Joan's Jottings
September 2009
Jottings
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing upset you.
Everything changes.
God alone is unchanging
With patience, all things are possible.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone is enough.
St. Teresa of Avila
“Bookmark Prayer”
Greetings All. Happy New Year!
This is the time of year when everything is so new, even for us “old timers”. We look forward to the year, aware of some things that are normal: classes, tests, breaks, and weekends. There will be many things happen that we cannot anticipate. We will have several challenges, especially learning new skills and theory. There will be many possibilities for growth and change, maybe even some new preferences, likes or dislikes. We have a whole new year and world before us.
It is so much easier to look back over a year and ask ourselves: “What was most growthful for me? What was the easiest? What was the most difficult, and why?” Reflection on our experiences is sometimes more comfortable than going through the experience itself.
Why should we be considering any of this as we begin a new year, with new people, new possibilities, and new challenges? Because, with anything new, whether or not we admit it to ourselves, or one another, there is some discomfort, a few fuzzies, even fears. They are natural, normal, and okay.
These discomforts are what normally draw us to God, whoever our God may be. He will not going to save us from them or rescue us. I am sure God is delighted when one of us wants to “talk things over with Him”. As we grow in wisdom, we know that God is right there, struggling along with us. “God never changes.”
Have a good ’09-10 year.
Blessings,
Joan S. Lanahan
Chaplain
JSL:cda
JOTTINGS May 2009
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing upset you.
Everything changes.
God alone is unchanging.
With patience all things are possible.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone is enough.
St. Teresa of Avila, “Bookmark Prayer”
There is always so much going on in our lives, so many events, lots of people. We experience so much throughout our daily lives. We often don’t have time, or take time, to assimilate our experiences. Then comes one event, POW, and we lose perspective.
This happened to me last week. I thoughtlessly ate some delicious chicken that sat in my refrigerator two days too long. I became very sick, and was laid up, flat on my back, for several days. Two liters of electrolytes, and some acupuncture later, my body was back in balance.
All that time, I kept repeating St. Teresa’s words:
“Let nothing disturb you
… God alone is unchanging
… God alone is enough”
It seems so absurd that my week was such a mess. Nothing I had planned could happen. I was angry, disappointed, frustrated, and helpless because my body couldn’t work as I wanted.
You know what I found out? I had to take time for myself. I was too engrossed in my own pell-mell activities; that I let my body, but more importantly, my spirit, become unbalanced.
Take a moment and think. Have you had an event or incident stop you lately? What do you do when that happens? This, being May, is a great month of change. There are graduations, weddings, end of semester exams, maybe the start of a new job or looking for work. This is a fun, but also stressful time. It’s hard to stay balanced.
Remember –
Live in the NOW moment,
Take a few deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed,
Gift yourself with a few minutes of reflection each day,
and……
when you feel you’re getting out of sync, remember these words from
St. Teresa’s prayer –
“Let nothing disturb you…
God alone is unchanging.”
Congratulations Graduates! Enjoy your summer, and its change of pace.
Joan S. Lanahan
May 2009
JSL:cda
Holy Week and Easter 2009
This is Paschal Mystery time. We are in the midst of Jesus giving his life for us with love. We can also look forward to Jesus’ Resurrection. In his Death and Resurrection he teaches us that light comes through darkness. No matter how many times we go through little dyings, and some may be big like the death of a loved one, there can be new life, Resurrection.
These last few weeks I have shared time with several folks who are living Lent. They are in a time of darkness or bleakness in their lives. You know how hard it is when these times happen in our lives. It is so important to support one another as we walk through dark times. When we are in darkness, it is important to look for signs of light.
There is light that will eventually happen. One person went to a therapist who spoke of looking at life a bit less intensely and that helped. Another person talked through the problem(s) with a friend and found new ways to deal with the situation. Another changed his perspective on the situation and found great comfort.
God leads us to Resurrection moments when we trust enough to share ourselves, our questions, our problems with others who can listen, maybe give us new insight, but primarily listen. We each have inside of us the wisdom to work through difficult times. We can ask God for the courage to share our darkness with another, for the good ears and heart to hear new ideas, insight and perspective(s), and for openness to receive God’s love and compassion.
Here is a prayer poem by a 14th century Persian, Hafiz:
Forever Dance
I am happy even before I have a reason.
I am full of Light even before the Sky can greet the Sun or the Moon.
Dear companions,
We have been in love with God for so very, very long. What can Hafiz (or I) now do but Forever Dance! Have a good Easter vacation. Cheers,
Joan
JL:ca
November 24, 2008
THANKSGIVING PRAYER
O DIVINE GIFT GIVER,
I stand beneath the endless waterfall of your abundant gifts to me.
