Spiritual Growth | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for the ‘Spiritual Growth’ Category

Making a Difference

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Teaching, tagged Kaylie, Mother Theresa, Scholastic Mockingjay Change the World writing contest, teaching on November 13, 2014| 4 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
–Mary Oliver

Can we really make a difference? Can one person plant a seed?
Will it grow? How will we know?

I got a phone call today from a former student. She felt brave enough to enter a writing contest, the Scholastic Mockingjay Change the World Contest. She called to tell me she placed in the top ten and will receive prizes. I was thrilled! Her essay speaks of world hunger as the biggest problem we face today. Her experience volunteering at Solomon House with me and some of her classmates influenced her greatly.

An excerpt from her essay:

Though super powers are the quickest way to saving the hungry, there are still things you and I can do to help. During the Hunger Games, gracious sponsors donate food to dying tributes. This often saves them. Think of Katniss! She wouldn’t be alive if not for the kind-hearted people that gave her a chance. We should be the sponsors of this world…the ones that say, “I made a difference.” We can be those people. Today.
–Kaylie B. Read the entire essay here.

I do what I do in order to make a difference, to mean something to someone. But the tree does not bear fruit quickly, usually after years of growth. Even so, I should do the best I can with each precious life I hold. This is my responsibility. This is my vocation. Congratulations to Kaylie! I am so proud to be a part of her life as a writer and as a person who makes a difference.

Read Full Post »

What Else Can We Do?

Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, tagged death, Prayer Shawl Ministry, spiritual on November 11, 2014| 15 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

A few weeks ago I wrote about making a prayer blanket for a friend whose baby was born prematurely. It was the first prayer blanket I ever made, and frankly, I had high hopes for its prayer power. I wrote a sweet note with the gift thinking that one day finding it tucked into her baby book, the child would read it as an adult.

Enough of my selfish plans. The victory was not mine to decide. I had no part in this.

Vivian died. Her too tiny body fought valiantly for 6 weeks. Two days before her death, I had given her dad my prayer blanket gift. This is not the way it was supposed to go.

I met Vivian today for the first time. She was wrapped tightly in the smallest casket I have ever seen. She looked like a china doll. Her mother hugged me long and hard. She said, “The last time I held her, I wrapped her in the blanket. It’s the only picture I have of me holding her. I didn’t have a chance to post the pictures before…” We hugged and cried some more. And I realized my connection was not just to the baby, my connection was to her mother.

I arrived late at school and Kat met me at the door. She stopped and said, “You are late today.” I responded that I had been by the funeral home. Kat knows loss. She lost her ten year old daughter last year to a battle with a brain tumor. She listened to my selfish lament over the prayer blanket.

“You do not realize how important the material things are. People tell me Kamryn is always with me, and I know this. But I still have to touch.” Kat touched an angel pin on her shoulder and a flower bracelet on her wrist. She explained that my blanket will be that comfort to the mother. We cried together, and I felt blessed. God works mysteriously. Sending Kat in my pathway today led me to a deeper understanding.

I wrote this poem the day after I heard of Vivian’s death. I was still angry, but even then I knew that there was more.

What else can we do
but pray to the moon
high in the morning sky?
I bow my head to her,
cry out
“What were you thinking?”

Bombs went off in Syria.
A bomb exploded.
Vivian’s too tiny body
could not stand the blast.

The variegated pink clouds
float like the blanket
I crocheted, hooking stitch by stitch
repeating her name,
asking for victory.

You forgot to tell me
the victory would be yours.
The morning moon mocks
me with an illusion of a smile.

The sun in the east
continues to rise
always rise,
even though
Vivian’s eyes are closed.
The sun will still rise.
–Margaret Simon

Lucy, the therapy dog, was at the funeral home comforting grievers.

Read Full Post »

My Stronghold

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged spiritual reflection, strength on November 6, 2014| 5 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

The light is changing, days are shorter, night comes early. I watch as the season changes, trees lose leaves, air cools, satsumas ripen.

Change happens. God is there.

Through centering prayer, I learned that God is not without. God’s abiding spirit is within, in my very core, a bright sparkle of light, saying, “You are enough.”

God is as near as breath.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” (Psalm 28:7)

My heart sings for joy.

My hands are strong that hold God’s love in prayer.

On Facebook, I watch videos of people doing amazing things; a four year old plays master piano, a baby is born, a boy receives a heart.

Even when I do something small and inconsequential, God is there.

