Words of Wisdom?

Reposted from February 12, 2024

There’s a parable that Jesus tells in the Christian gospel of Matthew. For years it left me troubled. This is my summary of that parable, which Jesus said illustrated what the Kingdom of God is like. (NB. One way of thinking about “Kingdom of God” is “When all things are well, when all things are very well.”)

A landowner went out at dawn and found workers to work in his vineyard. He offered to pay them a denarius for the day’s work, and by all accounts that was a fair wage. They agreed.  But, this landowner went back out at 9 AM, at noon, at 3 PM and at 5 PM, and each time, he found workers whom no one had hired.  He asked them why they were standing about, and they said–because we can’t find work. Each time, he said–come to my vineyard. I have work for you.  At 6 PM, he told his foreman to pay the workers one denarius each, beginning with those who came last and ending with those who were first hired.  By the time the first to be hired were paid, they were grumbling. They had expected to get more since those who came last got the same denarius they were promised. The landowner heard them and said to them: why are you envious because I am generous with my own money?

There is a pattern in this story. It’s a pattern that has taken me a long time to understand. The pattern is this: see; notice; and witness.  See. Notice. Witness. 

These three words, all of which have something to do with our capacity for perception, describe what I think happens in us when the energy of equity and justice begins to flow through us.

We see or otherwise perceive someone or something.  

We begin to notice things about that someone or something that we had never noticed before.

And we feel compelled to act–to give witness to what we have seen and noticed. 

The landowner in the parable saw some people who were looking for work, and he hired them for the day. 

He noticed that there were more people all through the day, through no fault of their own, looking for work. And so he hired them, too.

At the end of the day, he decided that based on what he had seen, their circumstances all called for living wages, and they had all been willing to work.  They were all beginning the struggle for wages at different beginning places. He took action. He chose to pay them all a day’s wage. Why not?  He could. They needed it. And so he did. 

He saw. He noticed. He gave witness.

~Bob Patrick

Reposted from February 5, 2024

My Heart 

For the holidays this year Bob gave each of us in our family a gemstone heart and a satchel to carry it in. He talked to us about the energy given and received from the gemstone and his intention with the gifts. For him, it was a way to stay connected with those he loved.

Mine is in my purse in its satchel. I take it out in traffic,  parking lots, and when I enter and leave my car. I hold it in church and when I am waiting for appointments. I hold it when I am a passenger on trips. Recently I have found myself thinking about it when it is not on me or with me. I hesitate to put it in my pocket since I don’t have pockets in all of my outfits nor do I wear the same outfit each day. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry although I have thought about wearing gemstones from time to time. I probably am starting down that road now.

What I have noticed about myself with the heart in my hand is that I am focussed on its presence and its energy. I am more calm and think with clarity about how I can generate the love and compassion I wish for in my life. I think about showing more compassion to folks who might walk past me or greet me. I think about healing and forgiveness and find myself praying more for both. I think about how I can be more peaceful and champion peace in my encounters each day. 

I think this month I am going to set my intention more on justice and equity. Blessed be. 

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.

What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

~Lydia Patrick

Reposted from January 29, 2024

My first love was, and continues to be, music. My mom played a big role in helping develop this love by enrolling me in Mommy & Me keyboard lessons starting around age 4, and by continuing to give the gift of piano lessons for the next 10+ years. She introduced me to Stephen Sondheim musicals and to her favorite Beatles songs and 70s hits. My dad and sister introduced me to plenty of music artists, too – from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Ace of Base and The Cranberries. 

I had a boom box and a walkman as early as I can remember, and I listened to my growing collection of tapes and CDs constantly. I learned all the lyrics to my favorite songs and always sang along. To this day, if you ever see me driving, you’ll see me whole-heartedly singing along with whatever I have playing on my stereo. 

I am a very feeling person (a very stereotypical Cancer, if you’re into astrology) and I think that is why I have such love for music – it’s an outlet for my wide range of big feelings. Music is liberating for me – it can make me smile and even laugh or tear up with joy, it can be a place to feel and release my anger, sadness, and grief, and it can fill me with nostalgia or contemplation and wonder. 

I love how connecting music can be, too. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being in a space where people are hearing and feeling and appreciating music together, whether it’s at a concert or in a sanctuary or even gathering around a busker on a busy sidewalk.

Practicing or participating in the creation of music is a form of self-care for me. I still play piano and have dabbled with the guitar, bass, drums, viola, and cello over the years – but my primary instrument now is my voice. Being able to be a part of our congregational choir is such a joy, and I always look forward to and cherish the time spent with them on Tuesdays and Sundays. 

I’m so grateful for all the roles music plays in my life! It’s been a wonderful companion, and I hope I’m able to enjoy it in one form or another until my last moments of life.

~Jenn Yi