LET ME REALLY SEE

I was reading about Helen Keller this morning. One of my favorite quotes of hers is "Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it we can never do anything wise in this world". In 1933, she wrote an article that was published in the "Atlantic Monthly". In the article she talked about what she would do is she were able to see and hear for three days. On the first day she would "look long" into the faces of her friends, a baby, her home, a dog, nature in general. The second day she would rise early and see the "thrilling miracle" of the sunrise. The third day she would take in the sights and sounds of New York City.

She concluded her article urging her readers to "Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense: glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you.

We take so much for granted, don't we. By following Helen Keller's advice we would begin to be more relaxed and live more deeply in the moment.

I have a long time friend who is a Christian Brother, currently teaching in Africa. He sent me a Christmas card a few years ago, with a saying on it that went something like, "When we come to the end of our days and we stand before our Creator, one of the questions He will ask us is, 'How did you enjoy My creation?'." What would your answer be?

Now is the time to really start enjoying it like never before.

Jim Ryan

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GOD LOVES THAT PERSON AS MUCH AS HE LOVES ME

One of the things I try to do to make my life as full of joy as possible is to try to see the Divine side of everyone who crosses my path. Notice that I use the word try. I don't always succeed but when I do succeed, I feel no stress and my life feels good. I try to bring to mind the phrase, "God loves that person as much as He loves me". It's a great phrase to bring to mind as you make your way through the day accomplishing many of the mundane tasks that need to be done. Try bringing that phrase to mind as you stand on line at the cold cut counter in the supermarket. Bring it mind when you are standing in line anywhere, whether it be at the post office or the bank, or if you are stuck in your car behind someone trying to make a left turn into what seems to be an endless stream of traffic.

This phrase can be a great stress reducer, especially at work. Many of us are always looking to be offended. Why, I ask. Sure there are plenty of opportunities to be offended if we look for them, but why look for them. Does being offended bring you joy? This little turn in consciousness is a choice to lift ourselves up rather than to give in to annoyance and aggravation.

Instead of making judgements about folks because they look or act differently than we do, send out love by asserting that "God loves that person as much as He loves me". I invite you to try it. Notice how good you feel.