As much as I'm writing this blog to put down in writing the award I received, I am also writing it because of something I heard the key note speaker (I can't remember her name at the moment) say at the ceremony. She started her speech with the well known phrase, "You reap what you sow." Then she went on to charge her audience to think about the seeds of positivity that were sown in them and how they in turn are paying that germination process forward by planting those same seeds in others.
The seeds she had us reflect on are the Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. I thought I should pay my dues and reflect on moments in my life where I have witnessed these divine qualities in action. This reflection will hopefully show gratitude to the people in my life who have sown these seeds in me because from what they have taught me, I can in turn teach to others through my actions.
LOVE - I am so grateful for the love that I have in my life, and I am so grateful that I am capable of receiving and giving love. It is such a gift and blessing. I am not for want of love, that is for sure! In this last year, I have been fortunate enough to get to start a new loving relationship with my boyfriend Zach. The relationship that is growing between the two of us is unlike many of my expectations, but because I have had to change what I always thought love between two partners should look like, I'm learning a whole new kind of love. The love that we have for each other is coming from a completely new place in my heart that I didn't know was there. What an amazing opportunity to get to have this experience and learn this love!
JOY - I have two friends, John and Sonia, that I have always loved to watch because of how much they exude joy. Whatever lot they are handed in life, they both seem to find a way to make it completely joyful. I can picture the excited look on John's face when he's telling me about a new school project, a new song he's writing, a new idea he's planning for his family, something one of his kids has done, etc. I can see the look in Sonia's eyes whenever I see her that shows me the joy she feels for every moment in her life. I don't see the two of them too often anymore, but that doesn't take away the lessons I have learned from them to find joy in everything life gives us.
PEACE - One of my best friends teaches me how to live in peace just about every time I see her. Naomi's spirit is so serene and peaceful that I turn to her whenever my life starts to get hectic and seemingly out of control. She never ceases to remind me that I can stop and find peace whenever I need it because it is something that is inside every one of us. I think the reason she has been such an effective teacher of peace is because I have seen her when her life isn't peaceful and every time she manages to find her way back into the light to a moment when she can breath again. I use her example everyday to make my life more peaceful.
PATIENCE - The NorthSider crew that I hold close to my heart is a lively bunch! We're loud, opinionated, and in complete adoration of each other even when we're at odds with each other. We laugh, fight, and show our short tempers, but always come back for more. With its many personalities, I have seen many clashes, but there is one person that I can always think of who manages to stay neutral...Eric. Eric seems to be the peace keeper between all of us! But I could not list him as the person who has taught me peace because I think the reason he is so good at keeping all his relationships healthy is because he is patient with the people around him. I have seen Eric over the years have patience with almost every single one of us for one reason or another and I appreciate him for teaching me that. I sometimes forget to have patience with others.
KINDNESS - I have this distinct memory in my head. We were playing croquet at Hat Park (I have no idea what the real name of it is) many years ago. While we were there, Jeff befriended a man who had obviously been living in the park. We played until the sun dropped and the moonlight lit up our wickets. As the sun left, a chill came in and we left shivering and headed home to warm houses. As Jeff and I walked back to my little red convertible, I noticed that Jeff had dropped out of my peripheral vision. I turned around to see where he went and realized that he was giving the man his shirt so he could stay warm for the night. Jeff is literally so kind that he would give you the shirt off his back. This isn't the only act of kindness I have witnessed from Jeff over my lifetime, and that's why I appreciate and love him for teaching me what kindness looks like.
GOODNESS - It was a 4th of July afternoon almost 10 years ago. I met some of my friends at Wash Park for an impromptu game of croquet. While we were there, public drama ensued. A young man who was high on something (almost seemed to be a hallucinogen because he was completely out of his mind) decided to go streaking through the park. He harassed many different groups of people. To some he was threatening and to others he was an embarrassment. Everyone stopped and gawked. The police were called and many parents worked towards getting him indecent exposure tickets. The man ended up jumping into the lake after leading the cops on a chase through the park and the emergency diving squad was sent to get him out of the water. As I was standing there thinking, "What the hell is wrong with this man? What is he thinking? He is now going to have to register as a sex offender for exposing himself to people in the park. DUMB ASS!" I heard Kristine say something behind me. With her thoughtfully soft voice she said, "I wonder where his mom is or the other people out there who love him." I was completely taken aback. The whole time I was thinking this man was despicable and Kristine was seeing him as a good human being who was making a bad decision. She recognized that he is deserving of love. At that moment, I learned goodness. Thank you, Kristine!
