Daily Dose (August 18 – 21)
TUESDAY AUGUST 18 —
Children—or, let us say, the child within us—remind us of what it means to be “tethered” to authenticity.
Did you see the movie “Shine”?
In the opening scenes, we first meet the middle-aged David Helfgott (played by acclaimed Australian stage actor Geoffrey Rush), babbling to himself incessantly and wandering in the rain, in a state of transition. Behind him is the isolated existence as a child piano prodigy whose emotional turmoil led to a nervous breakdown, and a series of stays in various mental institutions. Ahead of him is his eventual reconnection with the world around him, guided by both love and his virtuoso talent that has been long abandoned.
What we are witnessing, is the awakening of the artist.
In the movie (and in real life), David eventually moves toward that which gives life.
For me, the tragedy is that (in the name of love) David’s father (Peter) squeezes the artist out of the prodigy. But in truth, it doesn’t always require a pathological “love” to hide or extinguish the light.
In the movie rendition, there is a scene that stops my heart. David and his father are walking home after a competition. David has placed second.
(In his father’s eyes, anything other than first is a failure.)
The father is seething, and there is no hiding his disgust. David has lived his entire life absorbing his father’s pathology, doing his very best to make his Daddy happy. The father walks ahead, hurried, his spirit heavy. David follows.
On the sidewalk, in chalk, there is a hopscotch pattern. The camera follows from behind, and we see young David unconsciously, intuitively, childlike, hopping and skipping and jumping—the joy and the light (and the artistry) of his childhood still alive. And so wonderfully life-giving-infectious. I’m still smiling real big.
So, here’s the deal: The artist—the authentic voice, the authentic name, the authentic wardrobe—in David did not reside only in the talent, or prodigy, or genius, but in the spontaneity, vitality, innocence, passion, and delight.
In other words, he dressed in—yes, he honored—the “wardrobe”…
Yes. Let the child spill.
There is so much in our world that “untethers” us. There is so much, that makes us “un-remember” this revitalizing truth: that which tethers you, is the fuel that spills authenticity, wholeheartedness, and empathy, and compassion, into the world around you.
It makes the difference.
When my identity is hijacked by distraction, I cannot honor.
When I cannot honor, I lose sight of what is real and authentic. And the child within.
And yes, every one of us is afraid at times. Who knows all the reasons? But when it happens, we revert to a zero-sum view of the world. We believe that resources—including compassion, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and generosity—are finite. We believe that life is short, and you get what you can. And if I don’t know you, you are my enemy… or at the very least, someone to be mistrusted.
This week, my friends, let us remember the wardrobe—Paul’s invitation in his letter to the Colossians, “So; chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
Those bearings that unlock mercy and passion and grace… and who knows, maybe even the possibility for healing and peacemaking.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 —
This week I am remembering another movie that did my heart good; “The Two Popes.”
We meet Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) as he is preaching in a poverty-stricken area of Buenos Aires and then catch up with him in Vatican City in 2005 where 115 cardinals have gathered to elect a new Pope after the death of John Paul II. Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI.
The two churchmen could not be further apart in their theology and personal style.
Pope Benedict: “You talk about walls as if they are bad things. A house is built of walls. Strong walls.”
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio: “Ah… Did Jesus build walls? His face is a face of mercy. The bigger the sinner, the warmer the welcome. Mercy is the dynamite that blows down walls.”
(There’s a good bit of social media kerfuffle about what is “accurate” and what is not. And the conversations between the two men are conjecture. Fair enough.)
But I know this: there is freeing power in the truth propelled by self-awareness and humility.
And I took heart in Jorge’s acknowledgement about decisions he made, that hurt people. Decisions that diminish better angels, decisions not good for the soul.
And this we know: We live in a world that could use a marinade of mercy. (Okay, confession time, I could use a marinade of mercy. And I know that the “wall” in my own life, is my pride.)
We preachers sure know what to do and say for other people. (And I’m guessing there’s a preacher in all of us.) This line from the movie floored me; “You must believe in the mercy you preach.”
Mercy (unmerited love) is the fuel (the fire) for transparency, as I no longer need to run from regret.
I own my neurosis and my failings. They do not own me. From that place, healing and reconciliation is possible. Mercy frees our heart to love and to live.
“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness,” George Saunders confessed.
Never underestimate the power of kindness.
Beginning with kindness to yourself.
So. This week, my friends, let us remember the wardrobe—Paul’s invitation in his letter to the Colossians, “So; chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 —
This week I am remembering movies that did my heart good. Movies—stories—that inspire and embolden me, to choose love and mercy, over hate and cynicism. You’ll want to watch, “Big Sonia.”
Sonia is unabashed, “If I reach one heart, I will accomplish something.”
In the movie, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski is a Holocaust-surviving, public speaking, gefilte fish-cooking grandmother and great-grandmother, who runs the tailor shop (in Kansas City) she’s owned for more than 30 years.
The stories she tells about the Holocaust will chill you. But sporting her leopard print clothing, Big Sonia can be laugh-out-loud-funny.
This is a portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all. And to inspire each of us to want what we already hold.
We see Sonia interact with family members, young students, and prisoners, and witness the spiritual impression that she makes.
