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I was going to ridicule this…

Evidently it is the National Day of Encouragement.

Yes.

I’m not so invested in this to seek more than the Wikipedia article.

Well, maybe a little bit. I mean, the idea is a good one. It looks like it was meant for young people. I don’t disagree. Certainly, our youth need encouragement. I don’t think anyone is going to disagree with that.

But here’s the thing: we all need encouragement — I’m gonna say — especially adults.

Think about it. We spend all day making decisions, choices, evaluating and re-evaluating those choices…and sometimes we’re acting in total isolation.

It would be nice to get a pat on the back, a “job-well-done”, a little acknowledgement for our efforts.

Don’t read a whine-fest into this…I’m not talking about anything particular in my life; I’m just realizing that there are many opportunities in my day to offer encouragement to someone who ordinarily doesn’t receive it. I’ve been extraordinarily blessed with people close to me, family and friends, who continuously offer this kind of encouragement and support. I’ve also benefitted from some wonderful professionals who’ve taken the time to mentor me and guide me in my career.

I could make a conscious effort to do the same. We all could, and it really doesn’t take some government proclamation to do it.

So go be nice to somebody. Tell them they’re doing a good job. Thank them for their hard work. Offer some of your expertise, without an agenda.

Spread a little love.

 

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more like another cup of tea

It’s been a lazy Sunday around here. It is as it should be. Maybe the somber mood has been inspired by the date…maybe it’s just that there’s a hint of fall in the air.

Whatever the reason, it’s been a day for hot tea and quiet pursuits.

The best part, no doubt, is that I have refused to work. In fact, I’ve been off the electronic leash most of the day, except for a peek or two at a Words with Friends game that is a little too close to call at the moment. Mass in the morning generally makes the rest of the day more restful … so does going out for breakfast.

There’s still a little laundry to finish, and some things around the house that need a 27 Fling Boogie, and I need to figure out what I’m making for dinner…but that’s a couple of hours away.

I think I’ll just enjoy another cup and finish reading my book.

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we remember

This is probably one of my favorite pictures taken on September 11. It’s a misnomer to use favorite, and yet, it is exactly that. I am moved, saddened, angered, and appalled by much of what I saw on that day and the subsequent days that followed, but this one, whenever I run across it, never ceases to amaze me.

It looks like a cathedral. I find that oddly reminiscent of that day for me…I was working at church, and witnessed the steady stream of people seeking solace in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

I heard many people lament, “Where was God?” He was always there. Always. As now.

There’s a glaring absence in acknowledging God today in some high profile events. That’s a shame. It is, sadly, one of those failings of the human condition that leads us to get too comfortable, too sure of our worth, too selfish and self-centered to see beyond our finite and vulnerable selves.

But that refusal to acknowledge…invite…invoke…worship…doesn’t diminish, for a moment, His presence.

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