God’s strength holds every day, every moment, from hope in a hopeless world to love for a hurting heart. I can depend on God when the day turns dark, when the leaves fall, when the earth turns.

Photo by John Gibson. Haiku by Margaret Simon, all rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, Teaching, tagged faith, grace, gratitude, prayer ministry on October 30, 2014| 11 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

One of my close choir friends has been bringing her crochet projects to the loft for a while now. We all love to touch the yarn and watch her quick hands craft beautiful shawls. She decided to begin a prayer shawl ministry at our church. I had not crocheted or knitted in years, but I was interested in the idea, so I joined.

Baby Vivian is one month old and weighs 2 pounds. Please pray for her.

Before our first meeting, a friend in my Berry Queen community, Holly, had a pre-mature baby. Vivian weighed 1.7 lbs, but she has proven to be a fighter. She is growing and developing. I keep up with her through Facebook. I decided I would make a prayer blanket for the baby. I bought some pink and white thread, a crochet hook, and an instruction book. As I crocheted, I said her name. My mantra became “Vivian Victory.”

Completed baby prayer blanket

We took a field trip last Friday. My student Emily sat next to me on the long bus ride. She watched me work on the prayer blanket. Today, she presented me with a pillow she had sewn for me. She wrote about it for her Slice of Life story on our kidblog. You can read her post here. She wrote, “And, if Mrs. Simon is making a blanket for a premature baby that is only two pounds, she must love it. So, I made this pillow. I made this pillow for someone I love.”

Faith pillow made by Emily.

Emily’s heart has been broken with her mother’s untimely death six weeks ago. The power of grace from God has placed her heart in my hands. And what a gracious heart it is!

I am truly blessed to be a part of many faithful communities, the concentric circles of love from church, friends, family, students, and this blogging community.

Read Full Post »

Grace Comes

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged God's love, grace, nature, spiritual journey on October 24, 2014| 3 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

We know from Alexander that some days are terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, even in Australia. And I’ve had those days. I’ve had the days where nothing seems to go right. The days where the ice cream falls off the ice cream cone, and the plate crashes to the floor, flying out of your hand like someone else is in control. But I have learned that even on those days, there is Grace. Grace comes when we least expect it. The grace in the eyes of the veterinarian who says your dog is fine. The grace in an email from a friend who says you’re a blessing in her life. The grace from the chattering birds on a wire. The grace in the clear sky. The grace in the sunrise over the sugarcane. The grace in the abundant fruit on the tree. The grace in the reflection of the sun on the bayou. God’s grace, God’s loving embrace holds me every day.

Read Full Post »

This Peace

Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged nature poem, spiritual journey on October 16, 2014| 5 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His son Jesus Christ our Lord.

This peace
cannot be understood,
creeps in my heart
when the sun rises
throwing a beam upon the oak,
her arms spread wide to welcome the light.

This peace comes from knowing
a creator who makes the heron fly
on wings breaking dawn
with stealth and strength.

This peace is a chant I sing,
your name over and over
while the yarn draws over and under
this golden G hook.

This peace transforms holy spirit
into sprays of fresh water
as close to me
as tears.

This peace as fragile as the hug of a child,
egg in a robin’s nest,
sweet scent of your clean skin.

This peace eases my breath
like child’s pose
letting go
letting out
letting in.

This peace
centered in words
prayerfully spoken,
I am here.

Read Full Post »

Dreams. Hope.

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged hope, spiritual journey on October 9, 2014| 8 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
–W.B. Yeats

We teachers have dreams laid at our feet. We should be careful. We need to remember to step with a light foot, like a feather brushing by, a slight wind to give direction, an uplifting to the wings of our tiny birds.

Ann Voskamp

Hope holds us together.

Hope is the thing, the one with feathers,

the thing we all wish for

in the darkest night of despair

when our hearts are breaking.

Hope holds on

to the thin line of your mouth when you smile,

to the circles under your eyes,

the sparkle of tears on your cheek; Hope paints a rainbow there.

Plant hope in the hole in your heart.

Open to the sound of His song–

the hoot of the owl, the cry of the hawk.

His voice carries

across wild fields

over storm clouds

into your hands.

Get ready.

Open your palms when you pray.

Original photo (iPhonography) by Margaret Simon taken at Sugar Mill Pond, Youngsville, LA.

Read Full Post »

Trust

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Judith Vollmer, spiritual reflection, trust on October 2, 2014| 2 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey each week. Today’s theme is Trust.

