Life, these sacred thoughts, Page 6

Truth: Memories.

by ShethOctober 2, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Seminary / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

There’s this nifty little function on Facebook called ‘Memories’ – I can click on that and look at all the past things I’ve posted on Facebook on that given date (how old do I sound in this sentence?). I like this because I can look back and see all the good things that have happened in my life: concerts, going on dates, international trips, meeting important or influential people, or hanging out with friends. I can see past observations I’ve made, quotes I may have liked at the time, or how I felt about this or that political issue. Sometimes, though, things come up that I don’t want to be reminded of: financial struggles, losses of employment, broken relationships, family hardships, dumb quotes, the starts of arguments…all the bad things that I don’t care to think about.

When I was a child, I knew that when I died I would have to account for my sins, but I wasn’t sure how God and I would review those sins. Would it be a book – a pictorial sin-biography? Would God just start rattling off my misdeeds and shortcomings and I would have to answer for each one? My creative little mind came up with the idea that God would project them on a screen – a retrospective film of my life, starring me. [And because I tend to make matters worse in my mind, I assumed everyone would be watching…and I mean EVERYONE, because we’d all be there in one place on the day of judgement]

I’d ask my Sunday School teachers about the consistency of God’s memory – was everything remembered…was there ever a lapse in memory…how big or small did a sin need to be for it to be remembered? I mean, God remembered Noah after the flood and God remembered about Israel time and time again…God has a good memory! Why wouldn’t God remember when I took that piece of candy, or when I told my mom I wasn’t at the park, or when I kept the dime meant for the offering plate? I asked all the questions because I was worried about my sins and that God’s memory would prevent me from getting through those pearly gates.

Certainly God remembers, but it’s not in the same way that we remember, or the way Facebook remembers. God doesn’t hold on to those memories and lord them over us; God doesn’t waive our mistakes in our faces; God doesn’t drop them in our minds to make us feel bad. God has forgiven us of our mistakes the moment we confess them. God has wiped them from the Divine memory as if they weren’t even there.

The truth is, the memories of my past sins are my memories, and I think they linger in my brain for a few reasons. They’re there because I haven’t forgiven myself of my sins, even though God has; I can’t seem to let go of this or that and I beat myself up with the memory. These are things I continually have to work on and ask God to help me forgive myself.

But the ‘sin memories’ are also there to remind me of the past – like Facebook – and to point me to the consequences of my mistakes. They give me a base line for my future actions and they guide me in my decision making.

Most importantly, I think they’re also there to remind me of God’s grace and love: Hey, Sheth, remember that time you did X? And remember when God forgave you for that? Well, God can certainly forgive you for this, too. These memories keep me balanced, in a way – they make sure I stay on trail, and when I waiver and falter I know where the trail is located and how to get back.

May we forgive ourselves as God has forgiven us! May the memories of our pasts not come back to haunt us! And may our memories give us direction in life, guiding us along life’s paths!

much love. sheth.

Truth: I Know Best.

by ShethSeptember 11, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Prayer / Story / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

There’s more to follow, but first, my rendition of Luke 5:1-8:

Jesus was talking to some folks by the Lake of Gennesaret, when, off in the distance he saw two boats near the shoreline. He walked towards the boats while he continued to talk with the small crowd, and when he approached the boats he stepped up into one of them and asked the owner to put out the boat a bit farther from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach from it.

Simon, the boat’s owner, did what the man had asked of him and he moved his boat a little further off shore. Simon was stunned that he did what was asked of him, but also confused as to why this stranger decided to use his boat as a park bench. Simon’s countenance shifted from awe and amazement to contempt, and he glared at the man as he was speaking, waiting for the opportune time to question the man. “Who does this guy think he is?” Simon thought to himself, “He comes and sits in my boat, has these people following him…traipsing all over my fishing gear, and then he tells me where to go fishing!”

Simon looked at the man, who was grinning and looking back at him. Jesus wrapped up his discussion then said to the weathered fisherman, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Exhausted from the previous night’s expedition, Simon knew better than this man that it was a terrible time and place to fish, “Master,” said Simon sarcastically, “we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t…caught…anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

With a half-hearted motion to his fellow fishermen, Simon and company let down their nets. After all the nets were cast, Simon looked at Jesus, “There. The nets are out. I hope you’re happy.” Simon folded his arms onto his chest, “Oh, and thanks for wasting my morning. I had plans to go into town and take care of some business, but no, this…” he quickly spread his arms wide, gesturing to the water around him, “…is much more productive.”

