Reflection #45 Simple Lessons
“I admonish and exhort all my sisters, both those present and those to come, to strive always to imitate the way of holy simplicity, humility, and poverty.” --Clare of Assisi
This is a gentling season when we can slow down to take on the simple lessons. Simple lessons are often the most valuable. It is often in the simple lessons that I’m finding within me that which is the richest, sweetest, and of my most unique self.
On Tuesday I learned to use Google Translator while volunteering at The Community Food Bank. I typed on my phone keyboard in English and the words magically appeared in Spanish. The young woman, newly immigrated to the US, and I walked side by side down the rows of fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing a pineapple here and greens there that would feed her children.
The next day Maria, my 92-year-old neighbor, patiently guided me step-by-step to make my very first pizzelles, a delicious Italian cookie. Heating the iron without burning the counter, beating the eggs and sugar to the right consistency, and adding the anise oil and seeds at the right moment. It’s a process best passed on from generation to generation. Each step was simple but important.
There are lessons from our previous years that serve us still – if we only realize them.
It was not so much the high-tech translation or the yummy pizzelles that mattered. What matters are the people who enrich our lives with their own. Our community-- strangers, friends, and neighbors, are what matter.
My advice? Release the child within. The curious one who explores, asks questions, and is constantly seeking and experiencing wonderment, and the thrill of discoveries big and small. Be constantly curious and life-engaged to take in the simple lessons.
Now it’s your turn.
Take time to reflect and, if in a group, share as you feel able.
This year I wish to:
a) be mindful and value the simple lessons that come my way.
b) seek out opportunities to learn new skills from others.
c) remember that my community is what matters.
d) continue to be curious and explore.