I write thirty thousand.
Then she remembers that they like to see long distances and faraway mountains that change color about ten times a day. “That’s worth another five thousand dollars to me,” she says. I’m not surprised because my mother claims to be an expert on mountain shadows in the desert. She says she can tell time by the way those colors change from dawn to dark. I scratch out what I had and write thirty-five thousand dollars.
My father thinks of something else. “When a cactus blooms, you should be there to watch itbecause it might be a color you won’t see again any other day of your life. How much would you say that color is worth?”
“Fifty cents?” my brother asks.
But they decide on another five thousand.
So now I write forty thousand dollars.
But I’d forgotten how much my father likes to make bird sounds. He can copy any bird, but he’s best at white-winged doves and ravens and red-tailed hawks and quail. He’s good at eagles, too, and great horned owls. So, of course, he has to add another ten thousand for having both day birds and night birds around us. I cross out what I had and I write fifty thousand dollars.
Now my mother says, “Let’s see what our Mountain Girl is worth to us.” I’m beginning to catch on to their kind of thinking, so I suggest I’m worth ten thousand dollars even though my little brother has begun to laugh. “Don’t underestimate yourself,” my father says. “Remember all those good lists you make for us.”
He’s right. I do. I made a list of the best books each one of us has read and a list of all the ones we want to read again. I also made a list of all the animals each one of us has seen and the ones we still most want to see out in the wild—not in a zoo. Mine is a mountain lion. I’ve dreamed of him four times, and I’ve already seen his track. My father chose a grizzly bear. My mother wants to see a wolf and hear it call. And my brother can’t decide between a dolphin and a whale. I remember every one because I make the lists.
They end up deciding I’m worth about a million dollars.
I say I don’t think I am, but I write it anyway.
In fact, it turns out that every one of us is worth a million.
So we have four million and fifty thousand dollars.
Then I realize I want to add five thousand dollars myself for the pleasure I have wandering in open country, alone, free as a lizard, not following trails, not having a plan, just turning whatever way the wind turns me. They say that’s certainly worth five thousand. So that makes four million and fifty-five thousand dollars.
Finally, my brother says to put down seven dollars more for all the nights we get to sleep outside under the stars. We all say seven dollars doesn’t seem to be enough. We talk him into making it five thousand.
Now my paper says four million and sixty thousand dollars—and we haven’t even started
counting actual cash.
To tell the truth, the cash part doesn’t seem to matter anymore. I suggest it shouldn’t even be on a list of our kind of riches. So the meeting is over.
The rest of them have gone outside to see the new sliver of moon. But I’m still sitting here at our nice homemade kitchen table with one cookie left on my mother’s good blue-flowered plate, and I’m writing this book about us. I kind of pat the table and I’m glad it’s ours. In fact, I think the title of my book is going to be The Table Where Rich People Sit.
Byrd Baylor
The Table Where Rich People Sit
New York, Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998
If you could see us sitting here at our old, scratched-up, homemade kitchen table, you’d know that we aren’t rich. But my father is trying to tell us we are.
Doesn’t he notice my worn-out shoes? Or that my little brother has patches on the pants he wears to first grade? And why does he think that old rattletrap truck is parked by our door?
“You can’t fool me,” I say. “We’re poor. Would rich people sit at a table like this?”
My mother sort of pats the table and she says, “Well, we’re rich and we sit here every day.”
Sometimes I think that I’m the only one in my whole family who is really sensible.
Maybe I should mention that my parents made this table out of lumber somebody else threw away. They even had a celebration when they finished it.
Understand, I like this table fine. All I’m saying is, you can tell it didn’t come from a furniture store. It just doesn’t look like a table where rich people would sit. But my mother thinks if all the rulers of the world could get together at a friendly wooden table in somebody’s kitchen, they would solve their arguments in half the time. And my father says it wouldn’t hurt to have a lot of cookies piled up on a nice blue plate that everyone could reach without asking.
But tonight it’s our kitchen and our argument and our family meeting and our very spicy ginger cookies piled up on my mother’s one good blue-flowered plate exactly in the center of the table.
I’m the one who called the meeting, and the subject is money, and I say we don’t have
enough of it.
I tell my parents they should both get better jobs so we could buy a lot of nice new things. I tell them I look worse than anyone in school.
“I hate to bring this up,” I say, “but it would help if you both had a little more ambition.”
They look surprised. You can see they never think about the things we need.
Right here, I might as well admit that my parents have some strange ideas about working.
They think the only jobs worth having are jobs outdoors. They want cliffs or canyons or desert or mountains around them wherever they work. They even want a good view of the sky. They always work together, and their favorite thing is panning gold—piling us into that beat-up truck and heading for the rocky desert hills or back in some narrow mountain gully where all the roads are just coyote trails.
They love to walk the wide arroyos, the dry streambeds, where little flecks of gold are found. They used to tell us that the truck just knew which roads to take and that coyotes showed them where to look for gold—but I never did believe it.
After a month or two out there, they always had a little bit of gold to sell, but you can tell it never made them rich. As far as I can see, it was just an excuse to camp in some beautiful wild place again.
They don’t mind planting fields of sweet corn or alfalfa. They like to pick chile and squash and tomatoes. They’ll put up strong fences or train wild young horses.
But they say they can’t stand to be cooped up indoors.
So now, of course, my dad is asking, “How many people are as lucky as we are?”
But I’ve called this meeting and I say, “I bet you could make more money working in a
building somewhere in town.”
“Remember our number one rule,” he says. “We have to see the sky.”
“You could look through a window,” I say.
But they won’t even think about it.
Do you see what I mean about being the sensible one?
Finally, my mother says, “All right, Mountain Girl. We’re going to explain how we figure our money. You be the bookkeeper tonight.” She hands us each a pencil and some yellow paper. She gives some to my little brother, too, though he’ll just sit there pretending to write when we write, or he’ll draw people dancing up in the sky.
And by the way, my name’s not really Mountain Girl.
They call me that because I was born in a cabin on the side of a mountain where they were looking for gold one summertime in Arizona. They say it was the most magical place, the most beautiful mountain they ever climbed. Maybe it was, but you know how those two exaggerate. Anyway, they wanted my first sight to be that mountainside, so they held me up outdoors at sunrise when I was just about eight minutes old. The truth is, I still like sunrise quite a lot.
And my little brother... They call him Ocean Boy. They say since I already had the best mountain for my first sight, they thought they ought to find the most beautiful ocean for him. I think they went all over Mexico looking for a place where ocean touches jungle. And they had to find a certain kind of purple-blue night sky and the exact green waves they like. They held him up to see those waves for his first sight
.