Maya, weaver of illusions,
how is it we trust the web, the nest,
the roof over our heads, we trust the stars
our guardians who gave us our alphabet?
We trust the turtle’s shell because
it, too, says house and how can we read
the footprints of birds on shoreline sand,
& October twigs that fall to the ground
in patterns that match the shell & stars?

Excerpt from House Spiders by Judith Vollmer

Read more of this poem here.

Trust is essential to living in this world. Embedded in the word trust is the word truth. One must be true to himself before he can be true to others. My One Little Word for 2014 is Open. Being Open is all about trust. Trusting my heart to lead me. Letting go and letting God. Giving over my need to control.

Prayer is at the center of trust. If I put my trust in God, I speak that trust in my prayer. “Not my will, but yours be done.” There is power in giving trust in prayer. I believe that power can influence the universe, move mountains, and heal.

Judith Vollmer’s poem speaks of trust in nature, the goodness of things such as house spiders. Her poem concludes with these lines: “I feel less and less like
a single self, more like
a weaver, myself, spelling out
formulae from what’s given
and from words.”

As I grow older, I feel less like a single self. I feel more a part of the family of things. I open myself to experience the world around me, and worry less about what it has to do with me. A few weeks ago, I stood by and watched a young student of mine bury her mother. I watched as she cringed at the sound of the casket being pushed into the mausoleum. This was not about me. I trusted God that I needed to be there. In the days that have followed, I realize that I had to share that experience with my student so that she would know that I know. She has complete trust in me. Sometimes trust is about giving up ourselves. Trust is about being present.

Read Full Post »

Communion

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged communion, spiritual journey on September 25, 2014| 6 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey. The theme this week is communion. This invitation pushes me to reflect on my spiritual self. Whether you write on a public blog or in a private journal, take some time to reflect, to know your heart a little better, to spend time with God alone.

Take this bread.
Take this wine.
Make it yours.
Make it mine.

We come to the table
palms up and raised,
opening our hearts

for nourishment,
for renewal,
for strength,
for comfort.

The unleavened wafer
presses on my tongue
an imprint of God’s precious love.

I gaze into the cup of wine,
see a reflection–
my eyes, your eyes,
bound together,
in union–
communion.
–Margaret Simon

Gian Lorenzo Bernini – Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican) Wikimedia Commons

Read Full Post »

Spiritual Sorrow

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged death, grief, Healing House, spiritual, students on September 18, 2014| 19 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey every Thursday. This week’s theme is Forgiveness, but I am being one of those students who is writing off-topic.

I was reading with one of my students about Buddha. A woman whose child was dead came to him asking for a miracle. Buddha told her if she could find a house that death had not visited, he would save her child. Of course, this proved impossible. The woman accepted the child’s death and buried him.

Death affects us all. But a young vibrant girl should not have to face the death of her mother.

Yesterday I got the news that Emily’s mother had died suddenly and unexpectedly. Emily is a fourth grade student. She bounces into class. She hums songs all the time. She is full of life and joy. Emily should not have to face the death of her mother.

After I heard the news, I called Emily’s grandmother and gave her my cell number saying Emily could call me anytime. She did. It was good to hear her voice, but it was shaky and small and sad. I held back my tears, told her I loved her, and reminded her of Dot Day, the happy day we had together on Monday.

Later I called Healing House, a nonprofit organization that helps grieving children. What gentle calming voices! They told me they have a “koping kit” that they can drop off for us at the school. I talked to the director about how to tell my other students. She said to be as honest as possible. She also told me to allow them to come up with ways to comfort Emily.

My students are amazing; however, I don’t ever want to see those expressions again. Their eyes immediately shone with tears. Their mouths fell open. We talked, and I kept my own tears at bay. We decided they would write personal messages to Emily on our blog. On the post, I put a picture of Emily’s dot. One of the students brought up how happy we all were on Dot Day. I am grateful that I allowed them to have a day of pure creative fun.

These are some of their comments:

I am so sorry. We are crying tears for you. I hope to you see you soon. I am looking forward to cheering you up. I wish you and your family love and happiness. Hope you feel better. Kielan

I’ve gone through the same thing Emily. My grandfather died in 2012 and it took me a whole month to get over it. The whole GT class is worried for you. We hope you feel better real soon. Nigel

I do not know what the next few days or weeks will bring. None of us do. We will all experience tragedy as we all experience love and joy. My prayer for Emily is that she will become strong and resilient. She will be the best she can be. She will love life again and feel joy. For now, we will be present with her in her grief.