As he was lowering his arms in frustration, Simon lost his balance – the nets pulled the boat hard, and the fishermen all shouted with a mix of bewilderment and excitement. There on Lake Gennesaret, Simon and his fellow fishermen caught so many fish that their nets began to break! He was astonished and looked at Jesus who was grinning from ear-to-ear; Simon weaved his way over to Jesus and fell at his feet.

*****

Jesus comes and sits in my boat telling me where I should go and what I should do? I know best!…right? In all honesty, I usually feel like Simon – I see Jesus approaching my life, wondering why he’s hanging out in my boat, and I question his calls for me to act. I question and wonder and second-guess because I see my life through my own eyes – I’ve been living my life and I know what’s best for me.

If Jesus calls me to help someone, I question whether I’m the best one to help; if Jesus calls me to speak with someone, I question whether I’ll have the right words; if Jesus calls me to lead, I point out others who would be much better for the job. My life seems to be a series of occasions when I think that God should have arranged things differently. God should have given me that job, or kept me in that relationship, or provided for me sooner instead of letting me struggle for so long. In those moments I’ve wrestled with God I think I know what’s best for me.

As much as I think I have all the answers – as much as I think I know when it’s best to wash my nets or go fishing – I don’t know much at all. When I turn my vision towards Jesus and trust in his calling, when I believe that he knows me best, then my life can only be the best it can be. I may struggle at times, I may have to learn a few lessons along the way, but Jesus is always there telling me the better way to live.

I can only pray to be less like Simon, and not only have ears to hear God’s voice, but to also have unbound trust in what God is going to do in my life.

much love. sheth.

Truth: Happy (Radiantly).

by ShethAugust 28, 2018March 31, 2020Life / Love / Relationships / Seminary / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

“Describe a time you were radiantly happy.
What do you value most in that memory?”

I came across this journal prompt yesterday, and I’m not sure how to write about it because truthfully I’m not wired that way anymore. I admire people who can show their emotions, express themselves freely, and others around them don’t have to guess what is going on. Me, I’m more of a wildcard, and others around me are continually left guessing as to what I’m feeling.

I wish I could express myself freely and have those ‘radiant’ feelings of joy and happiness, those times when I can cry, laugh, and weep. I see people around me who are so very emotive and expressive, and I get a little jealous. Somewhere deep in my mind, I suppose I’ve relinquished the thought that I can be radiantly happy. Perhaps out of a fear of expecting bad to follow good I’ve denied myself the chance to experience this feeling, and instead have opted to remain staid and demure. It’s safer this way. There’s less chance of getting hurt if I can control this side of the ups and downs of life, right?

As I laid in bed last night I peered through my past, and attempted to find a moment when I experienced happiness in this way, but most of the ‘normal’ happiness-inducing moments of my life have been clouded by sorrow. Finding out I was going to be a father was over-shadowed by divorce papers; finishing my bachelor’s degree was marred by a severely broken leg; a promising relationship was drowned out by unemployment; seminary has been a roller coaster of financial worries. It’s not that I haven’t had moments that would call out in my life to be radiantly happy, but life has also beaten me down a bit and has left me a bit jaded.

I was talking with some people yesterday about this journal prompt and I told them that I don’t have a lot of moments of radiance because I don’t give myself permission to feel that way anymore. I’m scared to do it because I’m scared of the bad things that may follow. It’s silly to live my life in fear (especially a fear of this), but I’ve done it for so long that I don’t really know how to do it any differently. I don’t know how to be ‘radiantly happy’.

Thinking about it, I realize I have a lot of work to do on myself to understand that it’s okay to feel emotions, to enjoy them, to enjoy life with all its ups-and-downs. I have to figure out how to find radiant happiness (and the moments that provoke it). I have to let go of my fears and worries, and just learn to enjoy life. But I also have to understand that maybe, just maybe, I’m not a ‘radiantly-happy’ kind of person. Maybe I don’t experience things in that way, and I need to be okay with that.

Whichever way I discover who/how I am, I pray that God can crack my emotions open, that my life can be changed, filtered, cleaned, and re-worked to become the man the Creator made me to become. I pray that God can help us all to express ourselves in ways that others can understand, and that we can share these emotions with others in our lives.

much love. sheth.