Someday we’re all going back to his green ocean and my high mountain. But for now (even though they claim to be so rich) they can’t take us anywhere at all. No wonder I had to call this meeting about money.
Can you believe my father is sitting here looking me straight in the eye and saying, “But, Mountain Girl, I thought you knew how rich we are.”
I say, “We can’t get very far in this discussion if you won’t even admit that we’re poor.”
“I’ll prove it to you right now,” he says. “Let’s make a list of the money we earn in a year.”
“How much is that?” I ask. “I’ll write it down.”
But he says, “Not so fast. We have a lot of things to think about before we add them up.”
“What kinds of things?”
My mother says, “We don’t just take our pay in cash, you know. We have a special plan so we get paid in sunsets, too, and in having time to hike around the canyons and look for eagle nests.”
But I say, “Can’t you give me one single number to write down on this paper?”
So we start with twenty thousand dollars.
That’s how much my father says it’s worth to him to work outdoors, where he can see sky all day and feel the wind and smell rain an hour before it’s really raining.
He says it’s worth that much to be where (if he feels like singing) he can sing out loud and no one will mind.
I have just written twenty thousand when my mother says, “You’d better make that thirty thousand because it’s worth at least another ten to hear coyotes howling back in the hills.” So I write thirty thousand.
Then she remembers that they like to see long distances and faraway mountains that change color about ten times a day. “That’s worth another five thousand dollars to me,” she says. I’m not surprised because my mother claims to be an expert on mountain shadows in the desert. She says she can tell time by the way those colors change from dawn to dark. I scratch out what I had and write thirty-five thousand dollars.
My father thinks of something else. “When a cactus blooms, you should be there to watch itbecause it might be a color you won’t see again any other day of your life. How much would you say that color is worth?”
“Fifty cents?” my brother asks.
But they decide on another five thousand.
So now I write forty thousand dollars.
But I’d forgotten how much my father likes to make bird sounds. He can copy any bird, but he’s best at white-winged doves and ravens and red-tailed hawks and quail. He’s good at eagles, too, and great horned owls. So, of course, he has to add another ten thousand for having both day birds and night birds around us. I cross out what I had and I write fifty thousand dollars.
Now my mother says, “Let’s see what our Mountain Girl is worth to us.” I’m beginning to catch on to their kind of thinking, so I suggest I’m worth ten thousand dollars even though my little brother has begun to laugh. “Don’t underestimate yourself,” my father says. “Remember all those good lists you make for us.”
He’s right. I do. I made a list of the best books each one of us has read and a list of all the ones we want to read again. I also made a list of all the animals each one of us has seen and the ones we still most want to see out in the wild—not in a zoo. Mine is a mountain lion. I’ve dreamed of him four times, and I’ve already seen his track. My father chose a grizzly bear. My mother wants to see a wolf and hear it call. And my brother can’t decide between a dolphin and a whale. I remember every one because I make the lists.
They end up deciding I’m worth about a million dollars.
I say I don’t think I am, but I write it anyway.
In fact, it turns out that every one of us is worth a million.
So we have four million and fifty thousand dollars.
Then I realize I want to add five thousand dollars myself for the pleasure I have wandering in open country, alone, free as a lizard, not following trails, not having a plan, just turning whatever way the wind turns me. They say that’s certainly worth five thousand. So that makes four million and fifty-five thousand dollars.
Finally, my brother says to put down seven dollars more for all the nights we get to sleep outside under the stars. We all say seven dollars doesn’t seem to be enough. We talk him into making it five thousand.
Now my paper says four million and sixty thousand dollars—and we haven’t even started
counting actual cash.
To tell the truth, the cash part doesn’t seem to matter anymore. I suggest it shouldn’t even be on a list of our kind of riches. So the meeting is over.
The rest of them have gone outside to see the new sliver of moon. But I’m still sitting here at our nice homemade kitchen table with one cookie left on my mother’s good blue-flowered plate, and I’m writing this book about us. I kind of pat the table and I’m glad it’s ours. In fact, I think the title of my book is going to be The Table Where Rich People Sit.
Byrd Baylor
The Table Where Rich People Sit
New York, Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"move or move me"
Just now youtube reccomended this video to me:
when you're struggling, remember God can help if you let Him.
when you're struggling, remember God can help if you let Him.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Comdemn less ... appreciate more
Today's gospel reading is one that we've all probably heard multiple times before. It's one of the ones that we always remember. It's message is simple and straight-forward: Don't Judge.
It is so easy for us to point out what other people are doing incorrectly; to speak harshly about them; to criticize their mistakes; to just assume that they are "bad people" without obtaining all the information. We are selfish and egotistical beings by nature. Because of this we often see our selves in a better light than we deserve.
Jesus challenges us today to accept others despite their personal decisions even if we don't believe them to be moral. I think is incredibly important in today's society. Too often we find ourselves looking at someone's actions and thinking "well, they're obviously not a good christian". God does not want us to do that. When He said "love your neighbor", He meant all of them.
And one of the crucial parts of loving someone is accepting them and standing by them. So instead of turning away from someone or condemning them, leave judgment to the holy father and reflect on your own shortcomings instead. Through this introspection we can find ways to better ourselves and our lives - and thus truly make the world a better place.
I would also be so bold as to take today's message a step further and challenge you not only to judge less, but also to appreciate more. Don't take your friends and family and roommates and classmates for granted. they're all fighting battles you know nothing about. Lend a supportive hand and a cheerful smile whenever you can - you never know how much it can help. And, most importantly of all, just be grateful your life is full of well-rounded and diverse people.
It is so easy for us to point out what other people are doing incorrectly; to speak harshly about them; to criticize their mistakes; to just assume that they are "bad people" without obtaining all the information. We are selfish and egotistical beings by nature. Because of this we often see our selves in a better light than we deserve.
Jesus challenges us today to accept others despite their personal decisions even if we don't believe them to be moral. I think is incredibly important in today's society. Too often we find ourselves looking at someone's actions and thinking "well, they're obviously not a good christian". God does not want us to do that. When He said "love your neighbor", He meant all of them.
And one of the crucial parts of loving someone is accepting them and standing by them. So instead of turning away from someone or condemning them, leave judgment to the holy father and reflect on your own shortcomings instead. Through this introspection we can find ways to better ourselves and our lives - and thus truly make the world a better place.