I thank you especially for the blessing of life, the most precious of all gifts to me.
Grant that I may never greet a new day without the awareness of some gift for which to give you thanks. Anonymous
This is the season for Thanksgiving. Did you ever hear that God loves our prayers of Gratitude?
God probably does not need to hear our Thanks. We need to say THANKS.
When we thank God we are recognizing God as our Giver of Gifts, our Creator. We are acknowledging that we, humans, are dependent on God’s gracious love.
Have you ever thought of God’s magnificent love for you? You know the words of Isaiah:
“Can a mother forget her infant,
Be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.
See, upon the palms of my hand
I have written your name… Is 49:15-16
Paul Coutinho, S.J., author of “How Big Is Your God”, talks of his student days and asking the Scripture professor, “does that mean that we are tattooed on God’s hands?” The professor was taken aback and said he would ask a Rabbi. Later the professor reported that the Rabbi said, “Yes, that means tattooed on God’s hands”. Think of that reality. Look at your hands. You can meditate with your hands and God’s hands and your name written on God’s hands. That is an awesome metaphor for God’s great, undying love for you, for me.
What else can we say except, “Thanks Gracious God”.
Joan S. Lanahan
September 2008
Greetings All. Every once in a while you will receive a JOTTINGS note on Spirituality from me. I hope it is helpful. Today’s note on PRAYER was inspired by reading some of Mary Oliver’s poetry and attending the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The latter is the “official” opening of the school year in all Jesuit Universities.
PRAYING
It doesn’t have to be
The blue iris, it could be
Weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
Small stones; just
Pay attention, then patch
A few words together and don’t try
To make them elaborate, this isn’t
A contest but the doorway
Into thanks, and a silence in which
Another voice may speak.
Mary Oliver from THIRST, published in 2006
Ms Oliver’s idea is so simple that it is beautiful.
When we pray we bring our thoughts in simple straightforward words to God. We don’t need to make a sermon or use huge words or pray with formal prayers we memorized. All of those are good. We can also just say simple words that express where we are in the moment..and say “thanks”…and then wait and listen for a response. God’s response to us comes in our hearts or maybe a spot of nature that means something special to us or an insight or a word that someone says that triggers, “ah, that is what God is saying to me.”
One of my sisters was praying the rosary once when she was greatly upset. She said as she prayed she saw an image of a very peaceful lady. By the end of the rosary, she was peaceful and knew that “all will be well”.
A friend told me about coming home from her Mother’s funeral and sitting in a favorite chair, so sad. She looked out the window and there was a bluebird sitting on the windowsill. That brought her great peace.
This year, take a few minutes each day. Talk to God. Say THANKS. Wait and listen throughout the day for God’s response. God speaks in the “still small voice”.
Have a grand semester.
Cheers, Joan
Sept. 10, 2008
May 2008
I came to love you too late
I came to love you too late. Oh beauty, so ancient and so new.
Yes, I came to love you too late. What did I know? You were inside me,
and I was out of my body and mind, looking for you.
You called to me and cried to me; you broke the bowl of my deafness;
you uncovered your beams, and threw them at me; you rejected my blindness;
you blew a fragrant wind on me, and I sucked in my breath and wanted you;
I tasted you and now I want you as I want food and water; you touched me,
and I have been burning ever since to have your peace.
St. Augustine
PRESENCE
We want to be compassionate caregivers. We hope to Be Present to our clients, patients, loved ones, and friends. We strive to listen with attention to others.
Creighton’s Mission Statement speaks of “respect”. We’re taught that respect for the whole person is the ground of ethical care. With respect, we try to listen to another’s heart, to hear what’s beneath another’s fear, anger or depression. We want to BE PRESENT.
So often we get trapped in our duties or roles. We have so much to get done in a day, an hour that our functional self revs up to action. What can help us balance our functional self??
Take time to reverence ourselves so we can reverence others. Be Present to the PRESENCE within.
‘The Spirit is so near that you can’t see it!
But reach for it…
Don’t be a jar, full of water,
whose rim is always dry.
Don’t be the rider, who gallops all night,
and never sees the horse that is beneath him.’
Rumi
Take time alone, in silence. Begin with 5-10 minutes a day. Let your “to-do list” go for a few minutes. Breathe deeply and ask your heart --
“Where am I seeing you, God?
Where do I want to be open to you, God?
Thank you God.”
When we are Present to ourselves and God within us, we can be more PRESENT to others. Blessings for a fruitful and joyful summer. Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses!
Joan S. Lanahan
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