Truth: Sin(ful).

by ShethAugust 21, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

.This past week I managed to break seven of the ten commandments (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10) and filled out the completion card on the ‘seven deadly sins’. Stumbling upon this list (here) in my wanderings through the interwebs, I could probably check off most of these as fulfilled (I didn’t fact-check this list but it can be viewed more of an example of “sins”). If there were a scale going from the ‘Good Christ-like’ down to the ‘Bad Shitty Christian’, I’d be near the bottom.

When I look back and really study my actions, my thoughts, and my words I realize that I didn’t do so great a job. I put myself before others, I didn’t welcome the stranger, and I didn’t feed the hungry. I used God’s name in vain when I was upset, I have put technology at the forefront of my life, and I have been very unproductive. I’ve shown a few people my middle finger, I’ve gossiped, and I’ve coveted things others have that I don’t. I’ve been overly-proud of my accomplishments at school, stared too long at women, and eaten more than I should have. I’ve skipped out on the sabbath, lied about a few little things, and haven’t called my parents. And honestly, that was probably all just from this past Sunday.

I don’t mean to live my life like this – I’m not intending on being a poor example of what a Christian should be, and I don’t wake up each morning with some nefarious plan in my mind about all the shenanigans I’m going to get into. Each morning I wake up hoping that that day will be a good day and that I can do my best to serve God and others in my actions, thoughts, and words. Then I get out of bed and begin my quick descent into sinfulness.

How is it that I have this desire to be Christ-like, but end up being such a bad example that I should just deny my faith (I’m sure that’s a sin) in order to preserve it’s image for others? I know I can’t say ‘the devil made me do it’ – my 4^th grade Sunday school teacher squashed that excuse. And I can’t really blame others for my actions, words, or thoughts – sure, that person may have cut me off on the highway, but they didn’t force me to point at the sky with my middle finger. It’s all on me. I am in control of me and what I choose to say, think, and do.

In my summer Biblical Greek course we translated the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6, and I came to the part where it says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The word ‘deliver’ comes from the Greek word rhysai (ρυσαι) and while it can mean ‘deliver’, it can also mean to rescue, to draw to oneself, to snatch up, or to drag from. I relate to that last one, “And lead us not into temptation, but drag us from evil.” That’s usually the case with me – I am continually heading in the direction of evil, but God has to grab me by my shirt collar and drag me back into those Divine arms and hold me tight.

I’m a bad Christian because it’s easy for me to sink into the pit of sin – it’s easy to speak gossip, to swear, to lie, cheat, and steal. I can look at the good that God has for me, but the world and all its temptations are in my periphery. I’m easily tempted and I falter quickly because I’m human. And yet God is right there to grab me and pull me back, gently telling me “Nope, don’t do that” and allowing me to have a conversation before giving me a hug and sending me on my way again. I can only pray that one day I’ll get this being a Christian thing down pat before it’s all over. And I can only pray that God will be there time and time again when I fail time and time again.

much love. sheth.

Truth: Flying Solo.

by ShethJuly 24, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Love / Relationships / Seminary / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

.In order to shut my mind down at the end of the night, I often imagine myself in certain situations: super-secret spy, lonely drifter, inspirational teacher/coach, or mountain man. This last one tends to capture my interest a lot as I place myself in the wilderness of British Columbia, hundreds of miles from civilization with only a few small items to survive. I usually imagine going to this place to get away from it all and to live my life in peace, seclusion, and quiet.

While my imagination can take with this scenario a thousand different ways, I almost always run into a snag – there are certain times when I need help, either with lifting the beams for my hewn-log cabin, or carrying a moose through the swamplands, or fending off a pack of wolves. As much as I would like to imagine living life in solitude, I still run into the fact that I need others in my life.

I’ve tended to follow this train of thought in my real life as well, “I can do this on my own!” only to realize that a board is too heavy, or my car will fall on top of me, or I can’t face having a difficult conversation alone. The truth is I need people in my life to push me forward, to help me when I need it, to encourage me, to chastise me, to keep me accountable…I can’t do this life alone.

I had a sampling of beer with a friend yesterday and as we were talking about seminary, life, family, and my future, I realized how important this relationship is to me. Over the past week of being back in my hometown I’ve met with seven friends who truly care about me and want to help me succeed. They desire nothing but the best for me and hope I can become the real ‘Sheth’ they know is within me. These relationships move me beyond myself and my selfish thinking (that I can do life alone) and they help me realize that others care deeply about me.

