A very close friend of mine brought to my attention a very intimate reflection she'd had based on my last blog posting. This gave me pause and inspired me to thank all of you for reading this humble little spot on the interweb. You and I know full well that there are gobs and gobs of other ways that you could be spending your time, but that you take a moment to read these words and walk through the forest of my mind with me...well that touches my heart in more ways than you know. Here is a little thank-you gift to all of you.
Dear ones, lately I have been challenged to live in the moment, seize the day, and to "Bloom where I am Planted". I used to resent all of these sayings because I couldn't comprehend them.
How exactly can I live in the moment when there is so much still to be done?!
How was I supposed to be an effective person if I was living so much in the moment? How would anything get done?
How would dinner get on the table?
Do I really have to fly by the seat of my pants all the time?
What about that planner in me that likes to know what's coming next?
What about the obsessive yet dear spouse of mine that REALLY wants to know what is coming next and yet seems to be on a completely different plane with the whole "live in the moment" concept?...what about that?
What does 'bloom where you're planted' really MEAN?!
No one had an answer for me for any of these questions and if anyone took the time to talk to me about them, the only thing that I took away from the conversation was..."it'll happen for you eventually" or "don't worry about it right now, you have so much going on." While that is well and good, that STILL frustrated me even more since waiting for something to eventually happen still didn't help me to live in the moment because I judged I was looking forward to something and not living in the moment.
How exactly do you live in the moment when memories are constantly flurrying around you? Songs, books, words, smells, objects, things, people, cars, roads, SO very many things can conjure any kind of positive or negative memory that can take a person OUT of the moment at any moment and lead them off into nostalgia-land. Then at the same time, thoughts of the future or how things might be different, certain hopes, dreams, goals, aspirations, et cetera, can also take you out of the moment at any moment and your mind could wander. Then there's the every day duties that you MUST get done in order to stay hygenic...dishes, laundry, and personal feeding and washing, as well as any other family that might need help getting those things achieved. Some days can be full just doing those things...yet, how do we "bloom" in doing so?
All of these things frustrated me and thereby helped me to despise the little phrase "Bloom Where You're Planted" or "Carpe Diem"...how dare they suggest that to me when they couldn't fully explain it?! Sure, it seemed like a fine sentiment..."Yes! Carpe Diem, my boy!" (imagine that said in a 1940's high-pitched movie accent)...I even have a rubber wood-mounted stamp that makes the most beautiful "Bloom Where You're Planted" cards that I've given as gifts. But as many times as I've used that stamp, I resented it's message.
My resentment is/was a bi-product of my weaknesses...my own stupidity and lack of wisdom. The readings from a couple of weeks ago (find the readings at www.usccb.org for Nov 4, 2011) were extremely enlightening especially the second reading about Wisdom.
It got me thinking that the more we ask for wisdom, the more that wisdom will be given us. But definitely not in our time and definitely not when we expect it. All things in God's time and all things as He wishes. For those of you that choose not to believe in God, He is still in control, He's just given you the choice to choose Him or not. It's still your choice. That choice in itself involves wisdom...and risk. But I don't want to get too far off track by saying that by choosing not to love God, you are taking advantage of the free will that He has lovingly given you because He loves you. He loves you and He sees everything you do and He still loves you and forgives everything you do, even those things that do not bring Him glory. Just because you're choosing not to go to church or believe in Him, it doesn't make you better than anyone else and it doesn't make those that go to church any better than you. I just want to make that clear.
If church were meant for perfect people, it'd be an empty building.
Church is the BODY of Christ, Christ is the Head of the Church, Christ died for us, we are sinners, we are still sinners sitting in those pews. He comes down from Heaven to give Himself to us in The Holy Eucharist and give us His Grace to make it through in this crazy world.
It is through His Grace that we are given wisdom and through this wisdom that I have gained perspective on "Bloom Where You're Planted"...I'll enlighten you as best as I'm able.
To bloom where one is planted means that you simply need to work at being content where you are in life. Knowing that your choices have led you to this place can help. Knowing that you're only in control of YOU, your behaviors, your decisions, your body (most of the time), can also help you to bloom, to open up your petals, and be happy in the place where you are.
It helped me to remember what I learned many years ago in FAMILIA (Family Life In America - a Biblical and Encyclical study group for young mothers) that when we see our daily duties as offerings to God, that we are able to find peace and joy in those moments instead of seeing them as drudgery. Remembering this helps me to make the DECISION to be joyful, to offer up my frustrations, and to see the good in the things that I sometimes find mundane.
When things pop up that throw me off course, I really have to take a deep breath and pray. I have to do this a lot. I have to do this with my family and with things in life. But with each effort, I hope that it might become easier to do. Each time I take a deep breath and pray when times get hard or frustrating, I try to make the more charitable choice. I hope that you will too and that you can find the strength, as I am trying to, to bloom where you are planted.
God Loves YOU!
XOXO
