I've been thinking a lot about my faith and forgiveness lately. I seem to be surrounded by talk of forgiveness in everything around me. I hear it in church(the Prodigal Son...). I read about it a magazine article. I see it in the media. I overhear talk amongst friends at a nearby table, I am assuming they are friends and not strangers...since they share the table. I get an epiphany or "aha" moment from movie tag lines. I get a phone call from a far away friend I fell out of friendship with. I talk with a priest, my Mom and my Sister about it. I email a catholic website asking for some clarification. It just seems to be a message of forgiveness all around me.
In fact, unless I am getting the messages all wrong, I feel this entire Liturgical Season, has been a liturgical message of Faith and Forgiveness. It seems every cyclical year has a theme and Forgiveness seems to me to be the message this year. Am I just listening for it each week in the readings and Psalms? Am I subconsciously reading it between the lines of a good news article, listening for it on the radio? Have I seen it in a movie or my daily life? I don't think so...
I have gotten some wonderful advice lately, I've been truly listening with my heart, and processing it all thru my gut, and finally letting it all soak into my brain. I hope my soul and the spirit within me will show me how to proceed...
I have a purpose for this lament. As I said, I've been putting some thought into Forgiveness for myself and for others, what Forgiveness actually is and the processes involved. I have let myself be hurt by so many things in my life, I let the hurt fester and didn't learn from it, at first. In fact, years ago it caused me to question my direction in life. Through it all I have become a better human being in many ways. I rarely give pause to the events thru my life that changed so many things about me, except to say that I have learned to be a better person, hopefully. I pray. I do works, where appropriate I share my faith with others. The hurt I once felt has been replaced with understanding and happiness. I am still human however, I get angry, I overreact, I suffer, I feel pain but when something new hurts me, after I get the human emotional attributes out of the way, I eventually learn something from it. Its not always something good but I learn and hopefully the next time will have better tools to deal with similar situations. Today, I am happier than I ever been in my life. I have chosen a wonderful religion and get more from church than I ever have in my life. I have a wonderful network of friends, family and people who are just happy to be around me and you know that's what life's all about....almost. There is a list of other things to consider but that's a good start.
Back to this thing about forgiveness, after all that's what this drawn out blog is all about. In my heart, I want to be forgiving and to be forgiven for so many things. I am not sure how far back I have to go. I hope I don't have to make a list like that Thursday night show about a guy named Earl fixing his bad Karma but I don't want to be at the Pearly Gates working these things out in order to enter, you know...my priest will be a good start to ask about how far back I have to go, he is the foremost expert in this field and I should trust him and his guidance.
In conclusion, I have been blessed with some very insightful advice from so many others. In all things I feel very blessed. If you have anything to add, please do...that's why I'm writing this particular blog. So thanks ahead of time for any words of wisdom that you have to share....
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Dead Sea Scrolls Trip Revived from the Dead!!!
Yea! I got re-inspired to rewrite my thoughts, although they are not originally what I had written about my Scrolls experience its an acceptable substitute. I was writing an email to a friend and realized everything I wrote to him, I could enter in my blog. The email I was writing inspired me to replace something of what I lost before I remembered the age old computer know how to save, save, save, and save again...anyway here it is...enjoy!
I had a group of 31 people and that in itself was a challenge. I met it with some ease and will probably undertake something like that again when the right event happens. I hope everyone had a great time...
The Dead Sea Scrolls was fantastic. I felt the Union Station did a good job with the exhibit and I was surprised that they did such a good job. Although, the Titanic was also very good, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. There were a couple of people with special needs and I noticed one eased in nicely and the other could have had their needs better met....but the security is there for a reason, what you can and cannot take with you is all about safety for the exhibit contents...that being said, I was amazed like a little kid, at what I saw. I read scrolls that were undoubtedly the earliest written form of Scriptures found. I was amazed to read the Ten Commandments, Genesis, and the Psalms, etc. The scrolls that are commentaries were amazing to read, as well. It was like the Newsweek or Time of its day...are they too liberal or conservative? I'm not into that so you tell me..it just for example. Reading, basically articles on Isaiah or Job...What people 1000 years ago thought of the scriptures and to write it out, wow!!! what a find indeed. I particularly like the books of Job and the Psalms (they are particular favorites); also Deuteronomy, Genesis, and Isaiah, to name a few were represented. The Apocryphal Scrolls mentioned the coming of the "Son of the one Most High" or the "Son of God." I find it interesting to note the reverence the peoples placed on the "name" of God. They never actually referred to "God" by name and even went so far as to write the "One Most High" in a different script or font if you will, to set if off from the rest of the text. That was fascinating to me.