As hard as we try, we need relationships with other people. Recently, I ran across this show “Mountain Men” on the History Channel and it intrigued me for a number of reasons, but mainly that these tough, rugged, scraggly people in remote locations depend on other tough, rugged, scraggly people for their survival. They reach out to one another to hunt, build homes, farm, raise their kids, chase off mountain lions, pick berries, drink wine, laugh, and play games. All people need people.

I’m about to wrap up my time in Salida and probably won’t be back for a few months, but I know I have a large group of people here who will always be there for me, will prod me on in life, and will call me out when needed. And as I return to Austin, I know I have a large group of friends there who will do the exact same thing. I shake my head at my former self for trying so desperately to go at it alone, but now I know the importance of living snd doing life with others.

May God grant us wisdom to reach out for others, and may the Creator place people in our lives who will help us to be who we are meant to be.

much love. sheth.

Truth: In Love.

by ShethJuly 17, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Love / Relationships / Truth Tuesday1 Comment

I’ve tried to look at myself through God’s eyes, and usually the only thing I can say afterward is, “Ugh…don’t bother.” I know me, the things I’ve done, and the person I am, and I can’t imagine God looking too kindly on me. But the Divine doesn’t have my vision. God knows that I’m not who I think I am – God knows me for who I truly am and keeps close by me: propping me up, giving me food and drink, and helping me through life. God keeps close to me and stays by my side because God loves me – not for anything else, not for any personal gains – the Divine just loves me.

For the past two years my parents and my aunt took care of my grandmother as she lived out her final years in the local nursing home. Essentially a full-time job and taking shifts, the three of them made sure that my grandma’s needs, wants, and desires were met. They gave her more attention, care, and love in one day than most ever receive while coming to the end of their lives in that building. The three of them sacrificed their own wants, their own desires, their own needs for the sake of their mother. They did it because they loved her – not for anything else, not for any personal gains – they just loved her.

Being involved in youth ministry over the years, I have witnessed parents struggle with how to deal with their teenage children. I’ve heard (and continue to hear) countless stories of kids having reckless sex, experimenting with drugs, behavioral issues, academic struggles, broken friendships, betrayal, lies, deceit, manipulation, depression…the list is as long as there are kids in this world. These parents are often at their wit’s end – not knowing what to do, where to go, or how to deal with their children. These parents read books, attend seminars, watch videos, ask questions, and keep their doors (to their houses and their hearts) open for when their kids are ready to return home. They do it because they love their kids – not for anything else, not for any personal gains – they just love them.

I’ve witnessed friendships turn to turmoil as the balance shifts from give and take to just take – one person sapping money, time, and possessions from the other. These friendships were once strong, with each giving and receiving equally with generosity and gratitude, but for whatever reason the relationship devolved into something terrible and greedy. The friend who is taking may not realize that the balance has shifted because there are deeper issues that they’re dealing with. But the giver keeps giving out of love for their friend and hopes that they will return to old times soon. They do it because they love their friend – not for anything else, not for personal gains – they just love them.

Over the past few months I’ve wrestled with love in my own life: I have a friend who became a romance, and while it was well and good, she was not entirely well and good, and wasn’t quite ready for a relationship. As we ended things, I was heartbroken because I had begun to invest my heart in her and had hoped for something more. For me, it’s easiest to end the relationship with a complete omission of that person from my life. But with her, I choose to remain friends and I continue to spend time with her – going to the store with her, meeting her in raggedy bars, studying with her, breaking bread with her, praying with her, discussing books with her, watching bad reality TV shows with her. I remain in her life, and she in mine, because I love her – not for anything else, not for personal gains – I just love her.

Truthfully, love isn’t always hearts and flowers and happy times (though sometimes it is) – usually love is mundane, chaotic and occasionally the undesired things and moments in life. Love is the good and the bad, the ugly and the pretty, the messy and the organized. Love is found in taking care of others, relentlessly holding out hope for the lost, sacrificing self, in waiting, and in being present.

May we love as unconditionally and wildly as we have been loved, and may we never back away from it.

.much love. sheth.

