Welcome back, dear reader. I hope that during the past two weeks you have been invited into a deeper awareness of the ever-present loving God who exhales the breath of life into us each time we inhale.
My time away was mixed. Traveling east to watch my son receive his Ph.D. was simply indescribable - I can remember so clearly when he was first learning to read, and now he helps students learn to think critically about our American experience, both within a religious context and without. I felt every cell in my body release one deep collective sigh as he was handed his diploma, while simultaneously wanting to jump for joy at his accomplishment. Meeting his partner's family was also a precious gift as I watched our families grow closer together. Nectar for the soul...
Within the joy, I had to also face some painful realities about aspects of my health and subsequent limitations, make careful adjustments/accommodations, and quickly reach a level of acceptance about current limitations that, well, runs counter to my emotional wiring - seriously counter to my emotional wiring. My mother use to have a saying she would tell me when I was a child (that ended up being the subject of many a psychotherapy sessions later in my life): When you meet an obstacle, climb over it, or race around it, or tunnel under it - and if none of those things work, plant dynamite under it and blow the damn thing up. She did not like the Serenity Prayer.
Acceptance is easy when the topic of acceptance is joyful; more of a challenge when it is something you do not want.
And so I have been thinking about the lesson of acceptance in light of the Serenity Prayer and its most recent personal applications. The distinction between what can and cannot be changed - not always a clear black and white distinction. When do we push, fight, rail against the gates of hell and turn the world upside down in order to bring about the desired change, and when to we accept and settle into the changes that this acceptance brings?
When indeed...
The second topic that has been on my mind (as I write my last paper for this year's DMin requirements) is desire - specifically, desire as a guide to deepening our spiritual journey. Many teachers have been prodding my thinking, and right now I'm finishing some time with Mark Epstein and his book "Open to Desire." Very interesting stuff - to be explored in another post.
I hope this has been a blessed time for you. For the next several weeks I plan to write this blog on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays - my own adjustment to being on a summer time schedule. This will free up a bit more time for reading and creative endeavors - which I hope will benefit us all.
May you find your path as you discern what requires acceptance, and what invites change.
With love and prayers,
Kim
No comments:
Post a Comment