(Meditations on today's Gospel. Typed with one hand, lamb in lap.) Do you love me? I say the same things all day long. Sit down. Use your fork. Don't hit each other. Say please. Chew with your mouth closed. Don't interrupt. Be kind. Say thank you. Hurry up. Take turns. Be gentle. Don't yell. Watch the baby. Help each other. Say I'm sorry. Let's clean up. I love you. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Feed my lambs. . . . Do you love me? I do the same things all day long. Feed the children. Wash the children. Make the meal. Clean the house. Comfort the children. Teach the children. Let the dog out. Let the dog in. Drive the car there. Drive the car here. Load the dishes. Unload the dishes. Wash the laundry. Fold the laundry. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Tend my sheep. . . . Do you love me? I think the same things all day long. I'm tired. I need caffeine. What time is it? We're late. I should do that. I should clean that. I don't know what to do. Help me. Deep … [Read more...] about feed, tend, repeat.
service
leap day and lessons from l’arche
I planned to seize the year's extra day with all the gusto I could muster. When the Winter-That-Wasn't lobbed one last Hail-Mary of a storm, cancelling my meetings and leaving us with a snow day to enjoy, I envisioned curling up with the boys, a cup of tea and a pile of good books. An idyllic day of at-home mothering. Instead I woke up to one boy who wet the bed and another who leaked all over the changing table. Two giant piles of laundry and two hungry children cried for my attention. After a long night (used in the loosest sense of the term by those who don't sleep), a longer day loomed. I felt as stuck as the car's tires spinning at the end of the driveway. How would I turn this day around? It seemed to promise nothing but cranky children and crummy chores. As I stuffed the stinking sheets in the washer and the baby wailed, my poor brain scraped together one lone theological thought: I need a spirituality for stuff I don't want to do. And that's when I remembered Bernard. And … [Read more...] about leap day and lessons from l’arche
