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     

November 5, 2022

EXIT  SIGNS

We need exit signs - indications of where to go when we want to leave.

It's nice to know yawns work.

Watching watches work.

When we want to leave a party, we know words work. "Well, I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Thanks for a wonderful evening together."

People shoot out of churches and ball games - after communion - or after the 7th inning.

Then there are the exit signs before death - wrinkles, squinting, loss of breath, losing my hearing - aches and pains - there is going to be an end to all this.

My brother always liked to park his car - in the back - or off to the side - of a movie theater,  Why? Well after the movie - he'd rush to the side exit door - while most people headed for the front door.  And he made an early exit from life - cancer at 51.

EXIT signs.

We want to know when the sermon or the story is going to end.

Peter Jennings asked General Tommy Franks when we were going into Iraq. He answered: "Two questions I ask: Do we have enough soldiers to win the war - and do we have enough soldiers to keep the peace?"

Did anyone ask: "Do we have an exit strategy?"

When we have time to ponder life do we ever ask, "How many entrances in life, do we wish we never made?"

How about the question: "Any wrong exits?"

"The party's over."  Sometimes to hear that is good news; sometimes it's bad news."

What are the entrance signs to getting married?

What are the exit signs for ending a marriage?

What are the exit signs of life?

Maybe the exit signs we ought to looking for are the ones that say, "Rest area ahead."

 

 November 5, 2022

Thought for Today

"Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength - in search of my mother's garden, I found my own."

Alice Walker

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens [1974]

 November 4, 2022

Reflection

THE CREATOR

I'm sitting there praying - sort of spaced out.

It's early Monday morning.

I'm looking at the ceiling - where it comes to an edge - where it meets a wall - and then a floor and then I see that the work is excellent - and some of what I see is connected to people.

I picture the people who did this work a long time ago.

It just didn't happen.

Then it overwhelms me - that is - everything in front of me - above me - around me - under me - all was created - by others - other than me.

Then there is the universe.

In fact, there is nothing I made - trees,  cloth, nails, plaster, plastic, paper, flowers, nothing ....

Then it hits me - a question, "How could anyone be an atheist- - a word that begins with and A. It's the privative alpha - signifying without - followed by the word "theos" - the Greek word for God.

Joseph Oppitz - our philosophy professor - way back in college when we were studying metaphysics - had said, "The best argument for the existence of God - is the existential argument."

He added, "Everything that is in existence is in existence by either itself or something else is keeping it in existence."

I know I'm not keeping myself in existence.

Therefore something else is doing that.

That something is a Power.

Some call that power, "God!"

That power - God - the Higher Power - is keeping the whole of existence in existence.

What that power, that God, is like - that's another story.

Whether Christ is God - that's another story.

Now, how things, are created, that is where people use computers, paper and pens, and they start writing - they start figuring - they start trying to get to the bottom of things.

So no wonder a good name for God is "The Creator" or the "Higher Power that keeps all that  exists, in Existence."

I prefer to call God, "I am" and pause with and before and in front of all things - and say, "Okay, next!"