November 12, 2022

Reflection

TABLES AND CHAIRS

 

There are moments and there are moments.

 

There are tables and there are chairs.

We sat there as tiny kids in our high chairs - banging our spoon - wanting our food - wanting attention. Yet when it comes to baby's high chairs there an underlying disconnect. That half moon high chair table top - locked us in - and separated us from the rest of the family.

 

We know tables - the family table as kids - the gathering place where we ate our veggies and our birthday cake - the place we were excommunicated from when we did something wrong.

We remember the tables we sat at in school.

 

We might remember the restaurant table where we proposed.

 

Then there are our chairs.

We remember sitting there in the hospital - with a blanket - waiting for a spouse to get better.

We remember a rocking chair at our grandmother's. We loved to visit her and get to sit in her rocker  - even though we were so small - but she made us feel so tall.

 

"Who sits where?” is the question we think or say - when are at a table in a house where we are a visitor or a guest.

 

It’s interesting when we we visit certain homes. Sometime there is no special seat at the table for the King of the family; sometimes there's a seat where you better not sit.

 

How do you replace a spouse or dad or mom or son or daughter  who has died - when a certain chair still fills them - with so much emptiness?

 

Certain chairs would not get listed as worth a million dollars on The Antique Road Show - because they are priceless.

 

It’s good to sit there at a table in the evening of our life and jot down on paper - the moments of our life, That's old age or retirement homework.

We remember as kids seeing our mom writing home to her parents in another country or our brother in college or in the military.

Gather the letters. Save them  Write the history of our family.

There are tables and there are chairs.

 

 November 12, 2022

Quote for Today

"Watch out for our coming campaign, called Get the Poets Back into Banks, Doctor's Surgeries and Insurance Offices, where  modern poetry began."

James Campbell,

Times Literary Supplement

June 11, 2004

November 11, 2022

Reflection 

WHEN  YOU  CAUGHT  ME

I have to watch the movie,  "As Good As It Gets" again - so I can here, remember and then memorize the lines of one scene - or maybe it was two scenes.

Holly Hunter says something like, "You caught me when ...."

Jack Nicholson then puts his foot in his mouth in his response to what she says and loses Holly.

She said something like, "You should have stopped there."

That reminded me of the times I found myself saying about someone else,  “You lost me when ….”

 

I remember a church service, when a visiting deacon had the crowd sit down for the gospel reading.

So I sat down as he read the gospel. 

Then something off to my left caught my eye. A father and a son remained standing.  His wife and daughters were sitting.

I didn't know what was going on. Sometimes when there is a long gospel reading, folks are told they can sit during the reading. 

Is that what was going on?  Was it a rule's keeping situation?

 

Did that couple have a fight in their car on the way home because of this?  

I don't know.

 

The man didn’t look happy.  I've rarely seen him smile.  He has smiled. I’ve seen it.  But most of the time he does not seem happy.

 

He lost me when he remained standing.

 

Could he catch me if he gave me a different take  on why he was doing what he was doing?

In the meanwhile was I sitting there with my juridical robes on? 

I have memorized the words from the Talmud: "Teach thy tongue to say, 'I do not know.'"

I know those words, but I don't always practice them.

 

When people are dating, do they spend the time judging each other?  Would they know this if they were asked this - if they did this?

 

In the movie, Jack Nicholson recovers - or Holly Hunter gets to understands him.

Is this something we all do?  Do we do this to ourselves - giving outsiders a judgement?  Does God do this?  Do we do this with God?

 November 11, 2022

Thought for Today

"What I tend to say at the beginning of the term to my students in poetry workshops is this: I am going to be involved with your capacities as writers, but your destinies as writers are your own business."

Seamus Heany 

Poetry Ireland Review  

Winter-Spring 1991

 November 10, 2022

Reflection

DIAGNOSIS - PROGNOSIS - GNOSIS

"Gnosis" is a Greek word that needs to be noticed.

It simply means "knowledge".

And there it is rooted in and part of the word: knowledge

You can hear it as you say the word, knowledge.

Sometimes when someone tells us something like that, we say sort of automatically, "I didn't know that."

Anyone who as read the book, The Da Vinci Code, has run into the word, "Gnostic" or "Gnosticism".

Gnostics was the label given to groups of people who were off shoots of Christianity - or similar groups.

The label comes from the perception that they had a secret knowledge. They would add or think, "We know and you don't know." Or "You have it wrong!"

Christianity gives knowledge.  There are truths. There are teachings. Learn. Here's a catechism. Attend classes. Go to meetings. Know the text. 

I haven't done a thorough diagnosis of Gnosticism.

Where to start: the key idea is teachings. Knowledge.

In fact, it's the secret knowledge that counts.

This knowledge brings salvation.

If I understand Christianity and Catholicism - it's all put out there. It's on the table. There is nothing secret.

And salvation - the ultimate gift - the lifting up after death by Christ - is done by Christ - not by us - not by us getting a special degree - in a list of truths.

The main teaching is that it's all done by Christ.

Then the teaching is based on love - service - caring - building the kingdom - moving the body - growing - forgiving - reaching out to others - all in the name of Jesus.

We are in a paradox here.

It's about knowledge - gnosis - but the gnosis is this: we know each other like Christ knows us - and if we enter into this love - the prognosis is good - and we will be part of the all who rise in Christ.

 November 10, 2022

Thought for Today

"One  of the things about which poetry can nudge people is matters of ecological consciousness and conscience.  Because poetry has traditional dealt with 'Nature' anyway (especially in English), it is well placed to do so."

Denise Levertov, 

Meaning and Memory 2001

 November  9,  2022

Reflection

SELECTIVE  CHRISTIANITY

AND

GRADUAL  CHRISTIANITY

There is a difference between Selective Christianity and Gradual Christianity.