I would also be so bold as to take today's message a step further and challenge you not only to judge less, but also to appreciate more. Don't take your friends and family and roommates and classmates for granted. they're all fighting battles you know nothing about. Lend a supportive hand and a cheerful smile whenever you can - you never know how much it can help. And, most importantly of all, just be grateful your life is full of well-rounded and diverse people.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Pepsi Challenge
I would like to appologize for two things: first, for not keeping this as updated as I should while I am abroad, and second for the following post. If you find it annoying, just ignore it. I never thought I would post anything on here asking you to do anything specific. However, Best Buddies is an amazing organization that I have had experience with for the past 5 or 6 years. They make social inclusion a real part of the every day lives of many individuals with mental, physical, or emotional handicaps.
I've been working with the one through the Owen J. Roberts school district in Bucktown, PA since I was a sophmore in High School and it has been a life changing experience for me. I have learned so much about love, life, and friendship. And it is apparent how much joy and this organization brings to everyone involved.
Every year, Pepsi hosts a donation to a deserving group, and this year Best Buddies is in the running. If you agree with me that Best Buddies deserves this, click here If best buddies isn't really your cup of tea, feel free to browse the competition - i'm sure there are many fabulous organizations out there who could do absolutely incredible things with the money. It's an easy way for you to get involved.
Best Buddies has recently moved up from 20th to 6th place to win a Pepsi Refresh Grant in one week! Only the top 2 projects will win $250,000. The contest ends March 31 and you can vote every day.
With your help Best Buddies will use the money to support their Leadership Conference where 1,100 student leaders with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities are trained to run a Best Buddies chapter at their school and make their communities more inclusive!
Want some more information and refreshing motivation? Check out this amazing video!
I've been working with the one through the Owen J. Roberts school district in Bucktown, PA since I was a sophmore in High School and it has been a life changing experience for me. I have learned so much about love, life, and friendship. And it is apparent how much joy and this organization brings to everyone involved.
Every year, Pepsi hosts a donation to a deserving group, and this year Best Buddies is in the running. If you agree with me that Best Buddies deserves this, click here If best buddies isn't really your cup of tea, feel free to browse the competition - i'm sure there are many fabulous organizations out there who could do absolutely incredible things with the money. It's an easy way for you to get involved.
Best Buddies has recently moved up from 20th to 6th place to win a Pepsi Refresh Grant in one week! Only the top 2 projects will win $250,000. The contest ends March 31 and you can vote every day.
With your help Best Buddies will use the money to support their Leadership Conference where 1,100 student leaders with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities are trained to run a Best Buddies chapter at their school and make their communities more inclusive!
Want some more information and refreshing motivation? Check out this amazing video!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I have Seen the Lord
There was a poem in this week's bulletin at the church I'm currently attending here in London (Our Lady and Saint Thomas of Canterbury). It touched me, so I'm going to share it with you...
I have seen the Lord
Where the mist rises from the sea
Where the waves creep upon the shore
Where the wrack lifts upon the sand
I have seen the Lord
Where the sun awakens the day,
Where the road winds on its way,
Where the fields are sweet with hay,
I have seen the Lord.
Where the stars shine in the sky,
Where the streets so peaceful lie,
Where the darkness is so nigh,
I have seen the Lord.
It's a message I feel as though I've mentioned many times before - don't forget to notice the small stuff, but I also feel as though it's a message very easily forgotten and one that we can never hear enough. Despite my own desire to be thankful for the tiny miracles, I still get lost in the rush of life, letting whole days go by without ever once stopping to smell the roses, or the coffee, or even the fresh rain for that matter.
if you'd like to reflect upon it further, this is a beautiful music video done to a touching song by George Straight (it's a link, just click and you'll be redirected)
I have seen the Lord
Where the mist rises from the sea
Where the waves creep upon the shore
Where the wrack lifts upon the sand
I have seen the Lord
Where the sun awakens the day,
Where the road winds on its way,
Where the fields are sweet with hay,
I have seen the Lord.
Where the stars shine in the sky,
Where the streets so peaceful lie,
Where the darkness is so nigh,
I have seen the Lord.
It's a message I feel as though I've mentioned many times before - don't forget to notice the small stuff, but I also feel as though it's a message very easily forgotten and one that we can never hear enough. Despite my own desire to be thankful for the tiny miracles, I still get lost in the rush of life, letting whole days go by without ever once stopping to smell the roses, or the coffee, or even the fresh rain for that matter.
if you'd like to reflect upon it further, this is a beautiful music video done to a touching song by George Straight (it's a link, just click and you'll be redirected)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Just thought I'd pass this on
Got this in my e-mail today. Just thought I'd pass it on. the stories are worth a look.
Dir Sir or Madam:
We are a group of teachers with some experience in the area of storytelling and we would like to share our project – The Joy of Reading – with everyone who is in touch with children and young people in general but above all with everyone that enjoys reading.
This project consists of sending stories for free on a weekly basis. So this particular e-mail and the ones that will follow it in the next weeks are intended to share some small stories with you. All the stories we send have some values within: respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility, solidarity and many more. They all aim at developing the reading skills among young people, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values, which seem to have been somewhat forgotten in these times of materialism and hedonism.
We thank you for your attention and hope you will welcome this project (which, it is important to say, does not have any profitable aims).
If you know anyone interested in receiving the weekly stories by email, please let us now by sending their emails to us.
If you wish to read more stories, please access the blog we created. http://storiestogrow.wordpress.com/
It consists of a set of small stories and other texts which will be regularly updated.
Please let us know your opinion about the project.
Yours faithfully
The Pedagogical Team responsible for the blog
Dir Sir or Madam:
We are a group of teachers with some experience in the area of storytelling and we would like to share our project – The Joy of Reading – with everyone who is in touch with children and young people in general but above all with everyone that enjoys reading.
This project consists of sending stories for free on a weekly basis. So this particular e-mail and the ones that will follow it in the next weeks are intended to share some small stories with you. All the stories we send have some values within: respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility, solidarity and many more. They all aim at developing the reading skills among young people, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values, which seem to have been somewhat forgotten in these times of materialism and hedonism.
We thank you for your attention and hope you will welcome this project (which, it is important to say, does not have any profitable aims).
If you know anyone interested in receiving the weekly stories by email, please let us now by sending their emails to us.
If you wish to read more stories, please access the blog we created. http://storiestogrow.wordpress.com/
It consists of a set of small stories and other texts which will be regularly updated.
Please let us know your opinion about the project.
