No deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding Thy face, and I know of a certainty that were I to live as long as the world lasts I would fail to accomplish any deed such as to deserve this favour, inasmuch as the station of a servant shall ever fall short of access to Thy holy precincts, unless Thy bounty should reach me and Thy tender mercy pervade me and Thy loving-kindness encompass me.(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 191)
Tuesday
Smile
Crisis and Victory: Type A Trials
I have been trying to change a bunch of things around in my life all at once. The resultant chaos has been exhausting, yet illuminating. It has brought to mind the following quote I have read before from Paris Talks:
Last weekend's experience would lead me to add that if a man or woman buys too much junk, he or she must clean it up or live in squalor. Here's an example.The trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences of his own actions. If a man eats too much, he ruins his digestion; if he takes poison he becomes ill or dies. If a person gambles he will lose his money; if he drinks too much he will lose his equilibrium. All these sufferings are caused by the man himself, it is quite clear therefore that certain sorrows are the result of our own deeds. (b) Other sufferings there are, which come upon the Faithful of God.(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 49)
 |
| Crisis :-/ |
After looking at the mess I had made I just felt tired. I found this prayer by searching cleanliness in my prayer app on my phone. I read it to try and find the energy to tackle the mess. It is from the Tablet of Purity:
What can I say? Prayer works! Somehow the mess got cleaned up/redistributed to other areas (sigh). This clean up and become a better person project is a process. I am learning to be patient with myself, as my friends and family have been patient with me and my stacks of junk all these years.O Lord! Give to the people of Baha cleanliness and holiness in 336 all conditions, purify and free them from all defilement, deliver them from the use of all that is execrated, liberate them from the chains of habits, so that they may be pure and free, clean and spotless, that they may be worthy servants of the Sacred Threshold and may deserve to enter into relation with God. Deliver them from alcohol and tobacco, and save them from opium, the purveyor of madness! Make them companions of the holy breezes, in order that they may know the pleasures of the wine of the love of God, and that they may attain to the joy and the happiness of attraction to the Kingdom of Abha!Hast Thou not said, "All that thou hast in thy cellar will not appease the thirst of my love -- bring me, O cup-bearer of the wine of the spirit, a cup full as the sea!"(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 335)
 |
| Victory! |
Fatigue
I was feeling tired, so I popped into Ocean to see what the Writings had to say about fatigue. Love is, indeed, very refreshing to me. I hope all my friends feel my love and feel refreshed, too.I was tired when I went on board the steamer, but when I reached London and beheld the faces of the friends my fatigue left me. Your great love refeshes me.(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 53)
Thursday
The Challenge of "Concentrated and Sustained Attention" to Blogging
Dear Friends,
I was reflecting today that it is really hard to be a consistent daily blogger, or weekly blogger, or whatever blogger. I think this blog is worthwhile, but I don't see myself being the main or most frequent contributor. I see this as a blog where everyone can post anything pertaining to the theme "Posture of Learning," and where people who are consistent and uplifting with their posts can become the core contributors. Please, everyone, make this space your own, or don't, as your soul feels moved to do. I think my next project will be a podcast..... ;-)
Love,
Sarah
P.S. Source of "concentrated and sustained" phrase. Don't you just love Ocean?
I was reflecting today that it is really hard to be a consistent daily blogger, or weekly blogger, or whatever blogger. I think this blog is worthwhile, but I don't see myself being the main or most frequent contributor. I see this as a blog where everyone can post anything pertaining to the theme "Posture of Learning," and where people who are consistent and uplifting with their posts can become the core contributors. Please, everyone, make this space your own, or don't, as your soul feels moved to do. I think my next project will be a podcast..... ;-)
Love,
Sarah
P.S. Source of "concentrated and sustained" phrase. Don't you just love Ocean?
The Five Year Plan … requires concentrated and sustained attention to two essential movements. The first is the steady flow of believers through the sequence of courses offered by training institutes, for the purpose of developing the human resources of the Cause. The second, which receives its impetus from the first, is the movement of geographic clusters from one stage of growth to the next.[1]
[1 Message dated 22 December 2001 written by the Universal House of Justice to the friends gathered at the Eighth ASEAN Youth Conference in Thailand.]