Truth: Breaking Point.

by ShethJuly 10, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Love / Relationships / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

I’ve often wondered if Jesus ever got fed up with the disciples. Did Bartholomew ask one too many questions, to the point that Jesus just got up and walked away? Was there ever a moment when Jesus actually called out Judas’ for his sticky fingers in the moneybag? Did Andrew ever ‘flat-tire’ Jesus, thinking it would be funny, but it only annoyed the Master? When Jesus was questioning Pete about the depth of his love, did Jesus need to ask three times, or was it just because the fisherman couldn’t get the concept?

Certainly, most wouldn’t want to read about Jesus snapping at his closest friends because it seems like that wouldn’t be very “Christ-like”. But we can’t assume that Jesus allowed everyone to walk all over him in his state of love, either. There must have been a balance – some way to be divinely loving but still humanly emotive. He must have had boundaries, coping mechanisms, and friends who knew when to back away and recognize that He needed to be left alone. I think Jesus demonstrated that the choice to love people is, more often than not, a difficult and trying act.

This past spring I had a flood of emotions as I realized just how beautiful, lovely, and amazing everyone around me is – both to me and to God – and I had a small taste of what God sees both in me and in the world. But lately it’s been exhausting to just love (and love and love and love) in spite of what others say or do. Little things annoy me with my classmates, my community, and my world. Big things dig at me and grate at my patience. I’m living life on the edge (and not the cool, wicked-awesome edge) of snapping. Lately I have been wondering a few things: how the heck did Jesus just love others without going off the handle? How do I balance between loving someone but still not having to like someone (is this even possible)?

My life right now in seminary has often been compared to a family…or a workplace…or a marriage…any way you make the comparison, the fact is that we are a group of people incredibly close together. We are in class together, we are studying together, we are eating together, we are living together, we are going to the Local together…we are always together. I imagine Jesus and the disciples in a similar situation. They wandered Galilee like a traveling football team, but without the proper equipment. They traveled to various towns performing miracles, feeding people, teaching them, giving completely of themselves and sleeping somewhere in the woods at night.

Truthfully, I think Jesus was able to cope with his disciples because he often went off alone. He took the time to go do things by himself. The text in Luke says that Jesus, “…would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” In our minds I think we picture Jesus in benevolence before his father pouring out his heart about the world and the things going on around him – we imagine the divinity of Jesus in this moment. But if we switch our minds over to thinking of Jesus’ humanity in this moment, the picture somehow changes and he becomes more like us. Maybe he withdrew to go fishing; maybe he went off to shout and scream and complain about the disciples to God; maybe he went and just drew pictures in the sand; maybe he went for a hike. Jesus had the weight of the world on his shoulders and the burden of discipling 12 men – he had a lot on his plate!

Jesus never loved any less in these moments – if anything he loved more because he knew he needed that space to re-center himself and his purpose. If he was going to be useful, helpful, and a good teacher, he knew he needed some solitary time to do things for himself. I’m sure in these moments he admitted that he didn’t always like the way Philip drank from a well, or was furious when they all argued over who was the greatest disciple, or was frustrated with people following him everywhere and never giving him a moment of peace. He might not have liked these things, but he still loved the people.

There will be moments when people really annoy us and when we just don’t like others. I love my friends, but I still have moments when I think I should just ditch them and start over (and I write this knowing they’ll read this, but they’ll understand). We all have that point where we need to take a break from others and love ourselves. It’s the most responsible thing to do, honestly, and it keeps relationships alive. If Jesus – God-incarnate – needed time away from those he loved, I think it’s safe to say that we have permission to do so, as well.

much love. sheth.

Truth: Planning.

by ShethJuly 3, 2018March 31, 2020Life / Love / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

This past weekend I joined my family in laying my grandmother’s remains to rest. She lived 95 incredible years on this earth – growing up in the wake of the Great Depression on dusty farmland in Illinois, raising a family on pennies a day, and traipsing across the country with my grandfather where he worked for the National Park Service in then-remote places like the Grand Canyon, Jackson Hole, and the Grand Tetons.

As I looked out at those in attendance at her service, I realized that there weren’t many people in the seats, but it’s understandable because she out-lived most of her friends. In 95 years she’s seen and done and been to more places than most will ever experience. She witnessed countless wars and recessions, the evolution from small airplanes on this planet to spacecraft on distant planets. She lived as the Supreme Court made gigantic, landmark decisions that changed our country. She saw people born, live their lives, and pass away. In her life on this earth she did more than she ever dreamed, more than she ever imagined, more than she ever hoped.

