Before I knock myself out for the night
Because, really, I've had enough with the waking up at 2:30...4:30...6:30...So before I drown myself in cough syrup, I remembered something I actually want to say, not just babble about.
Last night, as Tyka mentioned, our women's group had a little get-together. The topic was almsgiving, and we were talking about different kinds of almsgiving. (And I'll say now that the word 'almsgiving' really irks me - not the idea, just the word. It's clunky and doesn't remind me of what it really is).
Someone quoted a book or saint (could I be any more specific?) who said that one way of giving alms (other than money, time, talents, etc.) is to pray for others, to mourn with them, and to take joy in their joy.
And at first it doesn't sound like much. Pretty easy, right? Sure, yeah, I can say a prayer for that person. But if you really do that, if you really mourn with them and pray with them and rejoice with them, that's the work of a lifetime. That's community. That's your whole heart, not isolated but part of something bigger.
I've had times where it sounds like too much work, to really involve myself. But the times that I do - with my friends and people in my community - those are the most rewarding.
It connects in my mind with a conversation Tyka and I had about our god-daughters and our relationships with them. How we're there to help them and guide them - we're there for them. But more often than not WE feel like we're the ones benefiting from the relationship. I can't say how many times in the last two years (almost) I've been so grateful that I had this girl in my life. And we can't even have a conversation yet. It's incredibly humbling, in a way I couldn't imagine before she was born.
Last night, as Tyka mentioned, our women's group had a little get-together. The topic was almsgiving, and we were talking about different kinds of almsgiving. (And I'll say now that the word 'almsgiving' really irks me - not the idea, just the word. It's clunky and doesn't remind me of what it really is).
Someone quoted a book or saint (could I be any more specific?) who said that one way of giving alms (other than money, time, talents, etc.) is to pray for others, to mourn with them, and to take joy in their joy.
And at first it doesn't sound like much. Pretty easy, right? Sure, yeah, I can say a prayer for that person. But if you really do that, if you really mourn with them and pray with them and rejoice with them, that's the work of a lifetime. That's community. That's your whole heart, not isolated but part of something bigger.
I've had times where it sounds like too much work, to really involve myself. But the times that I do - with my friends and people in my community - those are the most rewarding.
It connects in my mind with a conversation Tyka and I had about our god-daughters and our relationships with them. How we're there to help them and guide them - we're there for them. But more often than not WE feel like we're the ones benefiting from the relationship. I can't say how many times in the last two years (almost) I've been so grateful that I had this girl in my life. And we can't even have a conversation yet. It's incredibly humbling, in a way I couldn't imagine before she was born.
posted by Jess at 10:52 PM
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