Facing the Unknowns in Our Lives

Charleston: Facing the Unknown

“Facing the unknown is not quite so hard when we consider how much of our life is lived in the heart of mystery. We do not know what may come our way in the next five minutes, much less the next five days. We are given all the tools and skills we need to navigate this reality, but the essence of it always eludes our final grasp.

This is why trust is our currency, and wisdom is our direction. We are explorers. We are travelers of the mind and seafarers of the heart. When we follow the Spirit, the unknown is only a bend in the road.”—Steven Charleston’s Facebook Page.

Bishop Charleston reminds us that even when we think we have made all the plans for our day, something different always happens. It can be just a minor annoyance from a problematic person, a printer problem, or a more serious event, such as an illness, an accident, or even death. We fool ourselves if we think we are in control. I have a friend who says, “I am fine if I have all my ducks in a row.” But, of course, he also says, “But that never happens.”

When we decide to follow the Spirit, what 12-step groups call “doing the next right thing,” we have a chance at a life of peace and surrender to what is happening at that moment. That is living in the present. The precious present.

 This is our gift each day from the God of love. We are to be present in each situation, without worrying about the past or dreading the future. Living in the present is where God meets and speaks to us. In the present moment, we open ourselves to connecting with the Christ within us and the Christ in our neighbor.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Charleston: Gladness, Gratefulness, Acceptance, Peace

Charleston: Gladness, Gratefulness, Acceptance, Peace

rise and shine. joanna campbell

“Be glad today for the many small graces that line the path of our lives like flowers. Be open to the surprises that may come, and alert to the quiet messages whispered on the wind. Be creative in shaping your life in these few hours, for every day is a blank canvas. Be a blessing to others as the night draws near, and let your evening prayers keep them safe until you awake again.”—Steven Charleston, Facebook Page.

joanna campbell

Every day, we have choices. First, we can obsess over the past, what we have lost, and the mistakes we have made. Second, we can obsess over the future and what we will lose, especially as we age or fall into new mistakes. The past and potential future become our “gods, taking up rent in our heads”—consuming all our time and energy. Our minds keep racing to plan and solve.

Our third choice is to live consciously, moment by moment, in the now. We can enjoy, treasure, and give thanks for each day’s gifts, which come to us in each present moment. This involves an impressive awareness of our surroundings and relationships, an enlargement of our worldview, and getting “out of ourselves.” The challenge is not to forget our mistakes, but to learn from them and make them less often in the future.

Accepting ourselves as works in progress, not as works seeking perfection, is enormous. Acceptance that there is a power greater than ourselves caring for us is paramount. I talk daily with people upset about plans that weren’t going their way, only to become later thankful because “their plan” would have been destructive.

I think of old boyfriends I obsessed over who ignored me as a teenager. I realize today that my life would have been a disaster with any of them. I think of people who came and continue to come into my life to change my direction when I go down the wrong path. I think of people who cared for our children when we couldn’t, or weren’t the ones they needed at the time.

ann gornatti garden

As we age, we may find ourselves filled with anxiety from contemplating the deterioration of health, the death of a spouse, or living on a fixed income, and now living in a time of destructive weather due to climate change. There are so many uncertainties.

We have a part to play in overcoming this. First, we must do our best to keep ourselves healthy through diet, exercise, and proper medical care. But then, our best response should be to wake up each morning with gratitude for the gifts of another day together.  

Acceptance and gratitude are our cornerstones, the primary building blocks to peace and serenity.

 I am writing this so I will continue to remember it.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Thanksgiving: A Day to Listen

Thanksgiving: a Day to Listen

“To listen is very hard because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.”—Henri Nouwen in Bread for the Journey (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997).

As we gather today, sometimes with fewer family members than usual, this is the perfect time to sit back and listen. Having smaller groups to listen to will make this easier. Listening is at the heart of being a spiritual friend. Thanksgiving is a day to pay closer attention to the person or persons with whom we have the privilege to celebrate the day. Even if we are alone, we can call someone and listen.

Nouwen reminds us that listening does not mean waiting for our turn to talk. Instead, it is letting someone else know you are offering the gift of your energy and time to be present and attentive.

Some think it may be easier for introverts, but in reality, introverts may still be processing what they want to say while others are talking, and therefore, they are only pseudo-listening. On the other hand, extroverts may have difficulty responding directly to what they hear, as they process it more on the outside.  

The answer is simply to practice listening, even for a few hours daily. It is an art form that must be repeated consciously every day until it becomes as unconscious as brushing our teeth. Thanksgiving is a good day to start.

We have grown up in a multitasking world where we learn to do many things simultaneously: eating while we work or watching television, working on several projects, attempting to solve multiple problems simultaneously, glancing at emails, texting, or searching on our phones while we are sitting down to meet with others. While someone is talking to us, we may think about how we will solve another problem as soon as we move on to the next person or meeting.

Living in the present and active listening are becoming lost arts. We must practice them intentionally. My experience is that making eye contact helps keep us focused on the person or people we listen to. We are actively “seeking” Christ, both visibly and invisibly, within others, who can be revealed only as we begin to realize Christ within ourselves.

The art of listening is a gift to ourselves and all we know and meet. Margaret Guenther calls it Holy Listening. St. Benedict calls it “listening with the ear of our heart.”

This is my Thanksgiving Prayer: that each of us can begin “holy listening with each other with the ear of our heart.”

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/