Happy Wednesday TSJ Peeps!
Oh oh… Solomon has my glasses on again! That usually means there is some serious thinking going on over here on his stool. He is thinking about . . .
Skimming.
Let me ask you. Are you trying to skim through this blog? Most likely. Don’t worry, I do that a lot myself. No condemnation. Just reflection.
As contemporary readers, we are becoming skimmers and crammers. We skim through headlines and subtitles to get “the goodies” and then cram them into our brain. We like catchy phrases and bullet points. .
We move on quickly with little time for reflection.
We do the same thing with life in general.
We miss out on things that feed our hearts and souls every day! Honestly, how often do we stop long enough to listen to the songbirds serenading us as we run from our car to the house?
We tend to rely on texting and social media to make us feel connected. We know so much about so many people, but how well do we really know them? That even goes for family members . . . yes, parents and children included.
Our feet barely touch the ground these days as we race through life quickly going from one activity to another! We rush about gathering things that we think will make us successful, secure, and informed. And we eat from the low hanging fruit of pleasure and pursuit of perfection with little awareness of who we are individually and collectively and even less awareness of how to examine ourselves and find renewal.
Life is a process.
Life is not meant to be skimmed through and it is not possible to cram in things that satisfy and are timeless. Personal growth and development as well as relationship building is a process, not a program or a product. It takes time. It takes listening and sharing our stories, preserving memories of our loved ones, and learning from each other.
So today is an invitation to reflect. To stop and pay special attention to something or someone important to you.
For example who or what is tugging at you while you read this?
Each day we face decisions on how to experience life richly. Not always easily but finding meaning in hardships fertilizes the soil of toil and tears to build rich relationships. It is relationships after all that leave a legacy of love, goodness, and hope.
Woman in Gold:
I took a break last evening and went to a movie (Woman in Gold) with a compelling story on the importance of learning from the past and preserving what is most precious to us … the living memories of our loved ones and their love for us. In this case it was recovering a piece of stolen art, a family portrait. The movie was about a young lawyer’s journey in helping an aging widow face her past as a one able to flee Austria while her parents and others died in the holocaust. She carried on something her sister had started in retrieving this valuable portrait of an aunt she loved. The young lawyer matures greatly in the process of seeking justice for her and he learns profound lessons about life, sacrifice, and love along the way.
Stories like this breathe life into us and guide us. They are universal stories of heartache, loss, hope and love that point us beyond ourselves.
The timing of this movie was particularly powerful for me as I have been looking through old pictures, remembering so many things and feeling the brevity of life and profound importance of family and friends. Seeing Tom from his childhood until last December with all of us who love him so has been meaningful and touching.
So stop long enough to ask yourself, where am I going? What am I doing and why? And remember you actually want to be nowhere because nowhere is really now here.
Solomon says, “The best place to be is always nowhere.”
Warning…
When you stop skimming or cramming and take a deep breath, lower your shoulders, and simply be nowhere even for five minutes . . .
Prepare for impact.
It can change everything yet seem like you are doing nothing to make that so. Now that is a gift!
Skimming and cramming blind us from seeing what really matters.
So, just for a few moments … let’s put down the smart phone and look straight into the eyes of those who are waiting for us. And let’s try not to cram one more thing into this hour.
I say that, however, as I am rushing off to an appointment.
That is why Solomon has those glasses on. I can feel him. That is the problem with writing It forces me to examine what I say.
Thank you Solomon. We feel the wisdom in slowing down. It is hard. Reminders help.
Happy shepherding!
Margie and Solomon
