At home, growing up, we would jokingly sing the refrain to the church hymn “Let there be peace on earth” as follows: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with *you*…” While silly, this is too often how we approach all kinds of conflict. Understanding my role in the system of theContinue reading “And Let It Begin With…”
Category Archives: Accompaniment
Conversation during the extra mile
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. (Matthew 5:41) Walking the extra mile (after that initial distance is completed), what is the conversation like? Does the conversation change? And how? Perhaps one’s inner chatter (about what that person must be like) quiets down, defenses fall, better questions areContinue reading “Conversation during the extra mile”
Presupposing Goodness
St. Ignatius describes a “presupposition” that should guide the relationship between spiritual director and directee as follows: That both the giver and the maker of the Spiritual Exercises may be of greater help and benefit to each other, it should be presupposed that every good Christian ought to be more eager to put a goodContinue reading “Presupposing Goodness”
The Three Gates
Our sons’ teacher gives her class the following conceptual hook to think about how they speak to their classmates. She asks them, before they address another, to pass the words they are considering through the following “three gates.” Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? (And kind is not always “nice”… these youngContinue reading “The Three Gates”
“If it is not my truth…”
“… then it is a lie.” Living out of this mentality makes us fragile and reactionary. The ability to consider the truth of another’s experience, even momentarily and provisionally, is fundamental to an empathic life in community. This is not a permissive acceptance of everything thought or felt. (So not: “Everything is true everywhere!”) ItContinue reading ““If it is not my truth…””
But an Instant
Today, a wonderful line from one of Mark Twain’s personal letters: “There isn’t time — so brief is life — for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving — and but an instant, so to speak, for that.”
In Time / Out of Time
It is possible to live “out of time.” That is, to cling to a moment, season, or epoch and “how things were then” and “how we thought or spoke back then.” We need not even have experienced this period of time, but have only learned about it. Put another way, it is possible to experienceContinue reading “In Time / Out of Time”
What Is Here That I Have Never Noticed Before?
As I consider: A loved one, as they grow A well-loved Scripture passage That one tree The wonder of our bodies Our attention is necessarily filtered, often to the detriment of our lives. So: What is here that I have never noticed before? (And do I allow myself to slow down enough to hear theContinue reading “What Is Here That I Have Never Noticed Before?”
Characters and Compassion
Like a totally normal person (😉), I’ve been thinking lately about one of the essay questions on an English exam my senior year of high school. The internet helped me find the exact wording. Here it is: Discuss the notion of morally ambiguous characters—those whose behavior doesn’t allow readers to categorize them as purely goodContinue reading “Characters and Compassion”
The Edge of the Margin
Near our home is a building boasting a large-lettered sign with the name MarginEdge on top. I assume this is an office of some sort and I have no experience with with them other than seeing their sign, but what a curious idea that sign calls to mind. The demands of life (both real andContinue reading “The Edge of the Margin”
Paul's Blog 