Volume 37, #2
October 2021

Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!

 October 2021
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Called To Heal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Francis of Assisi

"We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way."

On Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T.S. Eliot

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge
we have lost in information?"

Messenger of the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelus Silesius

"You wander far afield,
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15think you must roam the earth
instead of diving deep into yourself
to find your real worth.

Nothing keeps you bound
except your Me —
until you break its chains,
its handcuffs and are free.

If you dare call Him ‘Father’ and
live in this reality,
you must become a new born child
and overcome duality."

On Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary H. Waldrip

     "It is important that people know what you stand for. It is equally important that they know what you won’t stand for."

Here for a Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whoopie Goldberg

     "I fear waking up one morning and finding out my life was all for nothing. We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. When you’re kind to someone in trouble, you hope they remember and are kind to someone else and so on. Soon it will be like a wildfire."

Ask Ourselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henri Nouwen, Catholic Digest, May 1993

     "When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand."

Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher News Notes, 7/’79

     "Forgiveness is choosing to love." Forgiveness is the first skill of self-giving love. It takes the hurt, acknowledges the problem, accepts the person and loves in the direction of resolving the situation.

     Forgiveness is not sentimental, not condescending, not self-righteous. Above all, forgiveness is not conditional."

Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex B. Osborne

     "Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and better ideas if our efforts are appreciated."

Do Something . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soundings, June ‘87, p. 22

     "There are two days in every week about which it is futile to worry. One is yesterday with its burdens and blunders. The other is tomorrow, which is beyond absolute control.

     That leaves us today, during which we can do something to make yesterday’s trials bearable or do nothing except dread what tomorrow will bring."

Somebody . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, Sept. ‘87, p. 11

"Somebody did a golden deed;
Squirell with mound of acorns - AutumnSomebody proved a friend in need;
Somebody sang a beautiful song;
Somebody smiled the whole day long;
Somebody thought ‘Tis sweet to live’;
Somebody said, ‘I’m glad to give’;
Somebody fought a valiant fight;
Somebody lived to shield the right;
Was that ‘somebody’ you?"

The Silent ‘P’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soundings, Dec. ‘86, p. 3

     "Someone once said that there is silent ‘p’ in the word ‘luck.’ All those who are lucky are really plucky. They are the kind of people who don’t stop trying in trying times. They don’t succeed because they are destined to succeed; they succeed because they are determined to succeed. They know the best way out of difficulty is through it."

Cheerfulness… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soundings, Vol. 3, #12, p. 5

     "Cheerfulness, courtesy, respect — if you live up to standard in these three…there’s not too much else to worry about…"

Gifted by God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Walton, Holiday Inn

     "Every man and woman alive is gifted by God in some special way. People who have a self-image of worth are going to see value in what they do. This is the attitude that motivates them to be and to do their best. It’s a drive that comes from within people."

Blaze a Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . José Albás

Blessed - group with blazing star overhead

"Don’t let your life be sterile.
Be useful.
Blaze a trail.
Shine forth with the light
of your faith and of your love."

St. Francis & the Novice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Sower’s Seeds, # 8

     Consider the case of the novice who wanted to possess a copy of a psalter. He desired to pray the psalms more often and meditate on them in the course of the day. But Francis was reluctant to give him Franciscan Tau crosspermission.…Francis said, "After you have a psalter, you will desire a breviary. Then you will sit in your chair, like a great prelate, and say to your brother, ‘bring me my breviary.’"

     When the novice still did not get the point Francis said, "My dear friend, in the past we had great heroes and warriors…and many famous knights. They endured great trials and faced bitter hardships.…Nowadays some bards go around who try to obtain honor, not by doing what these great men have done, but by singing about them. This may also be your temptation. Once you start reading books and talking about them, you will put your confidence in knowledge and not in virtuous deeds."
 

Sharpen the Axe . . . . . . . . . Jim Stole, Pulpit Helps, March 1998

     Some years ago a young man looking for work approached a foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "All depends," said the foreman. "Let’s see you chop this tree down." The young man stepped up and skillfully felled a great tree. The foreman was impressed and exclaimed, "You can start on Monday."

     Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck at the end of the day."

     Startled, the young man asked, "But I thought you paid on Friday’s?"

     "Normally we do," answered the foreman. "but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily production charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place by Wednesday."

     "But I’m a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and I’ve even worked through coffee breaks!"

     The foreman sensed the young man’s honest character and thought for a minute; then asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?"

     The young man, puzzled, replied, "Well, no sir, I’ve been working too hard to take time off to sharpen my axe."

     Isn’t that amazing! Here the young man worked diligently, arriving early, leaving late, yet his productionSharpen the Axe! and effectiveness diminished. All because he didn’t take the time to sharpen his axe when it became dulled.

     So how about you? Are you working too hard, or too busy to sharpen your own axe when it gets dull?

     How do you go about sharpening your axe? Daily prayer and regular bible study provide the grit to sharpen one’s life. They are what we need to maintain an edge in our lives that will effectively cut through the many physical and spiritual barriers we face daily. But we must take the time out each day in order to maintain this sharp edge in our lives.