FAITHFULNESS - When I think of faith, I think of my Mama and Papa. I can't help but think about all the faith they have had raising me and my sister. Don't get me wrong, we weren't horrible kids; we were just kids. But being a good parent means having faith that everything will work out. Having faith that they can send their daughter across the country for college and everything will be okay. Having faith that they can give their daughter the car keys and let her leave for the night, and even when she doesn't come home on time (which she'll get in trouble for later) she is okay because they have faith that they raised her to make smart decisions. But my parent's faith comes more from their faith in God and that's what amazes me. They have faith in every passing day that my sister and I are in God's hands and our life will live up to God's will. I hope to someday find that faith. I have been a student of it my whole life and I still look for it; I know they have faith that I will find it. :)
GENTLENESS - My friend Becky has a quote that I have heard her say more than once and it lives in my head, "Be gentle with each other; life is difficult." Okay, I should say that I am loosely paraphrasing her words. Basically what she has said that resonates with me is that life is hard. People are easily hurt. We all are trying to do our best and often fall short. We are hard on ourselves and we are often hard on other people. However, we can never completely know another person's experience so we should remember to BE GENTLE WITH EACH OTHER. Thank you for leaving that impression with me, Becky. I use it often. I always try to use my gentleness to remember that we are all doing the best we can from our own level of consciousness.
SELF-CONTROL - You guys, I'm currently struggling to think of the person who teaches me self-control! I don't want to down play any of the wonderful things I have seen in life that are the epitome of self-control, I just have to admit that I have unrealistic expectations of what it looks like. I am struggling with my own self-control, which means I am having a hard time recognizing it elsewhere! I am currently stuck in this faulty thinking that self-control means complete control. I can't help but beat myself up every time I fall. I'm getting there, but until I do, it's too hard for me to reflect back on who taught it to me by living it... So, give me some ideas. Where have you seen self-control?!
To every person in my life, thank you for sowing these seeds and many more in me. Even if you're not listed above, I most definitely have learned something wonderful from you that I promise to practice in my own life and hope that other people witness it and plant their own seeds. Please know that I had to stop typing because if I listed every moment I have seen one of these qualities in action, I'd never stop blogging!
lovemaura
LOVE - I am so grateful for the love that I have in my life, and I am so grateful that I am capable of receiving and giving love. It is such a gift and blessing. I am not for want of love, that is for sure! In this last year, I have been fortunate enough to get to start a new loving relationship with my boyfriend Zach. The relationship that is growing between the two of us is unlike many of my expectations, but because I have had to change what I always thought love between two partners should look like, I'm learning a whole new kind of love. The love that we have for each other is coming from a completely new place in my heart that I didn't know was there. What an amazing opportunity to get to have this experience and learn this love!
JOY - I have two friends, John and Sonia, that I have always loved to watch because of how much they exude joy. Whatever lot they are handed in life, they both seem to find a way to make it completely joyful. I can picture the excited look on John's face when he's telling me about a new school project, a new song he's writing, a new idea he's planning for his family, something one of his kids has done, etc. I can see the look in Sonia's eyes whenever I see her that shows me the joy she feels for every moment in her life. I don't see the two of them too often anymore, but that doesn't take away the lessons I have learned from them to find joy in everything life gives us.
PEACE - One of my best friends teaches me how to live in peace just about every time I see her. Naomi's spirit is so serene and peaceful that I turn to her whenever my life starts to get hectic and seemingly out of control. She never ceases to remind me that I can stop and find peace whenever I need it because it is something that is inside every one of us. I think the reason she has been such an effective teacher of peace is because I have seen her when her life isn't peaceful and every time she manages to find her way back into the light to a moment when she can breath again. I use her example everyday to make my life more peaceful.
