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Covid-19: In the Flood with David
How are you doing, ladies? Whether in Albania, or Jordan, France, the United States, India or elsewhere, we face a common enemy. Not Satan, the biggest enemy, no. This time I write of COVID-19. Unlike the onset of the tornado that slashed through my community several months ago, no warning sirens scream, except an occasional ambulance. We cannot hunker down in a basement or bathroom and wait for the storm to pass. Instead, most of us live in worlds shrunken to the size of our houses, apartments and gardens, and possibly our workplaces, isolated from family and friends. And still, like rising water, the enemy slowly floods community after community,…
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“I’m Ok, I’m Just a Little Overwhelmed!” and Other Clever Lies
“The enemy will discourage us by overwhelming us.” I wish I could remember who said this!! I know it was at a conference; and, I remember screaming in my mind…YES, THIS IS SO TRUE!! As someone who runs more efficiently when in a mild state of stress, I have always considered being overwhelmed as a natural byproduct of my inability to control my “yeses.” A mismanagement, if you will, of the power of stress similar to overdosing. Did you know that overwhelmed literally means to defeat completely? I didn’t. I though it was a more casual and light-hearted term for being a bit stressed. “I’m ok. I’m just a…
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Scrambled Souls and SILENCE – An Accessible Addiction
Eleven years ago this fall I was invited to go on a “silent retreat”, the kind where you literally do not speak during the time period for silence. This particular one was for 36 hours. Some of my friends were incredulous. “How can a group of women be silent for that long, for any amount of time?” One of my relatives emailed me and asked, “Just what does one do on a silent retreat, like – what’s the purpose?” One colleague even ventured to look at me as if to say, “YOU, silent?” Until this first silent retreat I had not experienced the phenomenon of stopping to enter into silence…
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Ob•sta•cle – something that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress
“Some travelers never make it to their destination because they are unprepared for obstacles they encounter. Too often these obstacles leave pilgrims frustrated or disoriented, resigned to making little or no headway. Spiritual dryness, prayerlessness, temptation and discouragement can make us wonder whether it is possible or worthwhile to stay the course of Christian pilgrimage.” * Obstacles, roadblocks, barriers – literal, emotional, psychological, physical – occur randomly or on a daily basis. Obstacles are part of the human dilemma. They are part of the fall of man but sometimes they are simply too much. Some days are too overwhelming. Some problems too insurmountable and some losses seem too painful to…