Yours faithfully
The Pedagogical Team responsible for the blog
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Today's Gospel Reflection
It's been a really long time since I've done a proper gospel reflection, but here's one for today:
Today's gospel is all about temptation and resisting it. Temptation is everywhere, and it will never ever go away. That's what it is. We can't escape it. It panders to our weaknesses, offering us short-term benefits and deluding us of the long-term consequences. But how then, do we resist it? And the honest answer is that sometimes we can't and we won't, and we will fail. But we can learn from these mistakes and come away stronger and closer to God because of them.
One of the common ways in which we are prone to fall into temptation is by placing our priorities in the wrong places. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we lose sight of what is most important: faith, hope, love. Lent is a time of rebirth and renewal, and a better time than any to realign our lives and make sure we're what we're striving towards is what will actually make us happy and fullfilled.
Another common temptation is by saying that other people's misuse of power and influence is the cause of the evil and injustice in the world. In this case we are thinking far too highly of ourselves. If we could be more honest with ourselves, humbly admitting that our indifference, our greed, our egoism, and our ambivalence, cause just as much as injustice as the wrong-doings of others, than we may be able to, as cliche as this sounds, be the change we wish to see in the world.
It is much easier to always blame others; to see the source of evil as outside of ourselves and cast ourselves as the victims. But this is not the case. We cannot fight other people, we can try, but we cannot change others if we do not first change ourselves. Thinking otherwise is far too short-sighted. Instead we must face evil head-on. Explore it, find it in our own lives, and conquer it.
Today's gospel is all about temptation and resisting it. Temptation is everywhere, and it will never ever go away. That's what it is. We can't escape it. It panders to our weaknesses, offering us short-term benefits and deluding us of the long-term consequences. But how then, do we resist it? And the honest answer is that sometimes we can't and we won't, and we will fail. But we can learn from these mistakes and come away stronger and closer to God because of them.
One of the common ways in which we are prone to fall into temptation is by placing our priorities in the wrong places. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we lose sight of what is most important: faith, hope, love. Lent is a time of rebirth and renewal, and a better time than any to realign our lives and make sure we're what we're striving towards is what will actually make us happy and fullfilled.
Another common temptation is by saying that other people's misuse of power and influence is the cause of the evil and injustice in the world. In this case we are thinking far too highly of ourselves. If we could be more honest with ourselves, humbly admitting that our indifference, our greed, our egoism, and our ambivalence, cause just as much as injustice as the wrong-doings of others, than we may be able to, as cliche as this sounds, be the change we wish to see in the world.
It is much easier to always blame others; to see the source of evil as outside of ourselves and cast ourselves as the victims. But this is not the case. We cannot fight other people, we can try, but we cannot change others if we do not first change ourselves. Thinking otherwise is far too short-sighted. Instead we must face evil head-on. Explore it, find it in our own lives, and conquer it.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy V-Day!
Today is Valentine’s Day; the day of love. I myself have never been in a relationship for Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know the definition of love. There are all kinds. The love you have for your best friends, the love you have for your family, the love you have for your significant other, the love you have with your God, and the love you have with yourself.
Each of these loves are beautiful because they all come from our heavenly father. They make us the people we are – providing us with strength and comfort and happiness. The people we love are the people we know we can rely on no matter what the scenario. This love helps us feel confident in ourselves. And this love makes us whole.
It also strengthens our relationship with Jesus as we strive to live our lives in his example with the rules that he gave us: Love one another.
But many people have thought about and talked about love over the years and many of them have influenced me or at least made me stop and think. Now I would like to share with you some of my favorite thoughts on love:
--on love—
• Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek it’s own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
• Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to
• In the absence of love there is nothing worth fighting for.
• Love is a journey, not a destination; travel its path daily.
--relationships—
• You aren't going to be her first, her last, or her only. She’s loved before, she will again, but if she loves you now what else matters? She's not perfect. You aren't either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if she can make you laugh at least once, cause you to think twice, and admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can She's not going to be thinking about you every moment, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you could break. Don’t hurt her, don’t change her, and don’t expect more than she can give you. Don’t analyze. Smile when she makes you happy, yell when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there. Love hard when there’s love to be had.
• To me it's about a mundane task that's suddenly a joy because of who you're doing it with...that's love to me. Someone to fluff while you fold...someone to whisper to at a boring party...
--Friendship love—
• You're not friends because you sit together at lunch or talk on the phone or have matching flip flops or you can recite each other's wardrobe. You're best friends because when she smiles, a grin forces itself across your face, no matter how mad you are
• You often find that it is the person who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, chose rather to share your pain, touching your wounds with a tender, warm hand; The one who was silent with you in a moment of despair or confusion, who stayed with you in an hour of grief, who tolerated not knowing, not curing, not healing and faced with you the reality of powerlessness, that is the friend who cared
• When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there.
• Friends are like quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly
• A friend is someone you can be alone with and have nothing to do and not be able to think of anything to say and be comfortable in the silence.
--Family love—
• As you reach forward with one hand, accept the advice of those who have gone before you, and in the same manor reach back with the other hand to those who follow you; for life is a fragile chain of experiences held together by love.
• Sisters are for sharing laughter and wiping tears.
• Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.
• I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich
• To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.
--with God—
• The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God’s love; but if the soul cannot yet feel this longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God.
• You look at us Lord and see our faults and weaknesses; you see our pettiness, our selfishness, our narrow-mindedness, our arrogance, and you still love us. You love us just as we are with all of our flaws and imperfections. You love us without reservations or condemnation…
--Loving yourself—
• You have to love yourself before anyone else does
• This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
• Even if you produce stuff that's interesting to nobody but yourself, the activity justifies itself. Making things is a way of finding out who you are
Each of these loves are beautiful because they all come from our heavenly father. They make us the people we are – providing us with strength and comfort and happiness. The people we love are the people we know we can rely on no matter what the scenario. This love helps us feel confident in ourselves. And this love makes us whole.
It also strengthens our relationship with Jesus as we strive to live our lives in his example with the rules that he gave us: Love one another.
But many people have thought about and talked about love over the years and many of them have influenced me or at least made me stop and think. Now I would like to share with you some of my favorite thoughts on love:
--on love—
• Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek it’s own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
• Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to
• In the absence of love there is nothing worth fighting for.
• Love is a journey, not a destination; travel its path daily.
--relationships—
• You aren't going to be her first, her last, or her only. She’s loved before, she will again, but if she loves you now what else matters? She's not perfect. You aren't either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if she can make you laugh at least once, cause you to think twice, and admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can She's not going to be thinking about you every moment, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you could break. Don’t hurt her, don’t change her, and don’t expect more than she can give you. Don’t analyze. Smile when she makes you happy, yell when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there. Love hard when there’s love to be had.
