I’ve been reminded, lately, of the old saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”
In my world, there have been teachers falling from the skies!
The glitteratti cast from my recent trip to Sister Giant…U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, James Forbes, Jean Houston, Marianne Williamson, Michael Lerner, William Barber, Cenk Uygur, first year Congressional Representative from the State of Washington Pramila Jayapal, and on and on.
More familiar friends like SARK & Dr. Scott Mills & my Planet SARK writer buddies, Anne Lamott, Walter Brueggemann, Frederick Buechner, Todd Jenkins. You get the drift…
If you need a good book, look up some of these folks!
And, a bit closer to home, huge dogs and mighty mini women.
From the dogs, I am learning consistency. Not, frankly, a big word for me, personally. A long time struggle. And yet, something I need quite a bit more of when it comes to taking care of me. Regular meals. Regular, healthy meals. Sleep. Exercise. Clean water.
They, all three of the dogs, depend on me for all those things. I depend on me for all those things. Together, we are doing better and better. (They’re hard to ignore!)
I suspect the world depends on you and me for a lot of those things, too.
Then there are the mighty mini women. My granddaughters. Now, unimaginably, seven and nine years old and growing constantly, in so many ways. Teaching while they grow.
Like me, they have a variety of needs. Two of the main ones, right now, confidence and interaction. (Mirrors, anyone???)
The job of The Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother? Not lessons, but opportunities for new perspectives. Questions that make all the difference. Reassurance. An absolute certainty that life is for learning and sometimes that’s messy.
Am I talking to myself?
Of course.
Will it help them, too?
Will that kind of belief in compassion and wholeness help us all?
Of course.
In fact, it’s the only thing that will.
Though clean water and real food and health care and safe streets and respect for each other will help us get to the place where we begin to understand.
And then, an odd reminder. We don’t need to have everything all figured out perfectly in order to help others along the way.
Which, at least in my world, is just as well.
Love the mighty mini women!
Me, too! Thanks, Dear Cindy!!!