All Acts Have Spiritual Side
The season of Advent is upon us. You might be interested in checking out a fascinating book, “Embracing Our Essence: Spiritual Conversations with Prominent Women.” The book’s author, Susan Skog, underwent neck surgery and during her months of recovery “went deep within.”
She writes: “I began to better understand the rich history, and quiet confidence, of those who relied more on the Divine, often mysterious strength available to us all.” She interviewed 30 women about their spiritual journeys and then asked them to write about those journeys in short essays. Here’s a sampling of one of those essays, written by Rachel Naomi Remen, a doctor who founded a cancer support program in California.
“The way we live is our spiritual practice. It’s about how we treat someone in the supermarket and how we perceive the ordinary world around us. We are always on sacred ground. Even putting a bowl of tomato soup before your child for lunch is a sacred act through which you participate in life and invest in the future of humanity.
“One of the great teachings is that the doorway to the profound is through the simple. It’s not in the dramatic or even the miraculous. The real spiritual stuff is more ordinary than that.”
Get involved: Neighborhood Accountability Boards meet with more than 2,000 juveniles a year who have committed minor offenses such as shoplifting, possession of alcohol and assault. The program allows juveniles to stay out of the court system but still be held responsible for their actions. These boards do important work. They help young people see how their actions impact the entire community. Spokane County Juvenile Court is looking for “caring adults with exceptional communication skills” who are willing to work on these boards. Volunteers receive 21 hours of training and orientation. For more information, contact Susan Cairy at 458-2469.
Another view: We were about to begin a talk at the Change Point program when we grumbled about the wide post (almost a half wall) that stands in the middle of the classroom at The Lodge on SFCC’s campus.
Here in this room, women going through major life changes gather to learn lifestyle and job skills. We asked the women to pick one object in the room and write about it. A woman named Dee chose the post and we’ll never grumble about it again!
She wrote: “The wall in the middle of the room seemed at first to be a barrier for both the speaker and the audience. However, for me, it has turned out to be an asset as it has caused the audience to move around to make seeing and hearing the speaker better. It has caused the speakers to move around the room to see the group better. We have all relaxed and enjoyed each session more by the freedom of expression the wall has brought out in all of us!”
Is there something or someone in your life you thought of one way (negative) and then saw in a more positive light because someone else did? Let us know.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing