Author: Marjorie George

Gathered Wisdom, April 16, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

-Pema Chodron, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
Found in Well for the Journey

A Quiet Morning

If you live in the San Antonio area,
join us for a morning of quiet and reflection
on the beautiful grounds
of the Bishop Jones Center,

Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. to noon.

Click here for the details.

12 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing

With her characteristic wit and wisdom, Anne Lamott offers some lessons for all of us to think about. “Number two: almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes — including you.”

Read or watch the TED talk.

Found in Daily Good.

Feet

Joanna Seibert recalls the story of the accident that changed her life and set her on the course of ministry that became her life’s work. Her career in pediatric radiology, working in recovery, becoming a spiritual director, and being a pastoral caregiver—all have opened up to her as a direct result of her broken feet, she says.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna’s blog.

The Transformative Power of Art

“Art images are real and alive and have the power to change us and cause change,” says Richard Rohr. “They can shift our perspective on what we thought we knew and understood about a subject.” Art is more than decoration, he says. It can be an entirely new experience, “which perhaps cannot be accessed in another way.”

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Love Alive

When you are troubled, speak your truth and stay in community, says Br. Luke Ditewig. “If you are waiting for new life, tell a trusted companion or group your experience and let them wait with you,” he adds.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, April 9, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Our breath is also like a wave, gently rocking us into a deep peace. In this state of rest, our body and mind can release their burdens.
A lot of healing happens just by letting go and sinking into this state of total relaxation.

-Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
Found in Well for the Journey

Save the date!

A Wisdom Years Quiet Morning
on the peaceful and beautiful grounds of the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio.

Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. to noon.

Click here for the details.

A Pilgrimage of Wisdom

Pilgrims are those who walk not to a particular destination but simply to see where God takes them. In their book Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life, authors Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan invite us to walk through seven gateways that we encounter as we age. With the book as a guide, the next Wisdom Years study will join the authors in our own pilgrimage with trusted companions. The study begins April 18.

For all the details, follow this link.

Surprise Visits

Joanna Seibert points out that in the resurrection stories, we see Jesus in ordinary settings – cooking, eating, walking on the road – not coming to his disciples, and to us, from on high but in everyday encounters.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

Practicing Sabbath

In a moving remembrance, biblical scholar Renita J. Weems recalls the Sabbath of her childhood: the one day a week when Black workers could set aside worries about the mundane and renew their love affair with eternity…. 

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

The Inward Sea

In a brief poem, Howard Thurman reminds us that we can only touch our sacredness with our own inner authority and consent. Thurman describes it as the angel with the flaming sword so that nothing can be placed upon our altar without our consent.

Read the poem.

From Awakin.

Being Saved by the Good Shepherd

“Have you been saved?” we are sometimes questioned by certain Christian evangelists. But salvation is not a one-step process, says Br. Jonathan Maury. Rather, “the Gospel calls us to examine what it actually means ‘to be saved’; to embrace the fulness of this salvation and to understand its meaning and urgency for our mortal lives and how we shall live, in these present days.”

Read or listen to the sermon.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Pilgrimage for the Later Years

Pilgrimage for the Later Years

Marjorie George

A Wisdom Years study for the Easter season, 2024.

In an ideal world, a human life should be a constant pilgrimage of discovery, says the late Celtic poet John O’Donohue (from Eternal Echoes). For it is in the discoveries that we come to know ourselves and our relationship with God in new ways.

We will follow the path of pilgrimage, the path of discovery,  for our Easter season study using Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life by Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan. The authors offer seven “gateways” to spiritual growth in our later years, and we will explore each of these gateways, traveling as pilgrims and open to whatever God reveals to each of us.

The first six gateways we will cover in six weeks of study and conversation 
starting April 18 and ending May 23.

The gateways include

  • facing aging and dying
  • living with limitations
  • doing inner work
  • living in and out of community
  • prayer and contemplation
  • redeeming loss and suffering 

The seventh gateway is “leaving a legacy,” and we will spend some extended time with this gateway – June 13-27 – because it is so crucial in this season of our lives.

Each week of the study we will post on the Wisdom Years website some commentary for each gateway, questions for reflection, and additional resources.

On Thursdays, April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, and 23 we will gather for conversation by Zoom from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Central time.

We will then take a short break and pick up with the gateway of “leaving a legacy” on Thursdays, June 13, 20, and 27. Our summer break will encompass July and August.

If you are unable to join us for our Thursday Zoom gatherings, you are welcome to use the material on your own.

Participants in this study will need to buy their own copy of Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life by Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan. The book is available through St. Mark’s Bookstore at stmarksbookstore.com.  Order by clicking the bookshop link.  Or use your favorite retail book store.

If you want to participate in this study or if you have any questions, please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

This study is offered by The Wisdom Years, a ministry of deeper spirituality for our elders years through study, connection, and community. Visit us at ww.wisdomyears.org.

