CHALLENGES

I believe that realizing how very human we all are is a challenge.  I make mistakes, I lose things and I certainly forget things.  I need help to face my inadequacies but also the freedom to cry and to laugh; to be right and to be wrong.  My help does come from a source of gentle wisdom that prompts the spirit within me to reach out to others.

I think we all have similar values in life.
I value loving and meaningful relations which start with family.
I want to grow intellectually as I continue to grow in a deeper understanding of myself and others.
I need to be helpful and to do some acts of service with kindness and caring.
I find a spiritually enriched life the one that suits me best.

Theresa of Avila, a nun, used to say determination is the preeminent quality anyone must have who wants to find God.  God that word that can be so misused, as an exclamation of surprise or a cry for help.  God can be used as the authority by which we justify our actions.  I pray to the One who I call God,  with a trusting heart that i am heard and that I can bless others as I pray for them.  I believe in the God that Jesus spoke about as father of us all who loves unconditionally.

Words cannot express what the soul experiences.  I am completely aware of my humanness that I do not like to be criticized and that the words of others can offend me and that I have to learn not to let them to take root in my heart but like my bulbs that I just planted, let them disappear.  During the day I will feel many emotions that are both positive and negative.  Many worries come to my mind and I am thankful that as I pray the burden is lifted.

I talked to my brother on the phone last night.  He is a great believer in prayer.  He prayed for my family.  His wife Traudl is facing a lot of health problems at this time especially with her legs and knees.  She is hoping she will be able to continue skiing this year, as this has given her so much joy.  They cannot take the long hikes like they use to do and like dad and I they are slowing down.

One of the blessings of getting older is that pleasant memories of the past become more alive.  I am thankful for my mom and dad and my brother.  I am thankful for the days when life was simpler  and joy could be experience in the small things of everyday.