Sometime a gem drops in your lap. Suzy and I still get the Bulletin from our old church in DC — St. John’s. This morning they sent out the following by Thich Nhat Hanh. I don’t need to elaborate:
“When you plant lettuce,
if it does not grow well,
you don’t blame the lettuce.
You look for reasons
it is not doing well.
It may need fertilizer,
or more water, or less sun.
You never blame the lettuce.
Yet if we have problems
with our friends or family,
we blame the other person.
But if we know how
to take care of them,
they will grow well,
like the lettuce. Blaming
has no positive effect at all,
nor does trying to persuade
using reason and argument.
That is my experience.
No blame,
no reasoning,
no argument,
just understanding.
If you understand,
and you show that you understand,
you can love, and the situation will change.”
“Reconciliation and compassion are not just lofty ideals, but daily practices—small seeds we can plant in our own lives, even when the world feels stuck. You are not alone. We are seed sowers, seekers in search of understanding, and a place of grace where we try to live into Jesus’ way of love.
Pray for our leaders, your neighbors, and yourself—trusting that God’s love can make a way where there seems to be no way.
With hope and gratitude,
Sarah+”
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