“I want to reach their hearts and take out the hate,” Sonia says.
And to those of us listening, she adds, “Don’t close your eyes when something is not right.”
(Her tailor shop closed its doors in 2023. And Sonia celebrated her 100th birthday last year.)
The Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagin, leader in the Jewish world, 1838 – 1933) was asked about his impact and how he made a difference. He answered, “I set out to try to change the world, but I failed. So, I decided to scale back my efforts and only try to influence the Jewish community of Poland, but I failed there, too. So, I targeted the community in my hometown of Radin, but achieved no greater success. Then I gave all my effort to changing my own family, and failed at that as well. Finally, I decide to change myself, and that’s how I had such an impact on the Jewish world.”
Rabbi Ted Falcon, a good friend of Sabbath Moment, reminds us, “We seek to remember that blessing comes in meeting the authentic call of the moment with greater compassion. There are always inner voices that focus on what is wrong in ourselves, in others, and in our world. There are always opportunities to act unkindly. But each moment offers us the opportunity to step into our freedom with greater awareness. The Way of One is a Way of deep compassion, healing, and forgiveness. It’s a choice we are challenged to make again and again.”
That “authentic call of the moment” sounds like Big Sonia, doesn’t it? “If I reach one heart, I will accomplish something.”
These are life-giving stories during a week that we are remembering the “wardrobe”—Paul’s invitation in his letter to the Colossians, “So; chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
Those bearings that unlock mercy and passion and grace… and who knows, maybe even the possibility for healing and peacemaking.
Or taking to heart the words of Big Sonia, “I will not hate.”
FRIDAY AUGUST 21 —
Let us continue to tell, and remember, and re-tell, stories that inspire and embolden, uplifting us to choose love and mercy, over hate and cynicism.
Even more so when the stories are merged with, and grounded in, music.
“Music,” the trailblazing composer Julia Perry wrote, “has a unifying effect on the peoples of the world, because they all understand and love it… And when they find themselves enjoying and loving the same music, they find themselves loving one another.”
We nod, but let’s pause here and realize that this is beyond a checkmark on an ideology test. Music is a part of our DNA, “woven into the very structure and sensorium of our bodies” (thank you, Maria Popova). As the great neurologist Oliver Sacks reminded us, “music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation.”
I love this from Josephine “Jo” Phelps Fabian, “Through the invisible hands of music, the soul is touched and healed.”
On a June day in 1944, two weeks after D-Day, a few miles from the bloody shores of Omaha Beach, members of the 404th Fighter Group worked to carve an airstrip out of the Normandy countryside. Their efforts cost the lives of 28 Army engineers at the hands of the German snipers who persisted and fought after the D-Day battle. Most were located and captured or killed. One lone sniper still remained in the nighttime distance.
Back at the airstrip, Capt. Jack Tueller took out his trumpet. He’d used it on many a starlit night to entertain the men of the 404th. His commander told him, “Not tonight. I know your trumpet makes the most glorious sound, but with the sniper still out there, you will put us in harm’s way.”
In Tueller’s own words, “I thought to myself, that German sniper is as lonely and scared as I am. How can I stop him from firing? So, I played the German love song, ‘Lili Marleen,’ (made famous in the late ’30s by Marlene Dietrich, the famous German actress). And I wailed that trumpet over those apple orchards of Normandy. And he didn’t fire.”
The next morning, the military police approached Tueller to tell him they had a German prisoner on the beach who kept asking, “Who played that trumpet last night?”
Tueller describes the moment, “I grabbed my trumpet and went down to the beach. There was a 19-year-old German boy, scared and lonesome. He was dressed like a French peasant to cloak his role as a sniper. And, crying, he said, ‘I couldn’t fire because I thought of my fiancé. I thought of my mother and father. My role is finished.’”
“He stuck out his hand, and I shook the hand of the enemy,” Tueller said. “[But] he was no enemy, because music had soothed the savage beast.”
Yes, every one of us is afraid at times. Who knows all the reasons. But when it happens, we revert to a zero-sum view of the world. We believe that resources—including compassion, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and generosity—are finite. We believe that life is short, and you get what you can. And if I don’t know you, you are my enemy… or at the very least, someone to be mistrusted.
I love Tueller’s story because music unlocks mercy… and who knows, maybe even the possibility for healing.
And the walls of hostility came down.
So. In this churning and uncertain environment, where can we draw our identity, and our character, allowing us to unlock mercy?
This is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, “So; chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
And a note for those of you who follow Sabbath Moment on Facebook. We are taking a sabbatical from social media, so please find every Sabbath Moment on our website terryhershey.com And please pass the word. Onward…
Thank you, my friends, for being a part of Sabbath Moment. I am grateful for the community. If you know anyone who would enjoy, and benefit from Sabbath Moment, please invite your friend to join us.
Prayer (poem) for our week…
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever.
Amen.
New Zealand Prayer Book
Photo… “Our Sago Palm in Tucson, AZ” Linda Stapleton… Thank you Linda… Thank you all for your photos, please send them to tdh@terryhershey.com
Donation = Love… Your gifts make Sabbath Moment possible.
I am so very grateful.
Please Share Sabbath Moment with others.
And find it on our website terryhershey.com