(ITC, Building Momentum - ITC 2003-04-23)
Wednesday
Post Conference Learning, Day 1
Dear friends,
The first thing I learned yesterday is that I miss you all desperately. I had to run errands after work and spent some quality time in my car singing our prayers and sobbing. Thank you, Baha'u'llah, for protecting all the poor innocents on the road near me from destruction. And don't worry, friends. Prayers always make you feel better eventually. I'm good now.
So on the train back home Tuesday morning I returned to thinking about how important it us for us transient student human resources to provide friendship and mutual support for the indigenous human resources of our cluster. So I shot a text out to TH. He's a 33 year old new Baha'i with deep devotion and a beautiful dream of starting a junior youth group in one of the poorer areas of St Louis city where he lives. He let me know that he was planning a kick ball game that evening that he planned as the launch of his junior youth group endeavors. He invited MM and me to join.
Learning #1: If you're thinking about one of your collaborators in service, send them a text a long with that ray of love and spiritual energy. You just might find out something thrilling!
I emailed some folks at the conference and some friends about what was going on. I got two replies and nobody was able to make it to the event.
Learning #2: If you want someone to join you for an event, especially on short notice, you need to call or text them, don't email them.
I ended up getting out of work late; almost an hour after the event was to have started. I looked at my text messages and saw that TH had notified me that no one had showed up. "I think everyone was scared away by the heat," he told me. I inquired how he had originally met the people he invited to the kickball game. Some were friends from the neighborhood, some were people he had met from a day passing out fliers about a week previously. "I think I need to get their phone numbers so I can call and remind them," he said. I asked if he had thought about knocking on doors of people whose addresses he knew so he knew to remind them. "I'm here by myself. I can't leave the park, because if someone shows up, then no one will be here to meet them." Tragic breakdown of mutual friendship and support! I felt terrible.
But last night I got a good night's sleep that must have helped me distill the learning TH had conveyed to me during that conversation so I could use it as well.
Learning #3: Flyers aren't enough when recruiting for an event. You need to collect phone numbers or addresses of those interested in participating so you can call or visit and remind them.
Learning #4: Don't launch a core activity alone if you can muster some support, whether it be from inside or outside the Faith. The only helper TH needed was a warm body to sit in a hot park while he went and knocked on doors. Easy peasy.
I think Tuesday kickball was a great idea, and if we use the learning from this week to tackle next week's roadblock to boost next week's event I feel confident we'll be able to move to a whole new vista of learning. I envision kickball next week going something like this:
On Monday evening a Baha'i friend of TH's (SD) will call around to potential collaborators, especially those with experience or interest in junior youth. Hopefully out of these one will arise to sacrificially plant him/herself in the middle of the park to greet people showing up to the event. I recommend he/she be supplied with sunscreen, a spray bottle, an umbrella, a battery-powered fan, 2 liters of water and some music and speakers. Just because we're the spiritual descendants of the dawn breakers doesn't mean we can't minimize our suffering by showing up prepared. ;-) If this person ends up being SD, she will let TH know that she can't show up till 7pm at the earliest because of work.
TH will then be free to roam the neighborhood, knocking on doors of some folks he knows and calling others. He'll be able to talk to people he meets in the street and to ask people for the phone numbers of others who might be interested. I envision that by 9pm when the heat has diminished a little we may have a rip roaring game of kickball going, and have planted the idea of junior youth group in the minds of some young people. That's what I'll be praying for.
Love,
SD
The first thing I learned yesterday is that I miss you all desperately. I had to run errands after work and spent some quality time in my car singing our prayers and sobbing. Thank you, Baha'u'llah, for protecting all the poor innocents on the road near me from destruction. And don't worry, friends. Prayers always make you feel better eventually. I'm good now.
