“Complaining is low-hanging fruit.” That stuck with me. Complaining is a natural human behavior when something is not right. When others complain, our first response shouldn’t be to shame them for doing so. When it comes to my own complaining, however, Patchett challenges my inclination to dwell on the negative. This is not about denying the terrible things that are taking place in our world. It is about refusing to deny the good and resisting the tendency to dismiss the positive. As Father Ed Dowling was known for saying, “Sometimes heaven is just a new pair of glasses.”
It’s good every now and then to get a new pair of glasses and widen our perspective. To climb higher up in the tree and pick something besides the low-hanging fruit of rage and disgust. To hold space in our hearts for both lament and laughter. Maybe right now you are thinking of a moment that filled you with joy or a time you saw someone showing up to be helpful.
Here are a few of the places at the church this week where I experienced goodness and connection. All week our campus has been bustling with the laughter of children attending a day camp. Yesterday I walked by the room on the first floor of our education building where the Fig Leaf clothing closet is located, and a dozen volunteers of all ages were visiting as they sorted clothes for our unhoused neighbors. And last weekend I had the privilege of joining our “Moms of Emerging Adults” group where mothers of soon-to-be college students and recent graduates come together to share and support one another. This most recent gathering was a particularly meaningful one as a few parents talked about their excitement and pride layered with grief as a child moves away from home to attend college. The time together led me to write a blessing you can find below. I’m also sharing a poem by Karen Kaiser that reminds me to look for and choose the good.
What a joy to be your pastor!
Teresa