PATIENCE - The NorthSider crew that I hold close to my heart is a lively bunch! We're loud, opinionated, and in complete adoration of each other even when we're at odds with each other. We laugh, fight, and show our short tempers, but always come back for more. With its many personalities, I have seen many clashes, but there is one person that I can always think of who manages to stay neutral...Eric. Eric seems to be the peace keeper between all of us! But I could not list him as the person who has taught me peace because I think the reason he is so good at keeping all his relationships healthy is because he is patient with the people around him. I have seen Eric over the years have patience with almost every single one of us for one reason or another and I appreciate him for teaching me that. I sometimes forget to have patience with others.
KINDNESS - I have this distinct memory in my head. We were playing croquet at Hat Park (I have no idea what the real name of it is) many years ago. While we were there, Jeff befriended a man who had obviously been living in the park. We played until the sun dropped and the moonlight lit up our wickets. As the sun left, a chill came in and we left shivering and headed home to warm houses. As Jeff and I walked back to my little red convertible, I noticed that Jeff had dropped out of my peripheral vision. I turned around to see where he went and realized that he was giving the man his shirt so he could stay warm for the night. Jeff is literally so kind that he would give you the shirt off his back. This isn't the only act of kindness I have witnessed from Jeff over my lifetime, and that's why I appreciate and love him for teaching me what kindness looks like.
GOODNESS - It was a 4th of July afternoon almost 10 years ago. I met some of my friends at Wash Park for an impromptu game of croquet. While we were there, public drama ensued. A young man who was high on something (almost seemed to be a hallucinogen because he was completely out of his mind) decided to go streaking through the park. He harassed many different groups of people. To some he was threatening and to others he was an embarrassment. Everyone stopped and gawked. The police were called and many parents worked towards getting him indecent exposure tickets. The man ended up jumping into the lake after leading the cops on a chase through the park and the emergency diving squad was sent to get him out of the water. As I was standing there thinking, "What the hell is wrong with this man? What is he thinking? He is now going to have to register as a sex offender for exposing himself to people in the park. DUMB ASS!" I heard Kristine say something behind me. With her thoughtfully soft voice she said, "I wonder where his mom is or the other people out there who love him." I was completely taken aback. The whole time I was thinking this man was despicable and Kristine was seeing him as a good human being who was making a bad decision. She recognized that he is deserving of love. At that moment, I learned goodness. Thank you, Kristine!
FAITHFULNESS - When I think of faith, I think of my Mama and Papa. I can't help but think about all the faith they have had raising me and my sister. Don't get me wrong, we weren't horrible kids; we were just kids. But being a good parent means having faith that everything will work out. Having faith that they can send their daughter across the country for college and everything will be okay. Having faith that they can give their daughter the car keys and let her leave for the night, and even when she doesn't come home on time (which she'll get in trouble for later) she is okay because they have faith that they raised her to make smart decisions. But my parent's faith comes more from their faith in God and that's what amazes me. They have faith in every passing day that my sister and I are in God's hands and our life will live up to God's will. I hope to someday find that faith. I have been a student of it my whole life and I still look for it; I know they have faith that I will find it. :)
GENTLENESS - My friend Becky has a quote that I have heard her say more than once and it lives in my head, "Be gentle with each other; life is difficult." Okay, I should say that I am loosely paraphrasing her words. Basically what she has said that resonates with me is that life is hard. People are easily hurt. We all are trying to do our best and often fall short. We are hard on ourselves and we are often hard on other people. However, we can never completely know another person's experience so we should remember to BE GENTLE WITH EACH OTHER. Thank you for leaving that impression with me, Becky. I use it often. I always try to use my gentleness to remember that we are all doing the best we can from our own level of consciousness.
SELF-CONTROL - You guys, I'm currently struggling to think of the person who teaches me self-control! I don't want to down play any of the wonderful things I have seen in life that are the epitome of self-control, I just have to admit that I have unrealistic expectations of what it looks like. I am struggling with my own self-control, which means I am having a hard time recognizing it elsewhere! I am currently stuck in this faulty thinking that self-control means complete control. I can't help but beat myself up every time I fall. I'm getting there, but until I do, it's too hard for me to reflect back on who taught it to me by living it... So, give me some ideas. Where have you seen self-control?!
To every person in my life, thank you for sowing these seeds and many more in me. Even if you're not listed above, I most definitely have learned something wonderful from you that I promise to practice in my own life and hope that other people witness it and plant their own seeds. Please know that I had to stop typing because if I listed every moment I have seen one of these qualities in action, I'd never stop blogging!
lovemaura
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