I don't think much about my titles; they just sort of spill out. It was the same with "Ruminations". I accidentally entered it into the computer incorrectly getting to my blog page and came across another blog titled "Ruminations, thoughts from a weary mind". I'm not naive enough to think it's never been used before, but that was kind of a "hey-you're-very-average" moment.
We are each unique and there's a vague hope inside all of us that we might leave some kind of mark on the earth as we clump along, but this is a little reminder that we are indeed just a puff of wind in the larger scheme of things. It's unimportant that we gain notariety. It is essential that we live our days well, that we serve those we love with honest cheer, that we love those within our reach lavishly and with abandon. Those are the harder things to do in a way, because they include acts of self-denial, service gone unnoticed and embrace the risk of rejection and worse, the disgusting self-realization that we aren't entirely generous or noble, as we wish to be. Our true selves are revealed when nobody is looking -- isn't that a famous quote?
I love this observation from Frederick Faber: "Kind thoughts are rarer than either kind words or deeds. They imply a great deal of thinking about others. This in itself is rare. But they also imply a great deal of thinking about others without the thoughts being criticisms. This is rarer still."
The entry is a little sober today, but then my baby just turned 18 on Wednesday and I'm allowed a few moments of reflection, don't you think? As mom would say, "It's good for your character."
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Merciful hearts
Hi all,
Clearly, I've been consumed with other things, and unable to tend to Ruminations for a number of months now. Apologies for the silence, but sometimes It Is Golden, and leaves space for true ruminations. I can't claim that for myself at the moment, but it sounds good, eh?
However, something Tim said today while on our 6 mile hike jolted me into the recording mood and so here is a little something for your edification and entertainment.
We have company, and for any of you who have managed a trek down here, you know we enjoy discovering new places and interesting sights with those who grace us with their presence. We decided to try a trail that promised to end in waterfalls, something that seems somewhat unlikely and certainly a sight to behold in this near-desert climate. So off we marched. Saw the gurgling brook that modestly, almost shyly, tumbled over a pretty rock formation, thus "water" and "fall" could reasonably be squashed into the same sentance, but it's a stretch to call what we witnessed anything much akin to "falling". Whatever. Which is pretty much how Tim felt about the entire event. Let's just say that hiking falls somewhere between "cleaning out my closet" and "picking empty snail shells out of the yard" on his list of "favorite things to do".
We were on our way out of the reserve, chatting about our next stop, Burger Lounge. Now, for any of you who live in San Diego, or have come to visit and have been schlepped there by us, you know what sorts of delicious thoughts run through a person's mind when thinking about Burger Lounge. The rest of you just need to come and experience it.
In an effort to make conversation with Tim, thereby distracting him from the agonizing complaints of his heavy and aching legs, I asked him if he was going to get the basil-turkey burger or regular grass-fed beef burger. He says, huffing, "Oh the beef. I think the turkeys should just be left to go free." "You mean just have them at Thanksgiving only?" I asked. "Actually, I was thinking of something more merciful; you know, let them frolick about and mate so we don't deplete their numbers. Say, Mom? What does 'frolicking' mean? I mean, is there anyone who actually DOES that?"
Ahhh. Sometimes, a conversation with Tim is all the refreshment a body needs for a good while. I would so love to be a fly on the wall in his classes, as we've been led to understand that he actively participates in discussions. All his teachers report that they enjoy having him in class and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because he inserts these kinds of colorful punctuations into whatever the subject matter is, and therefore, genuinely enlivens their day.
Have a good one yourself!
Candy
Clearly, I've been consumed with other things, and unable to tend to Ruminations for a number of months now. Apologies for the silence, but sometimes It Is Golden, and leaves space for true ruminations. I can't claim that for myself at the moment, but it sounds good, eh?
However, something Tim said today while on our 6 mile hike jolted me into the recording mood and so here is a little something for your edification and entertainment.
We have company, and for any of you who have managed a trek down here, you know we enjoy discovering new places and interesting sights with those who grace us with their presence. We decided to try a trail that promised to end in waterfalls, something that seems somewhat unlikely and certainly a sight to behold in this near-desert climate. So off we marched. Saw the gurgling brook that modestly, almost shyly, tumbled over a pretty rock formation, thus "water" and "fall" could reasonably be squashed into the same sentance, but it's a stretch to call what we witnessed anything much akin to "falling". Whatever. Which is pretty much how Tim felt about the entire event. Let's just say that hiking falls somewhere between "cleaning out my closet" and "picking empty snail shells out of the yard" on his list of "favorite things to do".
We were on our way out of the reserve, chatting about our next stop, Burger Lounge. Now, for any of you who live in San Diego, or have come to visit and have been schlepped there by us, you know what sorts of delicious thoughts run through a person's mind when thinking about Burger Lounge. The rest of you just need to come and experience it.
In an effort to make conversation with Tim, thereby distracting him from the agonizing complaints of his heavy and aching legs, I asked him if he was going to get the basil-turkey burger or regular grass-fed beef burger. He says, huffing, "Oh the beef. I think the turkeys should just be left to go free." "You mean just have them at Thanksgiving only?" I asked. "Actually, I was thinking of something more merciful; you know, let them frolick about and mate so we don't deplete their numbers. Say, Mom? What does 'frolicking' mean? I mean, is there anyone who actually DOES that?"
Ahhh. Sometimes, a conversation with Tim is all the refreshment a body needs for a good while. I would so love to be a fly on the wall in his classes, as we've been led to understand that he actively participates in discussions. All his teachers report that they enjoy having him in class and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because he inserts these kinds of colorful punctuations into whatever the subject matter is, and therefore, genuinely enlivens their day.
Have a good one yourself!
Candy
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