The Blogging Nun
April, 2007
April 30, 2007
Fingerprints
We hear a lot about leadership these days. The truth is, leadership calls to each one of us at one time or another. The question is, “How do we respond?”
A few years back our CSJ Community decided to be intentional about developing leadership—so much so that we made it one of five strategic commitments that continue to claim our CSJ energies. Our goal is to ensure that we keep alive our active mission which calls us to reach out in compassion and justice to meet the needs of our times.
We hired a leadership training program called Centre for Applied Leadership (www.leadershipfingerprint.com) that was deep enough to touch our 350-year-old reality and strong enough to stretch our members who are a part an organization that has been known for leadership in this area for more than 150 years.
More than 20 people, Sisters and Consociate lay members, committed six weekends to this intense seminar that led participants to developing their own leadership fingerprint. It was fantastic!
I was overwhelmingly impressed with one concept put forward called “the Courageous Follower.” Participants may or may not ever see themselves up front but all claimed the courage and determination to back up someone who speaks to right relationships in areas that touches their concern and passion.
Leadership is vitally important and how it is done is of greater importance. CSJs have been leading and learning and teaching about leadership for a very long time and will continue to do so. Our next issue of Possumus will unwrap some of our understandings and applications of leadership. Look for your issue next fall. In the meantime, if you are interested in discovering your own leadership fingerprint, begin by asking yourself “Who is my mentor?” “What have I learned from this person?”
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April 26, 2007
Donuts with a side of Assumptions
CEOs spend a lot of time in meetings. The mix of personalities, interactions and assumptions that take place before, during and after are amazing to follow. I find it helpful to have stories like the following in my mind when communication between people and departments begin to tangle. Enjoy.
A middle-aged gentleman decided to stop at a neighborhood coffee shop to enjoy the morning paper and a small box of donuts he brought with him. He set his coat and paper down on the counter along the windows and placed his bag underneath on the floor then went to purchase his coffee. When he returned there was another gentleman seated on the next stool. He was reading his novel and helping himself to the box of donuts!
The first man sat down with his coffee and reached for a donut as well. Just as he was about to open the paper, the other fellow reached in for another donut. Indignant, the first fellow reached in as well, gulped it down and immediately took another. The gentleman next to him looked up, nodded and smiled, and reached for yet another donut. The first man grew angrier by the minute. By this time there were only two donuts left so he took them both, tossed the empty box in the trash bin, folded his paper, gulped down the rest of his coffee, and grabbed his bag. He did not say good-bye or even return the friendly nod of the rude man next to him who had consumed nearly half of the donuts.
Once outside, he opened his bag to drop in his newspaper and noticed with great embarrassment that there inside was his unopened box of donuts. Post or View Comments
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April 24, 2007
Cry for Help
The headline in today’s morning paper reads, “Colleges on alert for silent cries for help.” There it is! At long last, a glimpse of love for the dear neighbor. My heart finally relaxed a bit. Instead of outcries for banishment, folks are looking out for who and how they can help.
The horrific tragedy in Virginia last week brought our Sisters’ 350-year-old call to “love God and neighbor without distinction” crashing into my thoughts as I tried to sort through feelings and facts. Our call became my life-raft as images flashed across all stations.
All week I heard stories of horror, blame, and negligence on parts of officials and others. I empathize with the anger-laced sorrow as families and friends mourn and bury their loved ones.
I heard individuals say they never really knew the shooter though he was in their midst for years. I understand how hard it is to hang around someone who is hate-filled and withdrawn.
But I keep asking myself, “What of the child born just 20 years ago?” Who was there when he first called out for help?
Who is in front of me that I don’t see or hear their cry?
I vow to be more awake to the needs around me from people to flora and fauna and I vow to help the dear neighbor wherever I am.
I can’t help but think that if we all help everyone could be covered. Join us in our Sisters’ ancient call to love God and neighbor without distinction.
Again, I sign off with a heart-felt —
Possumus!
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April 16, 2007
Poverty of Spirit
I just finished reading a memoir by Jeannette Walls called, The Glass Castle. The minute I finished reading the last paragraph, I returned to page one to begin again. It’s not that I didn’t want the story to end; it’s that I wanted to feel it again. The Glass Castle can be known from so many different angles. It’s about love, forgiveness, courage, poverty and more.
