September 29, 2023
A full moon can explain a lot of things to a lot of people, especially people who work with animals and children. The change in tides and effects of gravity really do leave them out of sorts. And when loved ones get out of sorts, everyone tends to get out of sorts. Then we all start being really human. That’s what this week has been like for me, particularly human. I have had many opportunities this week to work with people who are either not respecting other’s boundaries or people who are hurting because others are not respecting their boundaries. Most times, it’s both. And spending time with people that are out of sorts tends to leave me feeling out of sorts and drained as well. Can’t we all just clean up our acts and get along!
So, as I began my play session this morning, I knew just what I wanted to do. My playmobile stuff had been all messed up by little humans throughout the week and I wanted to clean it up and make everything look nice and tidy. I even got the sanitizing wipes out and wiped all the furniture and the floors as I cleaned and tidied my little house. When I was finished, everything was in its place (where I thought it should go and not where the humans who had rearranged it to their liking). I sat back and let out a deep sigh. It felt calm and good and a little empty.
I asked God to show me something in my play that he wanted me to see. As I looked closer at my house, I realized that there were no people in the house. I was busy tending to and loving a picture, not reality. The reality is that it’s people not things, that God has called us to live with and love. And people are messy, physically, and emotionally! We collide with each other on a continual basis because we all have certain ways we see the world and certain ways we think things should be done. These collisions can cause pain and suffering. They also provide opportunities for us to practice meekness, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice just like our Lord did for us. Messiness is necessary. I let out another sigh.
With this thought in mind, I decided to do a scribble art drawing. With scribble art, you start with random scribbles and find a picture within those scribbles. I chose one color for each member of my family and began to make random scribbles. I thought about our individual differences and how they challenge us. After making the scribbles, I began to look for the pictures within, and what I found were figure 8’s or infinity loops. This reminded me of the quote that we are all just walking each other home. Our messiness creates beauty and hope for eternity when we are sanctified by one another. The messiness humbles me and keeps me looking to God for direction and spiritual eyes, ears and heart.
From The Prayer of Saint Francis:
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Father, thank you for providing people in my life that live with me and love me. Please help me to let go of my desire for a clean and comfortable life. You sent your son down from heaven into the messiness of humanity so that we could live with you forever. Please help me to embrace the messiness in this life so that I and the ones you have called me to love will be prepared for a kingdom life with you for eternity.
