Dear <<First Name>>,
I subscribe to a lot of daily newsletters that appear in my email inbox when I wake up in the morning. Today there were three that spoke to me rather deeply, and I wan to share them with you before this day gets too old.
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Terry Hershey: Sabbath Moments
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Last week, Terry Hershey moved from his house on Vashon Island to another home, also on Puget Sound. Having recently moved from Nazareth House to Redondo Beach, I can identify with the travails of packing up and unpacking. In his Sabbath Moment Daily newsletter, he tells of discovering a long-forgotten piece of literature in a pile of papers. It was popular and meant something to many of us fifty years ago, and deserves to be recalled. You may remember it too. Here it is:
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann © 1927
Timeless advice.More relevant today than ever. If you want to subscribe to Terry's dailycSabbath musings, you can do so here. One parting quote from Terry:
“If your eyes are blinded with your worries, you cannot see the beauty of the sunset.” Jiddu Krishnamurti |
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Medard Laz: Treats for the Soul
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Fr. Med Laz is a priest about my age in Florida, who continues a very active ministry as chaplain, speaker, and writer. Read about him here. His daily newsletter, "Treats for the Soul" has the descriptive subtitle, "Bringing Values and Hope to Our Troubled World." Today's gave me a lot to think about regarding my own struggle with sinfulness in my life: what can we learn from our sinfulness, our "dark side". Check it out, and subscribe if you like. "Our Sins Teach Us So Much".
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Tom Hoopes: God's "Best Practices"
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Hom Hoopes is a Catholic writer at Benedictine College in Kansas, husband of April, and father of nine children. His reflections are always provocative and lead to deeper reflection. This recent piece sheds a bit of welcome new light on the meaning of Advent for us. "If you look up “best practices” for preparing a child for adoption, it’s amazing to see just how practical and specific God’s efforts have been to prepare for our adoption. Here are six examples." You can find, "How God Prepared To Adopt You This Christmas." Together with an invitation to subscribe to his Newsletter.
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Blessings, Peace, and Love,
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