Selective Christianity is accepting an awareness of various teachings and practices of Christianity - but choosing to deliberately not practice certain teachings - at least not yet.

Gradual Christianity is getting on the path - slowly discovering Christians truths and teachings - and slowly putting them into one's life - and not rejecting any of them out right.

Wait a minute.

That needs clarification.

There are the so called, "Hard teachings of Jesus."

Here's one: "If a person wants to come after me, he or she must deny their very self, take up their cross, and follow in my footsteps." [Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:34]

Do we add: 

• "Go the extra mile."
• 
  
• "Give the shirt off your back."
• 
  
• "Visit Christ in prison."
• 
  
• "Decrease - so Christ can increase in you."
• 
  
• "Trust in providence.
• 
  
• "Give what you have to the poor."
• 
  
• "Come follow me."
• 
  
• "No judging."
• 
  
• "No stone throwing."
• 
  
• "Realize the other person is not an object to make me feel better."
• 
  
• "Every person has an inner room. Visit Christ there."
• 
  
• "Make sure every person gets our respect - our love -care, health, and honor."

Did Martin Buber get his I-Thou versus I-It - from Christ - or from the Hebrew Scriptures - or from somewhere else?

Do I agree that "Life is difficult" - as M. Scott Peck puts it?

Do I agree with Dietric Bonhoeffer when he talks about The Cost of Discipleship?

Life takes time: both Chronos and Kairos.

November 9,  2022

Quote for the Day

"When they say 'there are no words for' - that's what poetry is for."

Marvin Bell

Poet's Market, 2004 

 November 8,  2022

Reflection

OPEN  AND  CLOSED  MINDS

I have read an article or two on open and closed minds.

What about my mind - if I sit back - and read myself?

Uh oh!

I would assume that  I have an open mind and anyone I don't like has a closed mind.

I would assume that fundamentalists and literalists have closed minds.

I would assume I'm neither.

Uh oh!

I would assume that having an open mind is better - than having a closed mind - but who is the judge and jury?

I would assume there is a lot of, "It all depends" - when it comes to open and closed minds.

I would assume that I have my mind made up on some things. I prefer meat to fish - hot dogs to spinach - spring and autumn to hot summer and cold snowy winter.

I think the Jewish and Christian scriptures are better than the Koran.   I think they are wrong with their teachings that push burning others offensive and dangerous.  I've seen beheadings on YouTube.

Yet I read the Koran and don't remember seeing texts like that - but I have seen texts about God wiping out others in the Bible.

I assume that some members in my congregation are off the charts.  The demons that they are fighting are in them and I don't have to go there.

I assume that I have to open up my mind to what others are saying - and where they are coming from.

I assume that I need to listen to others and try to understand them - and maybe discover more about them and myself.

I assume that I have to discover when and where I have been closed minded.

I assume that I have to learn how to laugh and to cry about myself.

Uh oh!

November 8, 2022

Thought for Today 

"God rest you merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay;

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day."

Saw a Christmas advertisement on TV last night - November 7 - and someone complained, "Too early!" Why not, instead of complaining, sing a Christmas carol early?

November 7, 2033

Reflections

CLOSING  DOORS

Isn't it interesting what we remember?

I used to listen to tapes of talks by Thomas Merton - on spiritualty.

He once said in a talk somewhere, "If I had to my novice master job all over again, one of the main things I would talk about would be, 'Think of others when you're closing doors.'"

It's funny - if my window is open - and I close my door - sometimes it's much louder.  When that happens, it hits me, "Now you can't complain about door slammers."

I just finished reading a book on Peter Jennings - the TV news commentator.

One of the things that hit a lot of people about him was his concern, his care, his appreciation of all people - the little guy as well as the big guy. He was well aware of all people - especially people who don't get the attention.

Has the sensitive person had a door closed in their face? Has the over-sensitive person - every stood there on the other side of a closed door - and said, "I'll never do that to anyone else. I don't like what just happened to me"?

Is the Golden Rule part of the natural law?

Is the Golden Rule built into every human being?

Is it true that what goes around comes around?

Does every human being go to the school of possible learnings - all from everyday experiences?

We are talking to someone outside a closed door and we hear, "Shush!"

Someone is trying to sleep and we just woke them up.

Is a "Shush"  better than any sermon we'll ever hear?

Should we be getting college degrees from those kinds of moments?

 

November 7, 2022

Quote for Today

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

Yogi Berra - remark by 

 November 6, 2022

Reflection

CONSEQUENCES

When you drop a bowling ball it makes noise.  Moreover it can break something - like a foot.

You can also roll it down a bowling alley and it might hit pins and knock some of them over.

There are consequences.

Words and arrows shot into air - as the old saying goes - can fall down and hit and hurt those they land on.

Everything has consequences.

The  Latin word "sequitor" refers to what follows - what's next.

Continuance is the issue that comes with fidelity and decision making - vows, contracts, signings.

In High School we had a Spanish teacher - Pops Reinhardt - who ended up with the nickname of "Segue" the Spanish word to "Continue".  He said that 100 times in every class with him.

So if a person takes a Spanish Class - we can expect there will be consequences.  For example, a person might say the rest of their life, "Como esta" to any person they meet who looks Spanish or Latino.  It could also lead to a trip to Costa Rico. Venezuela, or Honduras.

There are consequences. 

The neighborhoods we choose to live in will impact us in various ways.

So too the people we hang with.

So to the roads we travel on - in the cold of winter - if they are icy.

There are consequences.

Rumor has it that teenagers don't get consequences enough - that is, till their brains are fully developed.

So in the meantime - practice random acts of kindness -  till you see the value of random acts of kindness.

 November 6, 2022

Quote for Today

"I am not arguing with you - I am telling you."

James McNeill Whistler