News, news

Too much news, I think.  My boss at the university stepped away from watching the news and I don't think he ever went back.  He does read the paper so he isn't in seclusion or anything.  It's just that he started to realize that the TV news was affecting him in a bad way.

Most of my news is gained from the Internet actually.  I don't go looking for it, but FOX is my default web page.  As soon as I go into the computer for anything during the day, the top news stories and many other ones pop into view.  However, if I don't want to know about it, I don't have to read it.

Did you see the cat who rescued the little boy from the vicious dog?  That was one story that was worth it.  Of course, as soon as the snippet aired, the prognosticators started analyzing the film and downplaying the cat's motives and behavior.  Does it really matter?  In any case, a little boy was literally being dragged by a dog like prey in some primeval forest.  The cat took the dog by surprise and showed uncanny strength, agility and cunning. 

If that family chooses to call their cat a hero, then so be it.  The cat certainly altered a situation that was going bad.

Take a moment today to do a little mental exercise.  Look back maybe 20 years and think about what you were like.  Think about your relationships then, your attitude, your behavior.  And then contrast that with today.  Try to be as objective as you can.  And then assess for yourself if you've grown as a person, in what ways, for what reasons.  Assess for yourself if you have gained courage, strength of character, faith, hope, and love.

Often, the changes that occur in us are so very gradual that they don't even register with us.  Doing one of these "look back" exercises helps us see the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and allows us the chance for gratitude.  Not like the nine lepers who ran away after being cured, but like the one who returned.

The old song, Amazing Grace, has a line that says, "saved a wretch like me."  In so many ways, we might have been wretches going through life without asking God to help us.  Tossed around like a tiny toy boat on the ocean.  With God, we have a foundation, a permanence that gives us something the world seeks all the time but doesn't find in the world -- a rock of faith.

Today I'm going to meditate on this and so many other things during holy hour.  Already, the time spent in the chapel has made a difference. 

Enjoy the weather the next few days.  It should be good for working outside and getting some things done without sweat pouring off of you.  The other morning I mowed the grass and I was just sopping wet when I got done.  This will be much better.

Take care, and we'll talk tomorrow.

Karen