• To me it's about a mundane task that's suddenly a joy because of who you're doing it with...that's love to me. Someone to fluff while you fold...someone to whisper to at a boring party...
--Friendship love—
• You're not friends because you sit together at lunch or talk on the phone or have matching flip flops or you can recite each other's wardrobe. You're best friends because when she smiles, a grin forces itself across your face, no matter how mad you are
• You often find that it is the person who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, chose rather to share your pain, touching your wounds with a tender, warm hand; The one who was silent with you in a moment of despair or confusion, who stayed with you in an hour of grief, who tolerated not knowing, not curing, not healing and faced with you the reality of powerlessness, that is the friend who cared
• When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there.
• Friends are like quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly
• A friend is someone you can be alone with and have nothing to do and not be able to think of anything to say and be comfortable in the silence.
--Family love—
• As you reach forward with one hand, accept the advice of those who have gone before you, and in the same manor reach back with the other hand to those who follow you; for life is a fragile chain of experiences held together by love.
• Sisters are for sharing laughter and wiping tears.
• Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.
• I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich
• To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.
--with God—
• The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God’s love; but if the soul cannot yet feel this longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God.
• You look at us Lord and see our faults and weaknesses; you see our pettiness, our selfishness, our narrow-mindedness, our arrogance, and you still love us. You love us just as we are with all of our flaws and imperfections. You love us without reservations or condemnation…
--Loving yourself—
• You have to love yourself before anyone else does
• This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
• Even if you produce stuff that's interesting to nobody but yourself, the activity justifies itself. Making things is a way of finding out who you are
Thursday, February 11, 2010
An [Un]Answered Prayer
They always say that if you pray for courage God doesn't just give you courage - He gives you an opportunity to be courageous...
Throughout the last 2 and ½ years at Marist I often prayed to God for the things I wanted: more friends, more fun, more adventures, more academic success, more late nights that unexpectedly turned into mornings, more chances for athletic improvement, more trips … my list of wants went on and on. However, this semester when I found myself in the middle of Middlesex, England, which is nothing like the hustle and bustle of excitement that is London, God gave me what I needed more than anything: simplicity.
At first I refused to accept this gift – I fought it by trying to throw myself into activities, clubs, sports, and even uncharacteristic social situations. I fought it by spending all my spare time frantically reaching out to people, constantly searching for a new source of entertainment, and by going out and doing things that I really had no desire to do.
But slowly I began to realize that God was not testing me, pushing me - He was giving me a unique gift: a semester to rediscover myself in a chaotic world; a semester to rethink and reconsider; a semester to appreciate all the small things in my life I’d come to take for granted; a semester to realize in-full all the small wonders God has put on earth for me to enjoy.
In the past I always would have told you that I loved music, loved running, loved nature… but they were such small highlights of my life, so I never focused on how beautiful each of these experiences could really be. With time to breathe, I have found new meaning in the lyrics of songs, new peace in the long run on the winding road to nowhere, and more joy in each snow flake, billowing cloud, and twisted tree branch. My eyes have been re-opened to the small wonders that I passed by everyday with no notice.
At times I still may get overwhelmed by how underwhelming it all is, but I know that this is merely God’s way of teaching me to take life slower, take my true interests more seriously, and to save time for Him – a task that sometimes got overlooked in my much too busy life.
And while I would not recommend eliminating everything essential to your life and starting over as I essentially have this semester, I would recommend taking stock of what you have and recognizing that some of the best parts of your life are the ones you fail to notice. Try and appreciate them more; it’ll help you find an indescribable happiness.
Throughout the last 2 and ½ years at Marist I often prayed to God for the things I wanted: more friends, more fun, more adventures, more academic success, more late nights that unexpectedly turned into mornings, more chances for athletic improvement, more trips … my list of wants went on and on. However, this semester when I found myself in the middle of Middlesex, England, which is nothing like the hustle and bustle of excitement that is London, God gave me what I needed more than anything: simplicity.
At first I refused to accept this gift – I fought it by trying to throw myself into activities, clubs, sports, and even uncharacteristic social situations. I fought it by spending all my spare time frantically reaching out to people, constantly searching for a new source of entertainment, and by going out and doing things that I really had no desire to do.
But slowly I began to realize that God was not testing me, pushing me - He was giving me a unique gift: a semester to rediscover myself in a chaotic world; a semester to rethink and reconsider; a semester to appreciate all the small things in my life I’d come to take for granted; a semester to realize in-full all the small wonders God has put on earth for me to enjoy.
In the past I always would have told you that I loved music, loved running, loved nature… but they were such small highlights of my life, so I never focused on how beautiful each of these experiences could really be. With time to breathe, I have found new meaning in the lyrics of songs, new peace in the long run on the winding road to nowhere, and more joy in each snow flake, billowing cloud, and twisted tree branch. My eyes have been re-opened to the small wonders that I passed by everyday with no notice.
At times I still may get overwhelmed by how underwhelming it all is, but I know that this is merely God’s way of teaching me to take life slower, take my true interests more seriously, and to save time for Him – a task that sometimes got overlooked in my much too busy life.
And while I would not recommend eliminating everything essential to your life and starting over as I essentially have this semester, I would recommend taking stock of what you have and recognizing that some of the best parts of your life are the ones you fail to notice. Try and appreciate them more; it’ll help you find an indescribable happiness.
Monday, February 1, 2010
pro-life ad in the Superbowl?
An interesting article:
Should CBS pull the Tebow ad?
Just imagine if a pro-life message could reach the hundreds of thousands of people who watch the Superbowl?
I think prayers are in order - if we all band together more people will be able to see the sanctity and importance of life.
Should CBS pull the Tebow ad?
The culture wars are moving to the gridiron. The conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family is buying a 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman-winning college quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother.
According to today's story by Post reporters Hank Stuever and Emily Yahr, "Tebow will appear in the commercial with his mother, Pam, who reportedly will tell one of the Tebow family's favorite stories: How, after severe complications arose in her 1987 pregnancy, she declined medical advice to have an abortion. Her fifth child -- Tim -- was born and went on to win the Heisman trophy in 2007 (and is rarin' to go for the 2010 NFL draft)."
CBS's acceptance of the advocacy ad seems to mark a shift in network policy against airing Super Bowl commercials with divisive political or social content. "An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year -- an event designed to bring Americans together," Jehmu Greene, president of the Women's Media Center, said in a statement.
Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, told the Associated Press that funds for the Tebow ad were donated by a few "very generous friends. . . . There's nothing political and controversial about it. When the day arrives, and you sit down to watch the game on TV, those who oppose it will be quite surprised at what the ad is all about. (Watch Tebow's response today.)