Gathered Wisdom, Apr 2, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Behold my friends, the spring has come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!

-Sitting Bull as quoted in Sitting Bull: The Collected Speeches by Mark Diedrich
From Well for the journey

Resurrection Fuels Action

If we don’t believe and live out Christ’s resurrection, how will we pray for God’s kingdom to come?  “How will we credibly usher in that kingdom in whatever small ways we can here and now, if we don’t believe in its ultimate fulfillment,” asks Debie Thomas, writing in CAC’s daily meditations.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

The Resurrection Gives Hope

The good news of the resurrection is not simply a promise to you and to me. It is a promise to all creation, that all things will be made new.  “In a world that stinks, the resurrection of Jesus is good news to all,” says Br. James Koester, “because it is a promise of life that is mended, healed, cleansed, and restored.” 

Read or listen to the sermon.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Nouwen: Easter Resurrection

There are many reasons we can lose our identity and our connection to God, says Joanna Seibert. Most of the reasons are based in fear.  It is in community that we are restored, with the help of others who tell their own stories.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

Music rejuvenates memories of dementia patients

“Music is the one thing that opens up people’s brains, and it helps fire off neurons on both hemispheres of the brain,” say scientists and doctors.  Children are often amazed when their parents who suffer from dementia come alive when they hear a familiar tune.

Read the article.

Found at public radio station WLRN in South Florida.

Spring

By Mary Oliver

Somewhere
a black bear
has just risen from sleep
and is staring
down the mountain

Read the rest of the poem.

Found at tumblr online.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Mar 26, 2024

Marjorie George

Gathered Wisdom is taking a Holy Week break. We pray for you a blessed Holy Week and joyous Easter.

I won’t leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. In a little while the people of this world won’t be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. Then you will know I am one with the Father. You will know you are one with me, and I am one with you (John 14:18-20 CEV).

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Mar 19, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

“A cherry tree doesn’t compare itself to other trees,” said Big Panda, “it just blossoms.”

-James Norbury, Big Panda & Tiny Dragon
Found in Well for the journey

Organizing With Love

Author Adrienne Maree Brown is a fan of mushrooms and dandelions because they are both so resilient. Humans are like that when they are engaging out of love. Perhaps humans’ core function is love, says Brown.

Read the essay.

From Awakin.

Our Cornerstone Spiritual Practice

Peace is our starting point in life, not its goal. “Peace is our rock of stability when all is in chaos and mountains slip into the sea,” says Bob Holmes. “Peace is the Christ energy in our hearts that holds all things together, connecting us into this Christ soaked universe at its quantum energetic source.”

Read the reflection.

From Contemplative Monk.

Ask, Search, Knock… and Wait

Jesus tells us to ask, search, and knock in the Gospel of Matthew (7:7-8). But what if we ask and receive nothing, or search and don’t find, or knock and the door remains closed. Asking, searching, and knocking bring us to a vulnerable stance, and vulnerability is the experience of uncertainty.

Read the reflection. 

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

God’s Inexhaustibility

“For all of us,” says Fr. Ron Rolheiser, “there are times in life when we seem to lose hope, when we look at the world or at ourselves and, consciously or unconsciously, think: ‘It’s too late! This has gone too far! Nothing can redeem this! All the chances to change this have been used up! It’s hopeless!’”

Read the reflection.

From Ron Rolheiser.

God’s Presence

God is never absent. Never, ever, ever. We need to remind ourselves about this every day, every moment. We are never alone. The vastness of God’s presence and love is more incredible than we can know, feel, or imagine.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Mar 12, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Gather up whatever has tumbled in the waves…
It all comes down to this:
In our imperfect world, we are meant to repair and stitch together
what beauty there is…

-Stuart Kestenbaum, “Holding the Light,” Only Now
Found in Well for the Journey

A Spiritually Literate Photographer

The cigar store manager took a photo of the store every day. To the casual observer, they all looked the same. You had to slow down and look deeply to see the differences. That’s what spiritual literacy is like.

Read the reflection.

From Daily Good.

As Way Opens

Quaker spirituality has a phrase for discernment – “as way opens.” It means paying attention to which path feels right and which one is filled with obstacles. When a decision has to be made, even with a deadline looming,  there must still be a pause, a way of checking in with our heart and our own deep knowing.

Read the reflection.

From Awakin.

Dying to Live

On average, 90,000 Christians are martyred every decade. While few of us will be called to die physically for Christ, all of us will be given the opportunity to be Christ’s witnesses. To do that, says Brother Curtis Almquist, something will have to die.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

The Kiss of God on the Soul

You know that little indentation just below your nose and above your mouth? Some say that’s where God kissed you before you were born. Once we knew perfect oneness, perfect truth, perfect goodness, and perfect beauty. We long to know them again.

