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The Gift of Presence
Artwork by Arturo De Arrascaeta Penayo, age 13, Uruguay
Written by Lily Wang
"I can’t see you," I repeated for the 10th time.
Artwork by Arturo De Arrascaeta Penayo, age 13, Uruguay
Written by Lily Wang
"I can’t see you," I repeated for the 10th time.
Jacob Needleman, A Little Book on Love
The point is that a relationship is like a small world all by itself. In the world at large the seductive, hypnotic influences of life are completely separate from the influences that favor inner freedom. But in a relationship between two people sharing the search [for self], each one can act on the other in a way that brings one in front of a much broader range of human possibility.
A relationship is like a small world all by itself
Telling Your Story
"So long as human beings change and make history, so long as children are born and old people die, there will be tales to explain why sorrow darkens the day and stars fill the night. We invent stories about the origin and conclusion of life because we are exiles in the middle of time. The void surrounds us. We live within a parenthesis surrounded by question marks. Our stories and myths don't dispel ignorance, but they help us find our way, our place at the heart of the mystery. In the end, as in the beginning, there will be a vast silence, broken by the sound of one person telling a story to another."
Back to reading a full review of this book.
A look at how we invent stories to find meaning.
Georges Bernanos, Joy
To find joy in another's joy, that is the secret of happiness.
To find joy in another's joy
Ally-saurus & the First Day of School
Ally is a little girl who loves dinosaurs. She wears a dinosaur tail, has stuffed replicas of them, and pretends to eat and make sounds like them. While her parents are tolerant of this obsession, it does not make Ally's first day of school go very smoothly.
For every question, she has an answer related to dinosaurs. When Ally takes time to really listen to her classmates, she discovers that they have their favorite animals and obsessions just like her. School turns out to be a place where diversity is affirmed and enjoyed.
Writer and illustrator Richard Torry has a keen eye for the importance of openness as a key virtue for children to take to heart and to practice. Ally-saurus & The First Day of School is aimed at children from 3 through 6 years old.
An up-tempo affirmation of school as a place characterized by openness and diversity.
The Day the Crayons Came Home
The Waldorf Schools, based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, have "reverence" as a core value; they seek to teach students from the earliest ages about respect. For example, after using crayons, children are encouraged to carefully put the crayons back in a basket -- no leaving the colors on the table or throwing them carelessly around.
This kind of respect would be appreciated by the card-writers in The Day the Crayons Came Home, from the creators of the bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit.Young Duncan receives a batch of postcards in the mail. One is from Maroon crayon who was left on the couch where he got sat upon and broken in two. Pea Green felt neglected so he is traveling the world. Neon Red got left behind by a hotel pool during a vacation. Yellow and Orange were left outside where they melted together. Tan got eaten by the dog and puked up on the rug.
There are more cards, all of which make Duncan sad about all the crayons he has neglected over the years. He finally decides to make them welcome at home.
This delightful book will be enjoyed by people of all ages, whether you are currently using crayons (coloring is a big trend among adults) or remember fondly your time with them as children. A note on the flyleaf informs us that "The art for this book was made with crayons, the Postal Service, and a cardboard box."
A delightful book for people of all ages that encourages respect and empathy for crayons.
Intent Practice: The Sanctity of Support
Plan twenty minutes — perhaps during a walk, after yoga or meditation, or even when sitting quietly in your home with a cup of tea.
• Think about people in your life who could use your support: loved ones, your child's teacher, someone at work. Note that person (you can do this mentally or write it in a journal).
• Think of ways you can support that person in the next week, perhaps by having a conversation, making an introduction, gifting a spa treatment, or just letting him or her know you care.
• Over the next week act on your intent to support this person. Record your feelings as you embark on this journey.
• Having done that, and experienced what it means to give support, plan another twenty minutes to do the same kind of reflection about who can support you in your intents.
A practice for using intentions to support another person.
Celebrate Something Small in a Big Way
Celebrate something small in a big way. Did your five-year-old son lose his first tooth? Did a report you worked on lovingly get rave reviews from your boss? Did you finally clean up the yard? Celebrate. Now's the time.
Do something special. Go out for dinner to your favorite restaurant. Invite people with whom you'd like to share your joy and let them know what you're celebrating. Dress up and pull out all the stops. It doesn't have to be your birthday, your kid's birthday, your anniversary, or the Fourth of July to make a big deal about it.
Draw out the idea and think of something every day you could celebrate in this manner. (It doesn't mean you have to do it. It just means that you could do it.)
If you make a habit of doing this, the smallest events in your life take on greater significance and confer upon you greater pleasure.
Finding a reason to celebrate.
Irrational Generosity
This practice is best done with a friend.
One will do the practice,
And one will act as a witness and support
At a distance.
Go into a place where there are people you do not know:
A shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or park.
Compliment three people you have never met.
I love your nail polish.
Thank you for the radiant presence you bring to your job.
You have beautiful eyes.
Approach an old couple
And tell them how much love you can feel between them.
See how far you can step out on a limb
In spreading into this world a little more irrational generosity.
Do not upset anyone, but equally do not hold back.
Step beyond the habitual limits of socially acceptable restraint.
Stepping beyond the limits.
Intentional Christian Community Handbook
The communes of the 1960s and 1970s were set up by countercultural youth as an alternative to urban and suburban living, materialism, and rigid moral codes. Today we are seeing the rise of intentional Christian communities where believers band together around Jesus and each other. Clarence Jordan, founder of the Koinonia Partners years ago, characterized these communities as "demonstration plots of the kingdom."
David Janzen helped found New Creation Fellowship, a Christian intentional community in Newton, Kansas. In 1984, he and his wife moved to Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, Illinois, where Janzen now runs an affordable housing ministry. He has visited many Christian Intentional Communities and is familiar with the blessings, benefits, and challenges faced by these idealists who often share possessions and live in close proximity to each other.
The paperback is divided into six thematic sections on:
• The Yearning for Community in Context
• Is Intentional Community Your Calling?
• Before You Move in Together
• The First Year of Community
• Growing Tasks for a Young Community
• A Mature Community Becomes Soil for God's New Seeds
Among the important subject matter covered by Janzen are the Gospel call to discipleship in community; transforming conflict into solidarity; gender in community — conflict and synergy; decision-making, leadership, and paths to unity; creation care, food justice, and a common table; when people leave; sustaining prophetic vocations and families in community; and becoming accountable — visitations and community associations.
A comprehensive overview of the blessings and challenges of Intentional Christian communities.