What do you think? Should Super Bowl ads contain divisive religious, social or political content? Should CBS pull the ad?
Just imagine if a pro-life message could reach the hundreds of thousands of people who watch the Superbowl?
I think prayers are in order - if we all band together more people will be able to see the sanctity and importance of life.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
God's Little Wonders
I'm spending my semester in Harrow, England, and it's a once in a lifetime experience. I've only been here since Saturday and I've already seen some remarkable things. My intent when I logged in to write this post was to go on and on about the beauty in our lives and small gifts God gives us every day.
However, I think I've decided to simply share a few photos from my last 5 days and let you come to your own conclusions about God and his works.
"...God comes to thee, not as the dawning of the day, not as the bud of the spring, but as the sun at noon."
"enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize these were the big things"
"Everyday find something beautiful to notice these things are the 'stuff' of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at anytime it can all be taken away"
" God made the world with its towering trees, majestic mountains and restless seas, then paused and said, "It needs one more thing- someone to laugh and dance and sing, to walk in the woods and gather flowers, to commune with nature in quiet hours." So God made little girls with laughing eyes and bouncing curls, with joyful hearts and infectious smiles, enchanting ways and feminine wiles, and when He'd completed the task He'd begun, He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done. For the world when seen through a little girl's eyes, greatly resembles Paradise"
"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams."
"I didn't ask for it to be over, but then again, I never asked for it to begin. For that's the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance..."
However, I think I've decided to simply share a few photos from my last 5 days and let you come to your own conclusions about God and his works.
"...God comes to thee, not as the dawning of the day, not as the bud of the spring, but as the sun at noon."
"enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize these were the big things"
"Everyday find something beautiful to notice these things are the 'stuff' of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at anytime it can all be taken away"
" God made the world with its towering trees, majestic mountains and restless seas, then paused and said, "It needs one more thing- someone to laugh and dance and sing, to walk in the woods and gather flowers, to commune with nature in quiet hours." So God made little girls with laughing eyes and bouncing curls, with joyful hearts and infectious smiles, enchanting ways and feminine wiles, and when He'd completed the task He'd begun, He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done. For the world when seen through a little girl's eyes, greatly resembles Paradise"
"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams."
"I didn't ask for it to be over, but then again, I never asked for it to begin. For that's the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance..."
Friday, January 15, 2010
Just be you.
there's a quote that says "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world".
I've always loved and treasured that quote.
However, not all of us are meant to be in the spotlight. Some of us prefer to be backstage - but that doesn't mean were not doing the best with the talents that God has given us. Anonyminity doesn't mean we aren't trying.
I recently re-found this poem by Emily Dickenson "I'm Nobody, Who are You?" that speaks to the joys of being a "nobody". I wanted to share it for those of us who fear that by not being a "somebody" we are failing. That's not true. It just might not be God's plan for you...
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
And here's that site's interpretation
At school, being popular sometimes seems like the most important thing in the world. We often think that being the center of attention would be fantastic — like being a famous movie star or athlete.
That's what Jesse Aarons thinks in Bridge to Terabithia until he meets Leslie Burke. Yet the speaker in Emily Dickinson's poem, "I'm nobody! Who are you?" readily admits to being an outsider. What's more, she even seems to like it. She says it would be "dreary" to be "somebody."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is she crazy? Who would want to be an outsider?
Think about it for a moment. Who would really want to be an insider?
As an outsider, a "nobody," the speaker is not forced to be "public." She does not have to face the scrutiny or disapproval of people who are likely to be jealous of her popularity. She does not have to play games, put on an act, or keep trying in order to be a somebody. She can be herself and be comfortable.
What's more, she is not alone.
The poem's first stanza tells how the speaker meets a fellow "nobody" — a friend. Together, the two nobodies can enjoy each other's company and their shared anonymity
Are you nobody?: Everyone feels like a "nobody" at some point in life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a pair, they aren't really nobodies anymore. That's why the speaker says, "Don't tell! / They 'd banish us, you know." She understands that once you have another "nobody" at your side, you aren't really a "nobody" anymore. And she doesn't want to be banished or kicked out from what she sees as a society of nobodies.
She's comfortable there.
In the second stanza, the tone of the poem changes. The speaker sounds confident. Perhaps it is her discovery that there are other people like her — other "nobodies"-- that makes her feels strongly that being a "somebody" isn't such a great idea.
She realizes that having a friend who understands you and accepts you as you are is more important than being admired by a lot of people or being in the "in" crowd.
Bogged Down
In the poem's second stanza, the speaker also makes a strange comparison. She says that being a somebody is like being a frog. What does this simile mean? Aside from Kermit, there aren't many celebrity frogs around.
A lot of people -- kids and adults -- feel lonely sometimes. Emily Dickinson's poem "I'm nobody! Who are you?" expresses how being a loner can sometimes be a positive thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why does the speaker choose that amphibian as her representative of a public creature?
It's because frogs make a lot of noise. The poem says that frogs, though they can croak and make themselves heard and be noticed, are noticed only by "an admiring bog." The bog is the frog's environment, not the frog's friend. So who cares what the bog thinks?
That's what the poem says about being a "somebody" who gets noticed by an admiring public. Frequently, the relationship is impersonal and distanced, not like a real friendship. Somebodies may have many admirers, but they might not be able to make those personal connections that real friendship offers.
yeah, i know, their interpretation gets way off the original point i was trying to make, but i think it's a good message nonetheless, and once i read it i had to share. hope you don't mind the extra long post...
I've always loved and treasured that quote.
However, not all of us are meant to be in the spotlight. Some of us prefer to be backstage - but that doesn't mean were not doing the best with the talents that God has given us. Anonyminity doesn't mean we aren't trying.
I recently re-found this poem by Emily Dickenson "I'm Nobody, Who are You?" that speaks to the joys of being a "nobody". I wanted to share it for those of us who fear that by not being a "somebody" we are failing. That's not true. It just might not be God's plan for you...
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
And here's that site's interpretation
At school, being popular sometimes seems like the most important thing in the world. We often think that being the center of attention would be fantastic — like being a famous movie star or athlete.
That's what Jesse Aarons thinks in Bridge to Terabithia until he meets Leslie Burke. Yet the speaker in Emily Dickinson's poem, "I'm nobody! Who are you?" readily admits to being an outsider. What's more, she even seems to like it. She says it would be "dreary" to be "somebody."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is she crazy? Who would want to be an outsider?
Think about it for a moment. Who would really want to be an insider?
