Crosses to Bear
Living gratefully today, I am watching clouds pass and tree limbs sway in the breeze. I feel pulled along by the clouds, reminded that I am part of a wider, larger world.
It is Easter week. Growing up Catholic, I participated in many of the rituals and services that make up Lent and Easter. One of them was the "Stations of the Cross." It is now often referred to as "The Way of the Cross." The journey Jesus took and the journeys we each take have burdens, crosses to bear.
I went to our church last evening and took a few minutes to do the 14 stations. I was reminded of how so much in life is about letting go and forgiving. Letting go. Forgiving.
What are my crosses to bear? What are yours? I think about my large family, my 12 siblings and I. Being raised in that setting was a cross to bear. There's no way that all 13 of us could get our emotional needs met. That has played out in sometimes problematic ways for each of us over the years.
Yet, we are all here, productive and contributing family members and citizens of the world. I am still growing, learning new insights. I see many of my siblings doing the same.
When crosses are carried and moved, they can become lighter, take us to new perspectives and insights. It can lead to gratefulness. It can even lead to putting the cross down.
Today, I don't dwell on what I missed in my childhood. I dwell on what I did get, and what I have today because of it. I have a family that is close and supportive, with no rifts or conflicts big enough to keep the 13 siblings apart.
I have people to stay in touch with, visit, and cherish our time together. I have many good memories and plenty of laughter. I have good character and strong values instilled by parents who loved us and provided for us all in the ways they could.
Crosses to bear can lead to gratitude to share. Where I put my thought energy determines if it stays a burden or becomes at least something of a blessing.
I will be taking a blog break over the next few days. If I am not back on by then, Happy Easter to all
who celebrate it. Have a good day!
It is Easter week. Growing up Catholic, I participated in many of the rituals and services that make up Lent and Easter. One of them was the "Stations of the Cross." It is now often referred to as "The Way of the Cross." The journey Jesus took and the journeys we each take have burdens, crosses to bear.
I went to our church last evening and took a few minutes to do the 14 stations. I was reminded of how so much in life is about letting go and forgiving. Letting go. Forgiving.
What are my crosses to bear? What are yours? I think about my large family, my 12 siblings and I. Being raised in that setting was a cross to bear. There's no way that all 13 of us could get our emotional needs met. That has played out in sometimes problematic ways for each of us over the years.
Yet, we are all here, productive and contributing family members and citizens of the world. I am still growing, learning new insights. I see many of my siblings doing the same.
When crosses are carried and moved, they can become lighter, take us to new perspectives and insights. It can lead to gratefulness. It can even lead to putting the cross down.
Today, I don't dwell on what I missed in my childhood. I dwell on what I did get, and what I have today because of it. I have a family that is close and supportive, with no rifts or conflicts big enough to keep the 13 siblings apart.
I have people to stay in touch with, visit, and cherish our time together. I have many good memories and plenty of laughter. I have good character and strong values instilled by parents who loved us and provided for us all in the ways they could.
Crosses to bear can lead to gratitude to share. Where I put my thought energy determines if it stays a burden or becomes at least something of a blessing.
I will be taking a blog break over the next few days. If I am not back on by then, Happy Easter to all
who celebrate it. Have a good day!
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