Let us honor the gift of Now
At a playground, a woman sits down next to a man seated on a park bench. “That’s my son over there,” she tells him, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater, gliding down the slide.
“He’s a fine-looking boy,” the man said. “That’s my son on the swing in the blue sweatshirt.” Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. “What do you say we go, Todd?”
Todd pleaded, “Dad, just five more minutes. Please? Just five more minutes.”
The man nodded, and Todd continued swinging, his demeanor elated. Many minutes passed and the father called again to his son. “Todd, what do you think? Time to go now?”
Again, Todd pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.” The man smiled and said, “O.K.”
“My,” the woman said, surprised. “You certainly are a patient father.”
The man smiled, and said, “Last year, my older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver while he was riding his bike, not far from here. I never spent much time with Tommy. And now, I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. So, I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing. But the truth really is, I get five more minutes to watch him play.”
Here’s the power of this story.
We re-hear, and remember the invitation to “be here now”—yes, the sacrament of the present moment.
And, if I am present, I see, and if I see, I can choose to make space for connection, honoring the gift that “We are on this journey together”.
I can see you, and not just the assumptions I make about you, or the agenda I have for you.
I can honor your pain, and make space for welcoming and healing and restoration (yes, from places of cruelty or hatred).
I can honor your joy, and make space for mutual celebration.
And if you have been excluded (or dismissed), I can honor your dignity and make space for you to be included and embraced.
And yes indeed, it is easy to second-guess, or to fear dying an unlived life, or to castigate ourselves for wasted moments.
But here’s the deal: Well-intentioned or not, nursed regret only puts more padding between the present moment and me—which includes the people and choices that are in my life today.
Life is about the choices we make now, with these five more minutes.
Yes, and amen. Or, in the words of poet Mary Oliver, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Okay. Count me in. Just tell me how. Isn’t that the magical question? How? Is there a way to do this? Is it something about our need to perform? If I’m going embrace the sacred present, I might as well excel at it! We need to cut ourselves some slack here, assuming that there is a big prize in spiritual well-being for people who have Aced the test on embracing-the-sacred-present technique.
I see two sources of rejuvenation here.
One. In Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s mind, it’s basic. “I would say an individual dies when he ceases to be surprised. What keeps me alive—spiritually, emotionally, intellectually—is my ability to be surprised. I say, I take nothing for granted. I am surprised every morning that I see the sun shine again.”
I suppose we can wag some internal finger and give ourselves grief for not using our time more wisely and “wouldn’t it be better if” and so forth. Or we can try Jesus’ three-word counsel, “Do not worry,” and just BE. (Although, truth be told, there is a good deal of adrenaline with worry, and it makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something.)
And number Two. Being present allows us to stay emotionally and spiritually hydrated. Not that many years ago, I spoke to a group of hospice care workers here in the Pacific Northwest, about emotional and spiritual hydration. I started this way, “What I’m about to tell you is very selfish. I want self-care to matter to you. Yes, I want you to be replenished. Because one day, I will need one of you.”
No one of us is on this journey alone. And we need one another not only for care and comfort, but to pick up the pieces and find ways to create spaces in our world that will not belittle or diminish.
Yesterday, a train from Edinburgh to the Lake District of England. (I do love train travel when I am in Europe.) The landscape that accompanies is mesmerizing—rolling green hills, bucolic and calming. Sheep graze and pose. The new lambs staying close to Mama. The pastures are framed with very very old English stone walls, a view that is artistically and pleasingly geometric, as well as comforting and peace-giving.
And today, a “pilgrimage” two-hour-walk to the top of Latrigg Fell, in Keswick, England. The walks in this area are perfect for their own Camino—so that does my heart good. At the top of the Fell, stunning—makes you glad to be alive—views of Derwentwater, Keswick and the Lake District beyond. And along the way, many, many more sheep. Lots of mamas with their wee ones. And yes, I did bring them greetings from the congregation of sheep on Vashon Island, but I’m not sure they understood my accent.
In the Christian church, today we celebrate Palm Sunday, and the beginning of Holy Week. And on Saturday, our Jewish brothers and sisters welcomed Passover, a great invitation for us all to think about what it means to be free, to be respectful, to be tolerant. Let us embrace these gifts in our Easter and Passover season.
And today, April 13, is my Father’s Birthday, may he rest in peace. And the 46-year celebration of my ordination. I will raise a glass in gratitude.
Quote for our week… “Now is the only time I can do anything about.” Willie Nelson
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Today’s Photo Credit: Palm Sunday view of Derwent Water and the village of Keswick from Latrigg Fell (Keswick, England). In England, a “fell” is a term primarily used in the Lake District to refer to a hill or mountain… And thank you to all, I love your photos… please, keep sending them… send to terryhershey.com
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Letters that do my heart good…
–Thank you, Terry, for your encouragement this week. Here is another quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estes that seems to fit this week’s theme. “Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely.” Grace and Peace, Bill
–Thank you, Terry for today’s story of MLK’s midnight prayer. Enjoy your time exploring creation—today I am planting bare roots that hopefully will grow into a beautiful rose bush (I am naming her ‘Story-time’ in honor of all the beauty that is to be found in the sharing of the stories of our lives). Keep on sharing your stories Terry for they are bread for the journey. Cathy
–Thank you, Terry for this most powerful and encouraging edition of Sabbath Moment. I see God’s hand upon your own. Cathy