As an outsider, a "nobody," the speaker is not forced to be "public." She does not have to face the scrutiny or disapproval of people who are likely to be jealous of her popularity. She does not have to play games, put on an act, or keep trying in order to be a somebody. She can be herself and be comfortable.
What's more, she is not alone.
The poem's first stanza tells how the speaker meets a fellow "nobody" — a friend. Together, the two nobodies can enjoy each other's company and their shared anonymity
Are you nobody?: Everyone feels like a "nobody" at some point in life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a pair, they aren't really nobodies anymore. That's why the speaker says, "Don't tell! / They 'd banish us, you know." She understands that once you have another "nobody" at your side, you aren't really a "nobody" anymore. And she doesn't want to be banished or kicked out from what she sees as a society of nobodies.
She's comfortable there.
In the second stanza, the tone of the poem changes. The speaker sounds confident. Perhaps it is her discovery that there are other people like her — other "nobodies"-- that makes her feels strongly that being a "somebody" isn't such a great idea.
She realizes that having a friend who understands you and accepts you as you are is more important than being admired by a lot of people or being in the "in" crowd.
Bogged Down
In the poem's second stanza, the speaker also makes a strange comparison. She says that being a somebody is like being a frog. What does this simile mean? Aside from Kermit, there aren't many celebrity frogs around.
A lot of people -- kids and adults -- feel lonely sometimes. Emily Dickinson's poem "I'm nobody! Who are you?" expresses how being a loner can sometimes be a positive thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why does the speaker choose that amphibian as her representative of a public creature?
It's because frogs make a lot of noise. The poem says that frogs, though they can croak and make themselves heard and be noticed, are noticed only by "an admiring bog." The bog is the frog's environment, not the frog's friend. So who cares what the bog thinks?
That's what the poem says about being a "somebody" who gets noticed by an admiring public. Frequently, the relationship is impersonal and distanced, not like a real friendship. Somebodies may have many admirers, but they might not be able to make those personal connections that real friendship offers.
yeah, i know, their interpretation gets way off the original point i was trying to make, but i think it's a good message nonetheless, and once i read it i had to share. hope you don't mind the extra long post...
Monday, January 11, 2010
How Much Time Does God Get?
God has blest each of us with 1,440 minutes in every day and 10,080 minutes in every week (and for those of us who've seen Rent, we know there's 525,600 minutes for us each year) for us to do whatever we please with. They're a free gift with no strings attached.
How many of those minutes do we give back to God each week?
Studies show that the majority of our time goes to shopping, working, and watching television. As a college student I'd say it goes to napping, procrastinating, and eating. In fact, as Americans, we fall into a category of people who spend an average of 10% of our alloted time watching television (or 1000 minutes per week).
In contrast, how many does God get?
Typically, the answer is less than 100. That's less than 1% of our time which we devote to spiritual activities such as prayer and worship. That's sad.
We all say we want God to be a big part of our lives - to help us and protect us and to make things better ... but how much are we really willing to give Him in return? Consider Mass attendance, prayer, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual reading, or volunteer work.
It's amazing how much personal happiness you can get out of improving your relationship with anyone - just imagine how much joy comes along when you invest a little time in one of the most powerful and beautiful friendships of all - the one between you and your God.
How many of those minutes do we give back to God each week?
Studies show that the majority of our time goes to shopping, working, and watching television. As a college student I'd say it goes to napping, procrastinating, and eating. In fact, as Americans, we fall into a category of people who spend an average of 10% of our alloted time watching television (or 1000 minutes per week).
In contrast, how many does God get?
Typically, the answer is less than 100. That's less than 1% of our time which we devote to spiritual activities such as prayer and worship. That's sad.
We all say we want God to be a big part of our lives - to help us and protect us and to make things better ... but how much are we really willing to give Him in return? Consider Mass attendance, prayer, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual reading, or volunteer work.
It's amazing how much personal happiness you can get out of improving your relationship with anyone - just imagine how much joy comes along when you invest a little time in one of the most powerful and beautiful friendships of all - the one between you and your God.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
12 drummers drumming...
Today is the 12th day of Christmas. For Christians, our celebration of Christmas does not end on December 25th. In contrast, that is the day it all begins. My friend Megan did a little research on the 12 days of Christmas, which I will now share with you on this the final day...
For those of you, who like me, were a little confused about why it’s tradition to leave all the Christmas decorations up until January 5th, here’s why: Christmas only begins on the evening of the 25th! The twelve days following Christmas, referred to as The Feast of Three Kings, are just as important. And they give us a reason to continue celebrating.
The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing. Then, on December 25, Christmas Day commences twelve days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany.
The three traditional feasts (dating back to the late fifth century) that follow Chrstmas reflect different ways in which the mystery of the Incarnation works itself out in the body of Christ. December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen—a traditional day for giving leftovers to the poor (as described in the carol "Good King Wenceslas”) As one of the first deacons, Stephen was the forerunner of all those who show forth the love of Christ by their generosity to the needy. But more than this, he was the first martyr of the New Covenant, witnessing to Christ by the ultimate gift of his own life.
St. John the Evangelist, commemorated on December 27, is traditionally the only one of the twelve disciples who did not die a martyr. Rather, John witnessed to the Incarnation through his words, turning Greek philosophy on its head with his affirmation, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, KJV).
On December 28, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children murdered by Herod. These were not martyrs like Stephen, who died heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They died unjustly before they had a chance to know or to will—but they died for Christ nonetheless. In them we see the long agony of those who suffer and die through human injustice, never knowing that they have been redeemed. If Christ did not come for them too, then surely Christ came in vain.
In celebrating the Holy Innocents, we remember the victims of abortion, of war, and of abuse. We renew our faith knowing that the coming of Christ brings hope to the most hopeless. And, in the most radical way possible, we confess that like the murdered children we are saved by the sheer mercy of Christ, not by our own doing or knowing.
In the Middle Ages, these three feasts were each dedicated to a different part of the clergy. Stephen, fittingly, was the patron of deacons. The feast of John the Evangelist was dedicated to the priests, and the feast of the Holy Innocents was dedicated to young men training for the clergy and serving the altar.
The sub-deacons (one of the "minor orders" that developed in the early church) objected that they had no feast of their own. So it became their custom to celebrate the "Feast of Fools" around January 1, often in conjunction with the feast of Christ's circumcision on that day (which was also one of the earliest feasts of the Virgin Mary, and is today celebrated as such by Roman Catholics). The twelve days of Christmas saw similar celebrations of the topsy-turvy and the unruly.
