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A little east of Jordan, women of ancient times lived very different lives than we do today, yet there are many similarities. Like us; they cared for family, helped others in the community, and searched for meaning in their lives.
My favorite story is that of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is widowed and both her sons are dead. Ruth is one of her daughter-in-laws. When Naomi decides to return to her own country, Ruth goes with her. She says to her mother-in-law, “Your people will be my people; your God, my God.”
What a beautiful display of selflessness! Ruth could easily have stayed were she was, perhaps even remarried. But instead, she goes with the woman to whom she has no legal obligation, and treats Naomi as if she were her blood kin.
Isn’t this what we are all called to do, treat each other as blood kin? Aren’t we supposed to see all of humanity as our brothers and sisters?
Ruth saw this, living her truth without hesitation. Her life is a bright light for us to follow.
They've had a big fight.
I want to join in, shouting out loud.
How dare she accuse him,
condemn him,
not love him as much as I do?
Help me hear without judgement.
Help me weave together an understanding
that I could not find on my own.
Help me draw peace from Your presence.
Help me listen, soothe, and comfort them,
as You listen, soothe and comfort me.
On the very day my mother heard she had inoperable cancer, she opened the newspaper and found this quote: Every woman has the courage to stand the pain of only one day.
It became her message for the rest of her life. In the last days of her illness she passed on her strength and wisdom from the hospital bed.
LOVE--My father was always rubbing her feet. I asked her why. “It keeps him from being helpless. It is the only part of me that doesn’t hurt. He loves to touch me, and I love it too.”
Treat the ones you love at least as good as you treat your best customer. That means no shouting, impatience, or degrading talk of any kind. No exceptions. It's pure fallacy to tell someone you love, "I can let down my guard with you because I love and trust you."
Maybe you've seen it happen. The teenager with the Beaver Cleaver manners, who turns to his mother when he thinks no one sees, and directs a stream of swears at her ala Eddie Haskell. How does it happen that bad behaviour is ever OK?
Self-control is a habit. It's not too late to change the way you talk to your loved ones. When you eliminate cursing, exageration and sarcasm from a heated discussion, you'll find yourself in a more civil conversation.
The world is in need of more kindness. Who is more deserving than the people we love? Something God-like happens when we add holiness to the language we use.
Thanks be to You
for semi-colons,
for m-dashes, ellipses, and commas.
Glory be in the languages of Earth,
in Morse code and Braille,
in Swahili and Portuguese.
You made us social beings,
then gave us the gift that binds,
that brings us together
in conversation, chatter, exclamation.
Joy comes from communication,
as does peace.
Help us to use our words wisely and well.
Compassion, mercy and unconditional love. Kwan Yin is an energy presence, or goddess, symbolizing these three virtues. Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Lynn, an acquaintance who was wearing a lovely necklace fashioned from a circle of jade. During our chit-chat, while we were both admiring each other’s jewelry, Lynn explained that her pendant held the symbol of Kwan Yin. Now familiar to those of many faiths, Kwan Yin has expanded beyond the Buddhist tradition.
Coincidentally, I’d spent the previous few days researching feng shui principles, and my personal Kua number and element. When I explained the timing to Lynn, she reached into her bag and brought forth a small box containing a duplicate necklace. She insisted on giving it to me as a gift.
My new necklace reminds me that even though different faiths have their own particular symbols, our ideals are the same— compassion, mercy and unconditional love. Learning more about the belief systems of others helps to connect us more deeply to the universal truths that transcend our differences. How inspiring to observe: Sometimes we receive a gift at precisely the right moment.
© 2011 Sharon Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Sharon Sinclair is a poet, author and inspirational speaker. Her book Water from the Moon is available in print and on CD. Visit her website at www.poetryspeaker.com.
The greatest gifts
don’t fit in a box.
They slip into the heart
without ribbons or bows,
and make a home there.
Beginning small,
They are larger than any of us,
more powerful;
they move mountains,
fueled by what is best in us.
Anyone can give.
Charity is not barred
by age or size or talent.
It takes only one action
to incrementally
change the world.
Tis best to begin together.
The English offer each other "tea and sympathy." What we do here in the states could be better described as "coffee and apathy."
An old friend heard about the break-up of my marriage and immediately went over her checklist of ‘What He Must Have Done.’
"Did he beat you? That scoundrel. Was it drugs? Oh, I know! He was cheating. Wives are always the last to know."
What is it about our troubles that make us want to share them with our friends? Does the act of opening up make us feel better, or simply remind us of how bad we feel?
I don't have the answer as to why God allows us to hurt in such extreme ways, but I do know that most of the pain is caused by other people, not by God.
The Creator of All Things wouldn't equip us with a heart that beats like a metronome, stereophonic ears, and even decorative touches like eyebrows, only to put us through a gauntlet of pain and pathos.
Do what you can to move forward so you're not stuck in the quicksand of the past, and life will get better over time.
READ MORE from the extended feature!
Ruth Williams is a founding member of the Prayables PrayMaker Council and freelance writer living in central Jersey, with her son, Coleman. You can read more from Ruth on prayables.com and on her blog; Freelance Writing, Jersey Life, and Everything Else in Between.
Help me stay in the present tense today.
Keep the past where it belongs.
Even the future can be a stumbling block
if it slows me down now.
There's only so much room in my life
for what I need to carry.
If the world is an oyster
and inside it is a pearl,
open it for me.
Polish this day,
shine it up so I see it for the gift it is.
Allow me to be okay, right where I am,
even as I strive to be better.
Just once, filter out the static of what was
so I can be in this moment.
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