Copied from a daily meditation I receive from Father Richard Rohr

Question of the day: How does dualistic thinking create violent people?

We Christians, who dare to worship the scapegoat, Jesus, became many times in history the primary scapegoaters ourselves—of Jews, heretics, sinners, witches, homosexuals, the poor, the natives in the New World, slaves, other denominations, and other religions. It’s rather hard to believe that we missed such a central message.
The pattern of exporting our evil elsewhere, and righteously hating it there, with impunity, is in the hardwiring of all peoples. After all, our religious task is to separate from evil, isn’t it? That is the well-disguised lie! Any exclusionary process of thinking, any exclusively dualistic thinking, will always create violent and hateful people on some level.
This I state as an absolute, and precisely because the cross revealed it to me. The crucifixion scene is our standing icon stating both the problem and the solution for all of history.
Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p. 143

Mantra:Jesus, help me absorb and transform evil.

Teachers who go above and beyond

My dear daughter performed in the 2nd of 2 performances of a play/musical she was in tonite. She played Fern in "Charlotte's Web" and did a great job, got lots of compliments. She is blessed with many natural gifts. I'm envious. But that is not the subject of my blessing for today.

Her two teachers, who volunteered all of their time for auditions, rehearsals and performances, to make this show happen, are the blessings about whom I want to speak.

They blessed the students in the play and, by extension, the students' families and the entire school community with the generous way they shared their talents, encouragement, coaching, time and on and on. And I know they are not the exception, at least not at my daughter's school and probably not in many schools.

As we were driving home I remarked to my daughter about how fortunate she was to be blessed with many natural talents and reminded her, unnecessarily, of how she still needed to work hard to develop her gifts to the fullest. I also told her that she needed to share those gifts whenever she could, my spiritual beliefs speaking, because truly our gifts are meant to be shared and are not really all they can be until they are. In the case of acting and singing, it's not just the sharing by performing that I mean, but the sharing the way her teachers share. Passing those gifts along to those who want to share in them.

So thanks Mrs. B and Ms. B. You two are true gems and bless your students and the wider community, myself included, daily with your energy and devotion to helping your students blossom in ways both large and small. May you both be blessed with continued love and passion for your craft and with the appreciation of the many who benefit from that love and passion.

Amen.

Blessing of the day...

Thrift Stores...

I love em.....One person's "tired of's, don't need, want or use anymore's, are another person's treasures.

The ultimate in reuse!!