I was talking with a friend recently about long-term goals in life and neither one of us have ever seriously sat down and made goals because we never expected to live long-term. Both of us had contemplated suicide as youths and assumed that we didn’t need to make those kinds of goals. I was telling my friend about being in my high school career planning classes and having to write down five- and ten-year goals for my future and I couldn’t do it – I never dreamed that far ahead. At the time it seemed pointless and a waste of time. Even now I don’t regret my choice to not make those kinds of plans in life because I was dealing with larger issues than dreaming of the future. I was trying to survive the present.

And truthfully, now it’s a bit of a relief knowing I can do anything. I have no big goals that I have to attain or fail to achieve. The world and my future is wide open. I think that’s the way my grandmother lived her life, too. She didn’t have plans for her life: she went where she chose to go, learned to love the people and places she encountered, and made the best of any situation. No doubt she dreamed about doing things and going places, but she wasn’t let down when she couldn’t. She used her time to enjoy the people and places that were in her presence and didn’t get disappointed with the lost prospect of being somewhere else.

Certainly I have broad hopes and dreams – to be in a loving and committed relationship, serve others with all I have, care for my family…but these are all things I can do at any time. There is no telos to these hopes and dreams; I won’t think, “Well, I’m married. Good work, Sheth. I’m done with that.” I will have to work hour by hour, day by day on that relationship. These hopes and dreams I have are part of my ‘being’ – am I being loving today, am I being caring and compassionate to others, am I being a servant? I’m living my life in the present and doing what I can to enjoy each moment as it happens.

May the Creator of the present give us sight to be present and relish our time.

much love. sheth.

Truth: Existence.

by ShethJune 19, 2018March 31, 2020Christianity / Life / Seminary / Truth TuesdayLeave a Comment

During a recent homework session with a few of my friends from my Biblical Greek class, one of my classmates gave me this flash card. I’m not sure why exactly she gave it to me, but I’ve kept it and it’s been sitting on my desk for about a week. I’ve been studying it: the Greek itself is correct, as is the English translation, so I’m not sure why she gave it to me.

But as I’ve been looking at it day after day, I’ve come to the realization that, from time to time, maybe we all feel the need to give a card like this to people in our world. I think we all have moments when we want to reach out to others and have them see us and acknowledge our existence.

I’m a fairly shy person by nature, and I’d rather be a wallflower than the center of attention in almost any situation. But, I’d still like for people to, at the very least, acknowledge that I am present and that I exist. It’s one thing to know that people know I’m there, it’s another thing to know I’m ignored completely. Truthfully, there are many times when I can come and go from a party, a class room, or a church and no one would ever know I was there to begin with; I was a ghost of a person – my existence (outside of my own knowledge) was never made known.

Now, certainly there is a bit of work to do on my part – I need to at least say hello to a few people, chat up someone, make a joke, talk about the weather – but there also needs to be work done by others as well. We all need to be intentional in finding everyone at a party, at an event, in a classroom, on the street, or in a place of worship.

One of the greatest things I’ve heard from a friend recently was a comment made towards me: “I see you.” This shook my core because even though I hadn’t done anything at all, she still went out of her way to acknowledge me as a human being and to confirm my existence. It was a simple gesture that lifted my spirits in a way that few other things had done that day.

These little gestures of seeing can go a long way to make people feel alive: a simple hello to a stranger in the grocery store, a few small coins given to the panhandler on the corner, a genuine question of “How is your day?” to the convenience store clerk, a smile and wave to a neighbor. These are simple acts that tell others that we see them, that we know they are, and that we know they exist.

May God give us the eyes and voice to witness others’ existence in this fast-moving world, and may others do the same for us.

much love. sheth.

Love Sport

by ShethJune 17, 2018April 7, 2020Life / Love / Poetry / Relationships / WritingLeave a Comment

In my debut to the game,
I broke Christine’s heart in 1997.
The volley was returned by
Lisa, Jessica, and Brittany –
each breaking my heart:
1-3.

I went on a run of my own:
Kristen, Melissa
Hannah, Marie.
No longer new to the sport,
I was on fire:
5-3.

My heart, being broken
by Amber and Julia,
balanced out the score
and it’s all tied up:
5-5.
Match point.

I think my next opponent
should be my last.
A long game that ends
in a tie, and we leave
the field together.
The score no longer kept.

“Describe a time you were radiantly happy. What do you value most in that memory?”

“Describe a time you were radiantly happy.
What do you value most in that memory?”