Read the essay.

From Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Breathscapes

When the east wind
breathes into your soul,
and the morning sun
warms your face.

Pause in the solitude.
Sink into stillness,

Read the rest of the poem.

From The Contemplative Mystic.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Mar 5, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Words may help, and silence may help, but the one thing that is needed is that the heart should turn to its Maker as the needle turns to the pole. For this, we must be still.

-Caroline Stephen (1834-1909), Quaker Strongholds
Found in Well for the Journey

Ways to Heal

Look, honor, and receive – three of the ways Jesus engages healing. What might you see, what might you learn, and from whom if you did the same?

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Making a Morning Connection

Before we check our email, before we watch the news or plan our day, go out into the garden, says Richard Rohr. There we will find what is real. “If we can find a way to be present to the ‘givens,’ especially the natural ‘givens,’ I believe we can be happy,” says Rohr.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Entering Lent

Is it necessary to sit in the ashes of Lent? Some theologians say yes. In this and other mythical images, Fr. Ron Rolheiser gives us an explanation of aspects of Lent.

Read the reflection.

More about Ron Rolheiser.

Freedom to Choose to Care

We can choose to give away our last dollar. Or not.  If you take the dollar from your pocket, says Terry Hershey, you open yourself to change. It will require action and the acceptance of any consequences of that choice. However, the music you make will be life-giving to anyone around you.

Read the reflection.

From Sabbath Moment.

A Different Kind of Fast

For what do you hunger? Can you even name it? Peace, yes, and freedom from fear. Safety for our children. A sense of spiritual well-being. And yet, our very daily practices undermine what we claim as our desires. The Wisdom Years Lenten study on our website asks us to give up not just material goods but spiritual illnesses such as needing to be in control and rushing through life.

The study is designed for small groups and individuals. Do on your own or join our Zoom gatherings on Thursday afternoons.

To learn more

From The Wisdom Years.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Feb 27, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you.

-Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom, Stories That Heal

Feeling Lost? Here Are Four Steps to Finding Your Path

No matter our age, checking in with ourselves to see if we are living our values adds meaning and purpose to life. Here are some research-tested ways to figure out a way forward when we get derailed.

Read the article.

From Greater Good Magazine.

Flying Loose in Turbulent Times

“We are living through the breakdown and breaking open of much that has defined modern life,” says Cameron Timble, a pilot and pastor. It’s time to loosen our grip.

Read the article.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Healing Power of Sanctuary

Terry Hershey quotes Joseph Campbell: we all must “have a room, or a certain hour (or so) a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. If you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”

Read the reflection.

From Sabbath Moment.

Remaining Grace

Abide has  a “gutsy quality” to it, says Br. Luke Ditewig. “Abide also means to remain or to stick with through challenge. Jesus says: ‘the Father stuck with me. I’ll stick with you no matter what. Abide in my love,’ Jesus says. ‘Remain with me.’ ”

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Ultimate Consolation

Do we always have to open the door to let Christ in? Is the doorknob on the inside or on the outside? In John’s gospel, Christ goes to the huddled disciples after the resurrection and walks through the door. What does that teach us?

Read the reflection.

From Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Feb 20, 2024

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

This Lent, God’s invitation is to join in the great work of mending. That’s what redemption means: mending something that is torn or broken. Each one of us is called to share with God in mending that which is broken: our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, our relationship with our broken planet.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
Read More

Reclaimed by Something Deeper

“Deep communion and dear compassion are formed much more by shared pain than by shared pleasure,” says Richard Rohr. Our wounds make sacred medicine. We must allow ourselves to be reclaimed by something deeper than the pain before us.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Permission to let go

For Lent, Terry Hershey plans to honor a soft heart and make choices that spill from a soft heart. As Etty Hillesum said, “Ultimately, we have just one moral duty. To reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others.”

Read the reflection.

From Sabbath Moment.

Fear as an Invitation

The Sea of Galilee is a large fresh-water lake in northern Israel/Palestine that is prone to sudden and violent storms. This must be what happened to Jesus and the Disciples in the biblical story about Jesus calming the storm  (Luke 8:22–25) We also are afraid for our lives, with good reason, but Jesus assures us not to fear.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Effort Does Not Change The Person

“Holiness is not an achievement; it is a grace,” says Anthony De Mello. It is only our nonjudgmental awareness that heals and changes and makes us grow. But in its own way and at its own time.

Read the reflection.

From Awakin.

Lenten Ashes

What is the symbolism of the ashes put on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday? “Smudging oneself with ashes says that this is not a season of celebration for you, that some important work is going on inside you, and that you are, metaphorically and really, in the cinders of a dead fire, waiting for something fuller in your life,” says Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Read the reflection.

From Ron Rolheiser’s blog.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.