Being Bold!

I never thought that I was being bold. That is until the other day, when I was reading the prayer of St. Francis ( often called the Peace Prayer of St. Francis). Yes, I know. Churchy. I am getting churchy. I don't impose my beliefs on anyone, I  just want to lead a good life, and be a good person. And... this one prayer really speaks to me. I can pretty much recall the day in my Catholic elementary school (Blessed Sacrament, on Central Ave, in Albany), when I learned this prayer. And I remember memorizing the words, because back then, if you didn't memorize, Sister Teresa Marie (Sister Teresa Meanie, to me) would come down the row, stop at your desk and startle you with her wooden pointer and call you by last name. Then, you would promptly stand at attention and try not to let her see you shaking as you made your way to the front of the class to let the whole room know that you did not memorize your prayer. So memorize I did! So much that I still remember every word. I may have known the words back in 4th grade, but I didn't fully understand what it all meant. Even now, I still consider myself in the 'learning phase' of life, I am still trying to figure it all out.

The St. Francis prayer asks for strength, the strength to respond to hatred with love, the strength to respond  to sadness with joy, to injury with pardon. You are asking for the strength to respond to someone or something in exactly the opposite way.  You are asking for the strength to give of ourselves to meet the needs of others. Sometimes, as humans we are called upon to bring to our world the opposite of what we find in it. We are asked to treat people the opposite way of how they treat us. Every once in a while, we are asked to turn the world upside down. And, that is a scary business. And, in my opinion, this is quite bold.

My mother would always admonish me when I was being a selfish brat (imagine! me! a selfish brat!), that "it is better to give than to receive". Taking that one step further, in the words of the St. Francis prayer, "it is in giving that we receive", in giving to others we receive peace and blessings a million times over. Yeah. Right.
 Well, yeah. I found it. I saw it, and I felt it. The fundraising, the training, getting ready to go to Tahoe did not prepare me for how much I was going to receive. The support of those around me, and those that were complete strangers really touched my heart. They were thanking me for doing the fundraising and the training, and the ride!  All along, it should have been me thanking them, because I felt like I received what I gave a million times over.
To all of you who have helped with my fundraising  for Tahoe 2010, and 2011 (some of you having done both), thank you for having the strength to give of yourself to meet the needs of others. May you be blessed a million times over!

In case you don't have it memorized, or just need a refresher:

The St. Francis Prayer (or the Peace Prayer of St. Francis)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Tailwinds,
Karen