June 16, 2020: A fourth recognizable characteristic

Hello and Shalom,

Shannon, Kaitlyn, Janice, Kendall, Anonymous, Brittany, Hannah, Ms. Pitts, Sara in Colorado, Anju, Phyllis, Kathi, Anna, Emily, Tammy, Corinne, Jen, Janice, Lindsay L., Kathryn Plank, Anthony DeStefanis, Elise Woods, Cheryl, Joanna (AKA Near), Cynthia, Judy, Meagan C., Jeannie who loves nature, Literata, Bonnie, Katie (aka Mellow), Lavonne, Carrigan, Regina, Grandma, Jean R., Wendy, and Mary. Just want each one of you to know how special and precious you are, and how much your thoughts, prayers, and encouraging words are appreciated.

I tried moving through my day without using my dominant hand. It is a great challenge to ones discipline, I confess I did not do so well. One time I put on a blind fold and tried to function without my eye sight. That really makes a person appreciate their eyes.

If anyone who knows me well enough would describe three of my characteristics, they would say that I am predictable, gullible, and indecisive. I'm pretty sure these were developed in me at an early age. However I did not recognize them until others pointed them out to me. I guess being predictable made things less complicated for myself and others. Being gullible, I took people at face value, maybe I was too trusting. A friend once told me that the word 'gullible' was not in the dictionary, and you know what I did? That's right, I looked. Being indecisive seemed to be a way to give others first place. I was a people pleaser, but I was not a push over, even though there were too many times that I was taken advantage of. But through it all I learned to love and value people, in fact I recently read something that would probably describe a forth recognizable characteristic that was developed in me through things I may have suffered. I'm confident that many of you can identify with this as well.

From the book 'Bread for the Journey' by Henri J. M. Nouwen.

June 14, "Choosing Love"

"How can someone ever trust in the existence of an unconditional divine love when most, if not all, of what he or she has experienced is the opposite of love----fear, hatred, violence, and abuse?"

"They are not condemned to be victims! There remains within them, hidden as it may seem, the possibility to choose love. Many people who have suffered the most horrendous rejections and been subject to the most cruel torture have been able to choose love. By choosing love they became witnesses not only to human resiliency but also to the divine love that transcends all human loves. Those who choose, even on a small scale, to love in the midst of hatred and fear are the people who offer true hope to our world".