The book awakens an unusual perspective on poverty. For me, the single most amazing thread throughout the book is that the mother and father raised a family completely penniless but were the wealthiest of all in their world construct.
Resources to eradicate poverty already exist, just as sure as I sit here and blog. Some say the problem is resource distribution. Others say there are too many people. I say the problem is a deep, pervasive poverty of spirit that results in pulling back instead of reaching out to others.
Let’s each pay attention to how generous we are with our spirit. Notice to whom we offer a friendly greeting. Pay attention to why we avoid others. Whom do we know who may be afraid or ashamed to ask for help? Offer first.
As we develop a charitable muscle to override poverty of spirit in our world, I believe resources will begin moving to need. If everyone did something today, could we wake up to a world where poverty no longer exists? Why not?
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April 13, 2007
We can change millions of lives
Week after week more than a million people simultaneously sit down in front of their television to watch American Idol. Without hesitation these same individuals upon command to go to their phones and call in votes to eliminate singers from the selection and in the end change the life of the one individual remaining on stage.
What if these millions of people harnessed the same interest and energy and focused on eliminating poverty? What if the goal was to change the lives of everyone, not just one person? What if every week at the same time we heard from millions of people how they helped someone?
If each of the millions who watch the show were to help one other person, millions of lives would be changed.
Poverty appears in many forms: loneliness, self-doubt, lack of courage, as well as lack of food, shelter, safety, among many others. Let’s begin by consciously working towards eliminating the poverty of a neighbor nearest to us.
Then, go to your computer and share your response here. As the tally comes in from all around the world, millions of lives will be changed, and poverty will be on its way out.
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April 6, 2007
Season of Kindness
A friend of mine recently returned from a trip to the Philippines. Among his exciting stories he mentioned that a young man there asked him, “What order do the seasons come in?”
I’ve been thinking about that everyday as spring valiantly tries to shrug off winter here in Minnesota. Temperatures shift from 75 degrees to -4 wind-chill to 40 degrees. We’ve had rain, sun, and snow within the same hour. None of us know what to wear the next day. Neighbors are recovering plants they raked free of their winter cover. We’re all crazy—changing bikes to ice-skates and rakes to snow shovels. However, we all know that spring will win out. New life is already erupting underneath everything. We talk about it constantly! Spirits are high. Hope is real.
So, how do folks feel hope in their bones when their seasons don’t change? Through kindness. Not, random, but specific acts of kindness.
Think about it. Imagine a world in which every season is kindness; where everyone knows in their bones that they are loved because of the kindness they receive. Self-doubt would transform into loving self and God and neighbor without distinction. Hope would spring up everywhere! It would be like, well, Easter!
Make it a season!
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April 2, 2007
12 Steps to a Healthier Planet
 One of our Sisters, Jean Strehlow, CSJ, a novice in our community, adapted the 12 Steps of Alcoholic Anonymous as a 12-Step program to help manage or cure the addiction to consumerism. The idea is powerful, the steps workable.
What impresses me is the notion that if someone creates a support group around this program, the impact becomes stronger and more influential on society as a whole. I hope to begin a group this summer. Let me know if you organize a group as well.
12 STEPS TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(Adapted from the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous)
1. We admitted we were powerless over consumerism; we and our neighbors -two footed, four footed and otherwise — are suffering due to it.
Our lives and the future have become unsustainable
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could lead us to sanity and moderate simple living.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Creator.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves and our consumption habits.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wasteful enculturated habits.
6. Were entirely ready to have God replace wasteful habits with more environmentally sound ones.
7. Humbly asked our creator to remove our unsustainable need for fast and easy solutions and reveal more earth friendly, people friendly alternatives.
8. Made a list of ways to purchase less, purchase second-hand, reuse, repair or give away unwanted goods, recycle and respectfully engage others to support us in this commitment.
9. Actively practice and fulfill above commitment to live more gently upon this earth.
10. Continue to take personal inventory regarding resource use and when we are wasteful seek earth friendly alternatives.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact
with our Creator as we understand him/her, praying only for knowledge of our Creator's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The steps can be reflected on in relationship to your particular life situation. People may also reflect on other environmentally friendly writings. Reflect on these writings and steps with others.
Possumus!
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