Pay attention.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

attention

Have you ever looked for someone in a crowd? A sea of faces, none the one you’re looking for until…..Pop! She is there- that nose, that hair, those eyes, those mannerisms, that laugh. You would know her anywhere, no matter the size of the crowd. Why is that?

Perhaps it’s because you’ve paid attention to that person. You know her as someone distinct from everyone else. She has become an individual to you. Paying attention, seeing an individual in the midst of the crowd, requires focus. It is easy to look past the individual to see the person before you– even if it is someone in your own family, school, church, city, whatever– as just part of a group. To discover the real person, that individual standing there, you have to zoom in your focus and pay attention.

In this heart-warming video, a teacher greets each of his students with a unique handshake custom-made  for that child. How can the students not see the special place they each have in his heart? What a warm and welcoming classroom that must be!

Zoom in your focus and give generously of your attention.

 

What’s your story?

Posted on by Shari Swanson

pencils

Are you the hero of your own story? What values do you stand for? If you look back at your life, do you see common elements–honesty, maybe, in the face of temptation; loyalty to family and friends, even when they maybe didn’t deserve it, strength of character?

If your life were a novel, what would be the turning points, the challenges? Who or what are the antagonists that fought you? How did you, as the main character, grow? Are you someone a reader would root for if they knew all your inner secrets?

Or, maybe, you’re not a traditional hero at all. Maybe, even, you’re a villain. Do you look back and see deceit, betrayal, unfaithfulness, selfishness?

Be honest here. No one is looking.

It never hurts to take a self-check and make sure you’re on the right trajectory to be the hero of your own story. No matter what, your life is– and don’t forget this– telling a story. Is it the story you were put on this earth to tell, or have you wandered off course?

In the case of St. Teresa quoted above, her life told a story of joy and faithfulness, even in abject poverty and working among the sick and dying. Her life told a story bigger than herself, of hope and meaning beyond the mundane. She was a hero.

What is your story?

 

 

All things?

Posted on by Shari Swanson

cultivate

It’s easy to be grateful for the good things. But … everything? What about the fear, anxiety, separation, loneliness? What about the loss and persecution? What about the things that challenge our life and morality and soul? What of these?

Yes. All. Even these things that most pain us or make us worry. It is in these times we draw on something deeper than ourselves and grow. These are the times that cause us to reach out to others and embrace community. These are the depths we can survive and use that survival to offer hope to others.

Gratitude forces a perspective shift. From despair to hope. From loss to possibility. From chaos to peace.

Even now, even this, even here. Be grateful.