Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Broken Glass

I am tottering on the brink of rage, seething and angry in the aftermath of broken glass. Not a dropped glass lying broken in a puddle of spilled milk on a kitchen floor, but a shattering of trust. In the aftermath of trust broken, I spent today setting sharp steel traps in conversations and coming at friends with words like poison-tipped claws.

I focused on the darkness not the light.

For months I sensed need in the other, yet I failed to respond, sitting back, waiting for a request for help that never came. I ignored the need.

Tonight, I realize that failure entangled at least two participants. Together we shattered the trust.

If my friend’s mother in a distant town falls ill and he urgently desires to visit her, which would reveal a deeper friendship—my lending him my motor-bike in response to his request for it, or my taking it to his door as soon as I heard of the need, without waiting to be asked?” —Leslie Weatherhead, The Transforming Friendship.

Today, Weatherhead’s words start a tiny ripple of potential change within me. In my exhaustion, I find a quiet strength in my Creator – strength enough to make useless the sharp steel traps and poison-tipped claws, if I simply make time to pray.

Rw

Change Your Thinking
by Maryellen Smith
“If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson At any given point in time, you’re only one thought away from changing your thinking. What thought can you change today? MS

4 comments:

Unknown said...

"In my exhaustion, I find a quiet strength in my Creator – strength enough to make useless the sharp steel traps and poison-tipped claws, if I simply make time to pray."

Powerful message Renee.

Interruption said...

Lesson received!! Thank you for sharing. I needed to read this one today. Very wise post.
Take care.

Peace, Nico

Rw said...

Even this morning, I am struggling with compassion vs vengeance -- a lesson not yet learned? Thanks for your affirming words. Rw

Rich P. said...

Renee: If you make the struggle "OK," I have found that it starts to loosen it's grip, which is necessary as one starts to breathe again.

It is what it is. Choose to make it OK. Then it can change.

Just sharing something that works for me out of experience.

Namaste.
Rich