"Resilience" is a hot topic at my work these days. I'm tempted to call it a buzz word, except that buzz word connotes (to me) meaningless words we throw around to make our work-speak sound smart. And "resilience" has real meaning for people who face new jobs - often in very different locations and under very different conditions - every year.
Serendipitously, the sermon at church today was on resilience. [Text here] Our priest quoted a book by Danaan Parry that used a trapeze analogy for life: sometimes you're swinging along just fine, and other times you need to let go to catch the next trapeze. Sometimes you know when one of those moments is coming (starting a new job) and sometimes you don't (meeting someone who later turns out to have a huge influence on your life). Our priest tied it into the Gospel reading, likening Jesus' baptism as a trapeze-jump moment: no one knew the heavens would open and God would speak, which had a huge impact on the growth of the church. He concluded that we ourselves should trust in God in those moments when we are flying through the air.
The point of the blog is not theological discussion. But, the background is important, so thanks for bearing with me.
This year, Patch has opted to sit with us in the service rather than attend Sunday School. As long as he behaves I don't mind, even if I can't really understand why he wouldn't prefer to be with his friends and eat a snack than listen to a sermon. Lately, Patch has also been paying attention - actually listening - to the sermon. This trapeze analogy really caught his attention, and he listened without fidgeting.
At the end, Patch's reaction whispered in my ear: "Are some people really scared when things change? I bet my life will change when we go to Vietnam, but I don't think it will be scary. You and my brothers will be there, so we'll be ok."
I'm not intending to "humble brag" on my kid or on my parenting bringing up kids who genuinely love each other. But a reminder from the mouths of babes (sort of, he's a bit old to be classified as "babe") that "resilience" has a lot to do with who is around you when you face challenges and changes. Be kind to and understanding of those people, because they are the ones who will get you through it.
Serendipitously, the sermon at church today was on resilience. [Text here] Our priest quoted a book by Danaan Parry that used a trapeze analogy for life: sometimes you're swinging along just fine, and other times you need to let go to catch the next trapeze. Sometimes you know when one of those moments is coming (starting a new job) and sometimes you don't (meeting someone who later turns out to have a huge influence on your life). Our priest tied it into the Gospel reading, likening Jesus' baptism as a trapeze-jump moment: no one knew the heavens would open and God would speak, which had a huge impact on the growth of the church. He concluded that we ourselves should trust in God in those moments when we are flying through the air.
The point of the blog is not theological discussion. But, the background is important, so thanks for bearing with me.
This year, Patch has opted to sit with us in the service rather than attend Sunday School. As long as he behaves I don't mind, even if I can't really understand why he wouldn't prefer to be with his friends and eat a snack than listen to a sermon. Lately, Patch has also been paying attention - actually listening - to the sermon. This trapeze analogy really caught his attention, and he listened without fidgeting.
At the end, Patch's reaction whispered in my ear: "Are some people really scared when things change? I bet my life will change when we go to Vietnam, but I don't think it will be scary. You and my brothers will be there, so we'll be ok."
I'm not intending to "humble brag" on my kid or on my parenting bringing up kids who genuinely love each other. But a reminder from the mouths of babes (sort of, he's a bit old to be classified as "babe") that "resilience" has a lot to do with who is around you when you face challenges and changes. Be kind to and understanding of those people, because they are the ones who will get you through it.
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