A weekly collection of inspiration and resources for the journey, gathered from websites, books, and pass-alongs that have been shared with us. From Spirituality in the Wisdom Years.
There is No Going Back
No, no, there is no going back.
Less and less you are that possibility you were.
More and more you have become those lives and deaths
that have belonged to you. You have become a sort of grave
containing much that was and is no more in time,
beloved then, now, and always.
And so you have become a sort of tree standing over a grave.
Now more than ever you can be generous toward each day that comes, young,
to disappear forever, and yet remain unaging in the mind.
Every day you have less reason not to give yourself away.
– Wendell Berry, from “Collected Poems”
This Week
- Quieting your Soul – podcast
- When Old and Young Connect
- Steady Spirituality
- At-Home Retreat
- Age-ing to Sage-ing – an online workshop
- Listen
Quieting Your Soul – a podcast
This enlightening podcast is for everyone who is an “over” – over-achiever, over-controller, over-perfectionist. Listen for yourself or pass on to others. Nathan Foster of Renovare interviews Lane Cohee, author of the new book The Disquieted Soul. Listen here. https://renovare.org/podcast/lane-cohee-the-disquieted-soul
From: Renovare, a Christian nonprofit founded by Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline. renovare.org
When Old and Young Connect
Older and younger people benefit each other. When teenagers in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program were coupled with older mentors, they experienced a 46 percent difference in drug use, a 50 percent difference in school truancy, and a 33 percent difference in violent behavior compared to teens who did not have mentors. The older mentors were three times as likely to be happy than older adults who are not mentors. Read the article. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_happens_when_old_and_young_connect
From: the Greater Good Science Center https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/who_we_are
Steady Spirituality
Everything in our spirituality doesn’t have to be moving forward all the time. Sometimes we need to be in maintenance mode, remembering that the spiritual journey is a marathon, not a sprint. “Good spiritualities don’t put you on a universal conveyor belt, the same road for everyone, but take into account what you need to do to maintain your energy and sanity on a marathon journey,” says Fr. Ron Rolheiser, president of Oblate Seminary in San Antonio. Read the full article.
https://ronrolheiser.com/ascending-descending-and-just-keeping-steady
From: Ron Rolheiser,OMI. ronrolheiser.com
At-Home Retreat
While you are stuck inside, carve out some intentional time to get quiet and be with God. Br. Luke Ditewig of Society of St John the Evangelist suggests several ways to do it.
https://www.ssje.org/2020/04/29/retreat-at-home-during-coronavirus/
From: Society of St. John the Evangelist ssje.org
From Age-ing to Sage-ing – a workshop
Awakening the Sage Within online workshop introduces the concepts promoted by Sage-ing International and based on the work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in his book From Age-ing to Sage-ing. “Sage-ing” is a model for engaging more deliberately, more joyfully and more compassionately as we grow older. Practices center on personal growth and service as one grows into becoming an “elder.” The course will meet online three Tuesdays in August. Learn about Sage-ing International and the course. http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eh1x2idff9685403&llr=thw4kyfab
Investigate Sage-ing as Spiritual Practice
https://www.sage-ing.org/about/sage-ing-as-a-spiritual-practice/
Listen
We need to be careful about judging the old ones when we talk. At first they may not make sense to us. Maybe we’ll say they’re old fashioned and don’t understand. But the old ones do understand! When they speak, listen very carefully. Often it will take weeks or maybe even years before we understand what they are really saying. This is the way of Wisdom. We need to listen, listen, listen.
from Meditations with Native American Elders: The Four Seasons
Gathered Wisdom is from Spirituality in the Wisdom Years, a ministry that invites older adults to deepening spirituality in the last third of their lives. If someone forwarded this to you, learn more about Spirituality in the Wisdom Years and subscribe to the site at
ww.wisdomyears.org.
If you have something to add to Gathered Wisdom, send it to Marjorie George at
marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com
The Wisdom Years 