A Person's Measure

If I were to express in a single sentence who it is that I was created to be, I would say that by God's grace and in His strength, I am a woman of integrity who tenaciously shepherds people to live life and love others fully.

I occasionally find stories of those whose lives reflect my passion and am inspired to model my life after theirs. If, then, I seek to shepherd, let it be with a tenacity of this sort; may I find my worth where he found his... read on.

Archbishop Osar Romero was assassinated while conducting mass on March 24, 1980 for his bold defence of the rights of the poor during a bloody conflict in El Salvador that the UN Truth Commission called genocidal. Reacting to the archbishop's stubborn advocacy for repressed El Salvadorans, right-wing groups were leafleting the nation, "Be a patriot, kill a priest."

Moments before a sharpshooter felled him, reflecting on scripture, he said, "One must not love oneself so much, as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us, and those that fend off danger will lose their lives." --Archibishop Oscar Romero, March 24 1980

We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves, to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work. --Archibishop Oscar Romero, November 27, 1977

If we are worth anything, it is not because we have more money or more talent, or more human qualities. Insofar as we are worth anything, it is because we are grafted on to Christ's life, his cross and resurrection. That is a person's measure. --Archibishop Oscar Romero, March 4 1979

More on Oscar Romero

More quotes by Oscar Romero

Joyce is back, Button Tree and all! This may not be a big deal to you yet, but I frequented Bags for Darfur (and Joyce's personal anecdotes at Chronicles of Blunderview) so regularly that bags4darfur appears in the title bar if I so much as tap the b key with my left index finger. Besides the fact that I'm attached at the hip to one of her beautiful creations, I am also inspired by Joyce's tenacity and creativity in taking on one of the world's biggest issues. May we all learn to, like her, grow where we're planted and give what we've got.

.

Check her out at http://www.bags4darfur.blogspot.com.

.

Re-joyce. I've always been a scrounger. Raised by a frugal prairie farm woman who reduced, reused, and recycled long, looooong before it was trendy; I've come into the concept of re-purposing honestly. I am silly-in-love with anything vintage-ish, and am powerless against it when I discover it stacked on card tables in someone's garage, or stale and lonely in a thrift shop. As a responsible consumer, here's what you can feel good about: *the bags are primarily made from recycled fabrics purchased at thrift shops, garage sales, and fabrics donated by generous supporters. * Most of the thrift shops are themselves humanitarian aid fund raisers. *while keeping this stuff out of the landfills, you get to enjoy little pieces of history. Fabrics that used to function as tableclothes, aprons, bedspreads, sheet sets, coats.... Well, you get the idea. *the proceeds of the project are intended for food aid to people in camps in Darfur, Sudan via the United Nations World Food Programme.

.

I would also like to take a load of fabric to this lovely lady when I move to Manitoba in January. Move?!?! Is that news to you? Mwa ha ha... more on this later.

I’m back! After a looong hiatus. I considered apologizing, but I’m not really sorry. It needed to be that way. I was busy. Climbing and hiking, playing with horses and kids, kayaking and watching sunsets, hanging out in the sagebrush and exploring in the Cascades, drinking tea with friends and marinating in others’ wisdom. Milking every moment for all it was worth. Soaking it all in until now… when I’m about to burst with all the things inside my head and heart. Before I started blogging, I often chewed on a thought – a single sentence – for days before I put it on paper. Ruminating. I often consider my words in quiet, sometimes impatiently like one watches a butterfly strain to be free of its cocoon, knowing that my assistance in its struggle would forever cripple its wings. I am learning (among other things) to savor the struggle. It adds richness to the journey. . So excuse the silence. Why I feel the need to explain it, I don’t know. It won’t be the last silence. It hasn’t been the first. Don’t take it personally.

Silence is the teacher that illuminates most clearly the areas of my heart that most need the wisdom of the Teacher, the touch of the Healer, and the guidance of the Shepherd. It exposes fear, pride, lust, and anger. The willing student will allow truth to demolish this darkness, and will find in exchange peace.

. Silence is a fence around wisdom.

~German Proverb . Silence is medication for sorrow.

~Arab Proverb

.

To silence another, first be silent yourself.

~Latin Proverb

. Still waters run deep. ~English Proverb

five years ago today

Five years ago today...

I lived in the apartment second from the left - Hanshin 206.

.

In the middle of the "apartment sea".

Moonjung did the macerana for Yeshu just in front of Baskin Robbins, just kitty-corner from the brick church.

And I watched the cherry blossoms fall from the trees at Yeoido with my friends from Myungsung.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how that photographer got a picture with so few people, because this is what the traffic looked like.

.

.

.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory..."

Jacob and Jonah looked at each other over the rim of the cup that held their morning tea. Frost had left webs of crystallized ice in the corners of the windows.

.

"Jacob," asked the boy, "is my being in the bakery a burden to everybody?"

.

"Who among us is not sometimes a burden to others?" answered Jacob.

.

"Even you, Jacob?"

.

"Even me," said Jacob.

.

~Jacob's Ladder (Noah BenShea)~

am i driven by lust for the summit - the pride of accomplishment - or am i motivated by love for the journey? ~ in His love, He allows the refining fire called difficulty

to ravage our pride. plant the seed of humility in the ashes of knowledge, and wisdom will take root in our souls. ~ wisdom is knowledge refined by love and put into action. ~ ~the south sister 10358 ft ~deschutes river trail and townsends tea shop ~july 2008