Finally, on Epiphany (January 6), the celebration of Christmas comes to an end. "Twelfth Night" (as all lovers of Shakespeare know) is the ultimate celebration of Christmas madness (Shakespeare's play features one of his many "wise fools" who understand the real meaning of life better than those who think they are sane). Epiphany commemorates the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel—Christ's manifestation to the nations, as shown in three different events.
Epiphany is often a forgotten festival (although, by the accident of Edwin's mother's birthday falling on January 5, his very un-liturgical family preserved the ancient tradition of keeping the Christmas decorations up until Epiphany). As the true end-point of the Christmas season, however, Epiphany sends us into the world to live out the Incarnation, to witness to the light of Christ in the darkness.
So after all the gifts have been open, and the feasts have been finished, don't fret-- according to the bible, the celebration is just beginning!
...and a partridge in a pear tree
For those of you, who like me, were a little confused about why it’s tradition to leave all the Christmas decorations up until January 5th, here’s why: Christmas only begins on the evening of the 25th! The twelve days following Christmas, referred to as The Feast of Three Kings, are just as important. And they give us a reason to continue celebrating.
The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing. Then, on December 25, Christmas Day commences twelve days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany.
The three traditional feasts (dating back to the late fifth century) that follow Chrstmas reflect different ways in which the mystery of the Incarnation works itself out in the body of Christ. December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen—a traditional day for giving leftovers to the poor (as described in the carol "Good King Wenceslas”) As one of the first deacons, Stephen was the forerunner of all those who show forth the love of Christ by their generosity to the needy. But more than this, he was the first martyr of the New Covenant, witnessing to Christ by the ultimate gift of his own life.
St. John the Evangelist, commemorated on December 27, is traditionally the only one of the twelve disciples who did not die a martyr. Rather, John witnessed to the Incarnation through his words, turning Greek philosophy on its head with his affirmation, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, KJV).
On December 28, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children murdered by Herod. These were not martyrs like Stephen, who died heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They died unjustly before they had a chance to know or to will—but they died for Christ nonetheless. In them we see the long agony of those who suffer and die through human injustice, never knowing that they have been redeemed. If Christ did not come for them too, then surely Christ came in vain.
In celebrating the Holy Innocents, we remember the victims of abortion, of war, and of abuse. We renew our faith knowing that the coming of Christ brings hope to the most hopeless. And, in the most radical way possible, we confess that like the murdered children we are saved by the sheer mercy of Christ, not by our own doing or knowing.
In the Middle Ages, these three feasts were each dedicated to a different part of the clergy. Stephen, fittingly, was the patron of deacons. The feast of John the Evangelist was dedicated to the priests, and the feast of the Holy Innocents was dedicated to young men training for the clergy and serving the altar.
The sub-deacons (one of the "minor orders" that developed in the early church) objected that they had no feast of their own. So it became their custom to celebrate the "Feast of Fools" around January 1, often in conjunction with the feast of Christ's circumcision on that day (which was also one of the earliest feasts of the Virgin Mary, and is today celebrated as such by Roman Catholics). The twelve days of Christmas saw similar celebrations of the topsy-turvy and the unruly.
Finally, on Epiphany (January 6), the celebration of Christmas comes to an end. "Twelfth Night" (as all lovers of Shakespeare know) is the ultimate celebration of Christmas madness (Shakespeare's play features one of his many "wise fools" who understand the real meaning of life better than those who think they are sane). Epiphany commemorates the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel—Christ's manifestation to the nations, as shown in three different events.
Epiphany is often a forgotten festival (although, by the accident of Edwin's mother's birthday falling on January 5, his very un-liturgical family preserved the ancient tradition of keeping the Christmas decorations up until Epiphany). As the true end-point of the Christmas season, however, Epiphany sends us into the world to live out the Incarnation, to witness to the light of Christ in the darkness.
So after all the gifts have been open, and the feasts have been finished, don't fret-- according to the bible, the celebration is just beginning!
...and a partridge in a pear tree
Monday, January 4, 2010
Christmas and New Years
Once again it's been much too long since my last post. I don't have one specific direction for this post, so please bear with me as a jump around a lot.
First and foremost, I hope everyone had a blessed, joyous Christmas spent with loved ones. it truly is a magical day, and I hope your hearts were filled with the joy of not only our Savior's birth, but also with the joy of being surrounded by family and friends, the beauty of a Christmas snow, and the satisfaction that we are all filled with after a successful day.
Secondly, there was New Year's Day. A holy day of obligation. Now, I'll admit that I must not have been paying very much attention for the last 19 years of my life, but I always thought the reason we went to mass on the first was because it was the first day of the new year. I assumed it was a day to say thankyou for the last 365 days and prepare ourselves spriritually for the next 525,600 minutes. It's not.
The first of January is a day to recognize the miracle of God coming to live amoung us as a HUMAN, and also a day to recognize Mary's role as both his mother and ours. It is a day where the definition as God as our father and brother is really defined as we are encouraged to look more closely at the holy family and the role they play in our individual lives.
Knowing that God walked among us and lived as one of us makes it easier for us to trust Him and go to Him with our issues - we can be made more confident that He understands what it is like to be human. The church asks us to set aside this day at the begining of every year to reflect on the humanity of God... and how we can use his example to become better persons.
So maybe it's not about New Years Day ... but it does give us a sense of what God would like to see us make our resolution for the new year be.
First and foremost, I hope everyone had a blessed, joyous Christmas spent with loved ones. it truly is a magical day, and I hope your hearts were filled with the joy of not only our Savior's birth, but also with the joy of being surrounded by family and friends, the beauty of a Christmas snow, and the satisfaction that we are all filled with after a successful day.
Secondly, there was New Year's Day. A holy day of obligation. Now, I'll admit that I must not have been paying very much attention for the last 19 years of my life, but I always thought the reason we went to mass on the first was because it was the first day of the new year. I assumed it was a day to say thankyou for the last 365 days and prepare ourselves spriritually for the next 525,600 minutes. It's not.
The first of January is a day to recognize the miracle of God coming to live amoung us as a HUMAN, and also a day to recognize Mary's role as both his mother and ours. It is a day where the definition as God as our father and brother is really defined as we are encouraged to look more closely at the holy family and the role they play in our individual lives.
Knowing that God walked among us and lived as one of us makes it easier for us to trust Him and go to Him with our issues - we can be made more confident that He understands what it is like to be human. The church asks us to set aside this day at the begining of every year to reflect on the humanity of God... and how we can use his example to become better persons.
So maybe it's not about New Years Day ... but it does give us a sense of what God would like to see us make our resolution for the new year be.
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