Thursday, September 8th, 2011: I am grateful for time spent in reflection. A new element to being an additional year in JVC in DC is meeting with a Spiritual guru, Bill. He isn't our spiritual director (but can be, if we want) but instead he is in charge of challenging us to dive deeper into our spirituality. Bill came over last night for the first time and brought pizza and some reflective prompts for us to go through. During the reflection, we each got to say when we've felt God in our lives, we read the bible passage John 1: 35-41 (placed ourselves in the story), reflected on the bible passage and then closed with Psalm 139, which I think is noteworthy to post on my blog:
"I
LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. You sift through my travels and my rest; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, far too lofty for me to reach. Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, there you are. If I take the wings of dawn and dwell beyond the sea, Even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast. If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light” - Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one.
II
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. My bones are not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me unformed; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
III
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sands; when I complete them, still you are with me. When you would destroy the wicked, O God, the bloodthirsty depart from me! Your foes who conspire a plot against you are exalted in vain.
IV
Do I not hate, LORD, those who hate you? Those who rise against you, do I not loathe? With fierce hatred I hate them, enemies I count as my own. Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my thoughts. See if there is a wicked path in me; lead me along an ancient path."
Friday, September 9th, 2011: Today I am thankful for humility and patience. In DC, today is National Day of Service Day and "DC Cares" is out helping the community in different ways in remembrance of the attacks on 9/11/2001. When I got to work this morning, some volunteers (ranging from ages 35-55) came to our center to help the seniors for the day. When they were told what their tasks were going to be: delivering groceries to seniors, cleaning up and tidying the houses of seniors and generally just filling in where we need them; they were pretty unresponsive to my supervisor. Once my supervisor left the room, I overheard them complaining about having to clean and do manual labor of delivering groceries. They said things like, "I'd like to see them try and make me wash down a wall." I was more than disappointed to hear them say these things. But to try and spin it into something positive, I am grateful to have people around me who remind me of why I am here; of why I am volunteering and of why my efforts are in such need. Today, I am thankful for the humility to truly be at the service of others and the patience to deal with those who lack that humility.
When I was in NYC, we went to Ground Zero and took some pictures of the steel beams they found in the shape of a cross...to tie both of my gratitude posts from Sept. 8th and today, I think these pictures do it justice.
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