So on the train back home Tuesday morning I returned to thinking about how important it us for us transient student human resources to provide friendship and mutual support for the indigenous human resources of our cluster. So I shot a text out to TH. He's a 33 year old new Baha'i with deep devotion and a beautiful dream of starting a junior youth group in one of the poorer areas of St Louis city where he lives. He let me know that he was planning a kick ball game that evening that he planned as the launch of his junior youth group endeavors. He invited MM and me to join.
Learning #1: If you're thinking about one of your collaborators in service, send them a text a long with that ray of love and spiritual energy. You just might find out something thrilling!
I emailed some folks at the conference and some friends about what was going on. I got two replies and nobody was able to make it to the event.
Learning #2: If you want someone to join you for an event, especially on short notice, you need to call or text them, don't email them.
I ended up getting out of work late; almost an hour after the event was to have started. I looked at my text messages and saw that TH had notified me that no one had showed up. "I think everyone was scared away by the heat," he told me. I inquired how he had originally met the people he invited to the kickball game. Some were friends from the neighborhood, some were people he had met from a day passing out fliers about a week previously. "I think I need to get their phone numbers so I can call and remind them," he said. I asked if he had thought about knocking on doors of people whose addresses he knew so he knew to remind them. "I'm here by myself. I can't leave the park, because if someone shows up, then no one will be here to meet them." Tragic breakdown of mutual friendship and support! I felt terrible.
But last night I got a good night's sleep that must have helped me distill the learning TH had conveyed to me during that conversation so I could use it as well.
Learning #3: Flyers aren't enough when recruiting for an event. You need to collect phone numbers or addresses of those interested in participating so you can call or visit and remind them.
Learning #4: Don't launch a core activity alone if you can muster some support, whether it be from inside or outside the Faith. The only helper TH needed was a warm body to sit in a hot park while he went and knocked on doors. Easy peasy.
I think Tuesday kickball was a great idea, and if we use the learning from this week to tackle next week's roadblock to boost next week's event I feel confident we'll be able to move to a whole new vista of learning. I envision kickball next week going something like this:
On Monday evening a Baha'i friend of TH's (SD) will call around to potential collaborators, especially those with experience or interest in junior youth. Hopefully out of these one will arise to sacrificially plant him/herself in the middle of the park to greet people showing up to the event. I recommend he/she be supplied with sunscreen, a spray bottle, an umbrella, a battery-powered fan, 2 liters of water and some music and speakers. Just because we're the spiritual descendants of the dawn breakers doesn't mean we can't minimize our suffering by showing up prepared. ;-) If this person ends up being SD, she will let TH know that she can't show up till 7pm at the earliest because of work.
TH will then be free to roam the neighborhood, knocking on doors of some folks he knows and calling others. He'll be able to talk to people he meets in the street and to ask people for the phone numbers of others who might be interested. I envision that by 9pm when the heat has diminished a little we may have a rip roaring game of kickball going, and have planted the idea of junior youth group in the minds of some young people. That's what I'll be praying for.
Love,
SD
Monday
Saturday
Have you ever felt like a fish out of water when trying to do core activities? You feel the need for spiritual energy and service to feed your very existence. Without them you are gasping, thrashing desperately to reach a space where your spiritual needs can be met. Every fresh attempt at a teaching project, a devotional meeting, a study circle, a children's class, a junior youth group is like a fish thrashing spasmodically in hopes of finding the water, headed in no direction in particular. You're desperate for help to find the water and start swimming!
Well, in a posture of learning every thrash of your tail matters, whether it gets you into the water or not, because as long as you go in a different direction each time you can learn from each instance. So glory in your failures, folks! Celebrate your mistakes! This weekend we need to help each other find the water in time for entry by troops.
Well, in a posture of learning every thrash of your tail matters, whether it gets you into the water or not, because as long as you go in a different direction each time you can learn from each instance. So glory in your failures, folks! Celebrate your mistakes! This weekend we need to help each other find the water in time for entry by troops.
Spiceberry Garden
Here in Montgomery County, Maryland (where I'm staying for the summer) the junior youth groups in the neighborhood of focus have started a plot in the community garden project. Here are some folks working on it. 
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