There was a time line in the exhibit that showed what was going on around the world during the time of the scrolls, for example the Chinese inventing gunpowder. It was fascinating, have I said that enough? There were Psalms found, I think there were 250 or more new Psalms that no one ever new existed before this find. I hope that Bedouin boy from 1947 is still out there somewhere and someone finds him and hails his accidental find...all but for a lost goat or was that sheep? We would have not known this life changing part of our human history.
I also appreciated the archaeological finds of the culture of the people. Pieces of cloth, a lice comb, Fruit dates, cookware and dinnerware, the coinage of the time and the city dig itself. There is even an effort to take the actual lice found in the lice combs and extract DNA to see where the people actually came from, who they were (that’s DNA from the human blood ingested by the 1000 years old lice, that is). Isn’t technology wonderful? Sometimes it’s a great thing, sometimes not. In the end it was all good, great even. I would highly recommend this exhibit as a possible once in a lifetime thing. I wouldn’t miss it if it interests you.
I had a group of 31 people and that in itself was a challenge. I met it with some ease and will probably undertake something like that again when the right event happens. I hope everyone had a great time...
The Dead Sea Scrolls was fantastic. I felt the Union Station did a good job with the exhibit and I was surprised that they did such a good job. Although, the Titanic was also very good, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. There were a couple of people with special needs and I noticed one eased in nicely and the other could have had their needs better met....but the security is there for a reason, what you can and cannot take with you is all about safety for the exhibit contents...that being said, I was amazed like a little kid, at what I saw. I read scrolls that were undoubtedly the earliest written form of Scriptures found. I was amazed to read the Ten Commandments, Genesis, and the Psalms, etc. The scrolls that are commentaries were amazing to read, as well. It was like the Newsweek or Time of its day...are they too liberal or conservative? I'm not into that so you tell me..it just for example. Reading, basically articles on Isaiah or Job...What people 1000 years ago thought of the scriptures and to write it out, wow!!! what a find indeed. I particularly like the books of Job and the Psalms (they are particular favorites); also Deuteronomy, Genesis, and Isaiah, to name a few were represented. The Apocryphal Scrolls mentioned the coming of the "Son of the one Most High" or the "Son of God." I find it interesting to note the reverence the peoples placed on the "name" of God. They never actually referred to "God" by name and even went so far as to write the "One Most High" in a different script or font if you will, to set if off from the rest of the text. That was fascinating to me.
There was a time line in the exhibit that showed what was going on around the world during the time of the scrolls, for example the Chinese inventing gunpowder. It was fascinating, have I said that enough? There were Psalms found, I think there were 250 or more new Psalms that no one ever new existed before this find. I hope that Bedouin boy from 1947 is still out there somewhere and someone finds him and hails his accidental find...all but for a lost goat or was that sheep? We would have not known this life changing part of our human history.
I also appreciated the archaeological finds of the culture of the people. Pieces of cloth, a lice comb, Fruit dates, cookware and dinnerware, the coinage of the time and the city dig itself. There is even an effort to take the actual lice found in the lice combs and extract DNA to see where the people actually came from, who they were (that’s DNA from the human blood ingested by the 1000 years old lice, that is). Isn’t technology wonderful? Sometimes it’s a great thing, sometimes not. In the end it was all good, great even. I would highly recommend this exhibit as a possible once in a lifetime thing. I wouldn’t miss it if it interests you.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Dead Sea Scrolls
Well, I had this great post of my adventures viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit @ Union Station in Kansas City today and I navigated away by mistake and lost all my great thoughts I had put down....darn this computer. Oh well, now I'm discouraged....I should remember to save, save save....
The Exhibit is @ Union Station in Kansas City until May 13th 2007. If you miss it there it is moving on the San Diego California after that...Darn, I am kicking myself. I had so many great insights about the scrolls and how they related to us today...%$@!%^&*(%$#! I wish I could figure out a way to get it all back.....I'm sad now...goodnight.
The Exhibit is @ Union Station in Kansas City until May 13th 2007. If you miss it there it is moving on the San Diego California after that...Darn, I am kicking myself. I had so many great insights about the scrolls and how they related to us today...%$@!%^&*(%$#! I wish I could figure out a way to get it all back.....I'm sad now...goodnight.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Just another day in the neighborhood!
Well, there is always a beginning and so therefore go I, letting my fingers to some talking. This is the first of many sporadic posts. I don't have any particular agenda, but I am sure my thoughts might be considered controversial by some or maybe not, let's explore my thoughts together and see. I'm not always right and I am willing to be corrected. That's what makes for conversation and builds my knowledge base. I have a couple of friends that blog a bit more than I will, so I may cut and paste some of their comments here. Then it can be something we all can discuss...
Anyway, for now this is my 1st post so into the void I go. Here I come, ready or not!
Anyway, for now this is my 1st post so into the void I go. Here I come, ready or not!
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