I Know Who You Are!

"I know who you are, the Holy One of God." ~ Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1

Today’s gospel reading from Mark has the man with the unclean spirit crying out in recognition of Jesus and who He is. Somehow even the dark side knows the Good side and with fear asks if Jesus has come to destroy the darkness. Jesus simply and quietly demands that the spirit leave the poor soul alone and come out of him.

The people wonder if Jesus has a new authority that they have never seen. Have you ever in your life experienced a personality like that? I have heard some amazing people throughout the course of my life, Jean Vanier, Stephen Lewis, Rosemary and Vincent Harding, and some not so famous but still elegantly blessed folks. I have seen them hold entire audiences captive, silently hanging on to every word they say.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to really sit in front of Jesus and have a conversation with him. Having done the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, this prayer style is familiar to me but to have it happen in actuality must be truly wondrous. His authority would be such a gift.

Who can capture your attention completely? Who can help drive out the darkness in your life with authority that blesses you? Who do you recognize as Holy in your life?

Peace,

Suzanne

Life-Long Learning

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ~ Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

After thirty years of working as an interpreter, you will still find me at most professional development opportunities AND I will still learn something. Today was no exception. Two esteemed colleagues were leading a session on developing your own professional development plan. They were witty, entertaining and challenging.

Dr. Seuss has it right! The more you learn the more places you will go, so off to learn I go!

Peace,

Suzanne

Random Quote

"Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee, and do not try to make the universe a blind alley." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have just pulled this quote randomly from one of my sources. When I took a writing class from Lauren Winner one summer in BC, she suggested doing something similar. I did not really have anything in mind tonight so I thought I would try this.

Interestingly enough, the quote is relevant to my day. I have decided to give three of my junior colleagues an opportunity to job shadow me. As I near retirement, I think it is a good learning experience for them and for me. I might even be inspired by what they bring to my job!

Opening doors is important, especially if they do not lead out to some deep, dark hole in which one hurts themselves.

Peace,

Suzanne

Where Are You Going?

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the only one who'll decide where you'll go." ~ Dr. Seuss

I steered myself in the wrong direction this morning. I was driving, literally on automatic pilot. I frowned as I approached the federal prison. I was supposed to be heading north alright, just one highway to the west. Sigh.

I had brains in my head and feet in my boots (at this time of year) and I was on my own, knowing I could at some point turn off and cut across the prairie to the right highway. It ended up being a pretty drive—and the most winter I have seen on the road all year. I could tell not too many people chose the road I did to cut over on from the lack of other tire tracks. When I reached the end of that road, I realized why. The remainder of the road was closed so I had to scoot up a bit and continue to zigzag along the road that passed alongside the snow-covered fields.

Sometimes when you make these choices you are surprised. I was indeed. Heading towards me was a huge house on wheels. It took up the entire road so I had to beetle over to the shoulder and stop just to ensure we passed safely.

Life is like that though. I have got brains to get me through the events of the day and feet that get me walking along, even when sometimes I would rather put my feet up and chill. When I arrived at the school, the student, who has special needs, was delighted to see me. She loved my purple skirt and kept trying to smell the flowers on it. At one point, she tried to lift up my shirt so that she could smell the flowers under it. I stopped her, saying, “You can’t go around looking at people’s belly buttons!” That made her laugh right out loud, which in turn caused me to smile. I know what I know and sometimes it is that laughter makes an awkward situation better. The teacher even chuckled to himself at his desk at our exchange.

Where have you decided you are going these days?

Peace,

Suzanne

Unused Life

“I've led such a little life. And even that will be over pretty soon. I have allowed myself to lead this little life, when inside me there was so much more. And it's all gone unused. And now it never will be. Why do we get all this life if we don't ever use it? Why do we get all these feelings and dreams and hopes if we don't ever use them? That's where Shirley Valentine disappeared to. She got lost in all this unused life." ~ Shirley Valentine in play of the same name

Friends and I went to see the theatre production of Shirley Valentine last night. Played brilliantly by Nicola Cavendish, Shirley has the audience in stitches within minutes. On occasion though, you can almost feel a tear well up in the more serious moments like this reflection above.

