Did you miss us last week? We hope so. Steve was in Maine (and still is) with no internet access. We're glad to be here and glad to connect with you now.
This is a short Gram. Over on the left is a reminder about the Open Studio tour next weekend. Below, you'll find an announcement about the November 2 workshop and, below that, a quick reflection on hugs and the gospel.
Thanks for being who you are. You really are a joy to know.
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Compassion Workshop Nov. 2
Compassion literally means to suffer together. A compassionate person is one who sees/feels the pain of another and is moved to relieve that suffering. It is about treating the "other" as our equal and doing for them what we would have them do for us. And, like charity, it is something that must begin at home; if we do not or cannot have compassion for ourselves, we cannot have it for others.
Want to know more? Then you'll want to make sure you attend Hope's first workshop scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Led by Br. Don Bisson, the workshop will use a Christian-Jungian framework to experience compassion as the face of God healing the soul as we explore what's keeping us from having compassion for ourselves and others.
There is no charge for this workshop. At its conclusion, if you feel the workshop has benefited you, we'll be happy to accept your donation. Registration materials will be available next week. |
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Bridging the great divide
St. Ruth and I have spent the past week at a small lake house on Mt. Desert Island renewing ourselves with hikes in the woods and paddle trips here and there. In a place not far from where I'm writing, there's an eatery simply called the Quiet Side Cafe and Ice Cream Shop run by Frances and Ralph Reed and their two daughters.When Frances is in, you can count on her stopping by your table to chit chat and beam her warm smile all over you. Last Sunday afternoon as Frances was leaving for the day, she gave each member of the staff a kind word and a hug as a half-dozen patrons watched.
"What about me?" I whined as she began to head for the door.
"Oh, you want a hug too?" she said.
Before I could respond, I'd been hugged.
Frances didn't stop there. She turned around and asked, "Does anyone else need a hug?"
The lady in the pea green sweater and matching pants who'd been studying the ice cream offerings didn't hesitate. She wheeled around and threw open her arms. After the lady in green, everyone else in the house got a hug.
Moods changed. The place felt lighter. Kinder. We all had something in common - we'd all been hugged by Frances who, in her hugging, had connected us all to her and to one another.
Next week's gospel lesson - Luke 16:19-31 - tells the story about a disconnect, a great divide. It is the story about the rich man and Lazarus, the story of a person who had and one who had not, how they lived and what happened when they died. We could exegete this passage to death but the bottom line is a warning to those of us who live a great life while ignoring the sufferings of others.
I'm not particularly fond of this passage. It can be used as a tool to tell people, "Don't worry. You may be suffering in this life but in the great someday, you're soul will be rockin' in the Bosom of Abraham." Or, it might give us a reason to get all self-righteous-like because we're doing this or that to ease the suffering of others. And, worse, it can be used to perpetuate the illusion that there is as great gulf that separates us from one another.
In her own small way, in her simple act of hugging everyone in the cafe - family, employees, customers - Frances helped us see for a moment that the great gulf separating us from one another is an illusion and to help us know for certain that when we relieve the suffering of others, we also relieve our own.
Give yourself a hug!
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