As we walked back to the car, raving about the play, I mused that it is really a very sad play, despite all the comical moments. I insisted that I would not want my friend to come and tell me that she was bolting off to Greece and having an affair because she was bored with her husband. Yes, she finds the long-lost Shirley Valentine in the process but that comes at a great price. Many marriages and friendships die a slow and painful death due to routine and monotony. People stop infusing joy and newness into their relationships.

Living fully is a challenge—one I have tried to undertake seriously. Life is big and there are so many options. Today's is the first anniversary of the deaths of my uncle and my sister-in-law's sister. They both touched a lot of lives in different ways and I know they chased after some dreams and hopes. I pray that when I die no one laments that I got lost in an unused life.

Peace,

Suzanne

Fishers of People

“Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” ~ Jesus the Christ


In today’s gospel of Mark, we see the urgency that is present. Jesus is a man of action in this Gospel. The word immediately appears constantly—in these six verses, we see it twice. Immediately, the fishermen leave their nets and their father and follow Jesus.

One interesting aspect of this story is that Jesus does not ask them to stop being fisherman; instead he changes the catch. From now on, they will not be looking for fish. Does God do that with us too in our vocations? Does God ask us to be present in whatever task we do to the duty of catching people? I am not particularly evangelical in my faith. I just try to live it out and hope that people see something appealing.

My workplace is somewhat in shambles and I have begun to wonder anew about what is my task there as a Christian. We had an incident happen on Friday that was painful for one of the staff –the one with whom I have been at odds. I still feel badly for her though. I heard via a colleague that she cried all the way home. May grace penetrate and enlighten her so that she can see the lessons that might be gleaned.

What about you? Is there anything in your life that you would immediately leave given the opportunity to do something greater? What or who would compel you to do that? Sometimes it is helpful to know so that we are not deceived by something or someone that is not worth leaving everything and everyone for.

Peace,

Suzanne

En la belleza del momento

“That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.” ~ Nino de L’Enclos

I am reading Stephanie Staples' book, When Enlightening Strikes: Creating a Mindset for Uncommon Success, when I go to bed. It is a great way to end my day because she usually has a positive or thought-provoking message to consider. The above quote precedes a story of her daughter’s wish to go on a mission trip and how a lesson unfolded for Stephanie when she joined her on the journey. Her daughter graduated from high school and then, within 24 hours, they were on a plane to Central America, a place near and dear to my own heart, even if they went to a different country than the one I love.

The story goes that Stephanie did not really want to go for the same reasons lots of us don’t do such things. As often is the case, Stephanie was in for a big surprise about the power of love. The daughter who had recently been dressed for the ball was now a dirty, sweaty Cinderella but it was really her mother who was about to be transformed watching her child navigate the people and poverty while building bridges of the non-physical kind.

I remember my trips to Guatemala with a fondness I cannot describe. I mentioned it at my 50th birthday party as a highlight of my life. Like Stephanie’s daughter, the children literally lapped up every ounce of love that I could give them, and stole my own heart in the process. I was the “shampoo lady” because I had brought bubbles with me that they chased in hopes of breaking them. I painted their faces, made them balloon animals, twirled them around, tickled them to death, and laughed endlessly at their antics. I learned the meaning of the Spanish phrase "en la belleza del momento"--in the beauty of the moment--in a new light that summer.

These were not clean children, but they were beautiful and I loved each of them. Building them a new home was not half as important in some ways as building their self-esteem and confidence. Tonight I am left wondering how they are and what has become of them. They are but a handful of children in the midst of a global village who need our help and our love. They have terrific parents who live in extreme poverty due to war and violence. May God bless them all, wherever they are and whatever they are doing. May beautiful memories of our time together always be good.

Peace,

Suzanne