There are angels among us. They show up just in time and come in various shapes, colors and sizes.
Summers’ Last Hope
“Why is summer mist romantic and autumn mist just sad?” ~ Dodie Smith
Many of us resign ourselves that the unofficial last day of summer falls on Labor Day. Autumn isn’t really here yet of course. But schools have started, pools have closed, vacations and leisure days have drifted into memory. To me this is a time-in-between. It is a liminal experience like twilight. If we only allow ourselves to appreciate the transition, there might appear a new appreciation of the warmth and lusciousness we experienced while anticipating the brisk splendor to come.
The days are getting shorter and the nights longer. It is a kind of descending. I suppose that is why a dear friend asked the other day that I not write about the end of summer yet. He reminded me that the Autumnal Equinox was still many days away. His love of summer is well known to all of us. But with it comes a loathing of winter. He dreads what is coming almost to the degree that he sometimes misses Fall all together. Perhaps it is the darkness he fears as if it were the cliff edge of destruction. It represents the losses and grief he has experienced in his life. He has had enough of both.
I told my friend there is good reason to savor the transition time of what I call Summers’ Last Hopes. Summer will always return. And among its’ hopes is that by letting go of the adventures of this season, we will be able to celebrate the arrival of the next. By doing so we can acknowledge who we are, and embrace who we are becoming. We are not alone. God is with us every step of the way.
Be my trusted guide, Lord
and walk with me from the summer into fall,
walk me through the season's change
and the season changing in my soul.
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.
In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.
His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
The Fruits of Our Labor
“I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
As we celebrate Labor Day and the ‘unofficial-last-day-of-summer’ it seems quite worthwhile to think about the work of life as described by President Lincoln. The first step in such work is to remove obstacles. Things are never as complicated as we thought after the underbrush is cleared away and the contour of the land is exposed. There are places good for growth and places where nothing much can take root. We are not using our time and energy very wisely when we hammer away at an area that is barren and dark. Backbreaking labor over the rocky ground will yield little or no future harvest. It is better to identify the fertile spots that reveal themselves, pull the weeds that might choke out our flowers and get busy planting.
Lincoln teaches us that our lives are much like the prairie he worked as a boy and young man. We have the best opportunity to flourish if we are willing to clear out the underbrush. All that is required is a deep appreciation of the great gift of life. The vision of a landscape planted and nurtured with attention to detail and recognition of fertile places mixed right along with rocky places can be magnificent to behold. We don’t have to force life to fit into our plan. It will usually reject those kinds of efforts anyway. When we concentrate on cooperation and the value of our interconnectedness with all things the result will be appreciated for generations to come. We will be remembered as people who left things better than we found them.
"Today I will celebrate the fruit of my labor and never cease working where there is a possibility of new growth."
A Change Will Do You Good
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
What would you change in the world if you had a chance? A priest who was traveling through Grand Central Station posed this question to a woman who was slumped against a wall, homeless, friendless and ‘an empty shell’. Her answer was that she would change her mind. She was so filled with bitterness and an inability to forgive. Her only desire was to let go of hatred and that by so doing, would become free.
This is the same awakening that the physician in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous discovered in his recovery from alcoholism. He says that acceptance taught him that ‘it is not so much what needs to be changed in the world, as what needs to be changed in me’. The one thing we have the ability to change in this world requires a huge undertaking. For the one thing that can be changed is me.
"Repentance calls us to an inner healing that comes from choosing a new mindset, moving us in a new direction, and releasing all that holds our heart in bondage.” ~ Daniel Groody
I was privileged to hear the joys, pain, celebrations, and sufferings of my counseling patients for four decades. Often their emotions have been hinged on the doings of family members, employers, frustrations with the government or a variety of other external events. These all have the ability to please us or fill us with bitterness. Not much of it is in our control.
I have learned that bitterness and resentment have a sticky quality. That stickiness becomes more than a diversion and can become the kind of hatred that so overpowered the woman who met the priest in Grand Central. Freedom comes when we let go of those external distractions, take responsibility, and forgive. Then we can set a new course, follow a new star, and change our direction home. This is the essence of a really radical awakening.
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.
In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.
His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
Maybe I'm Amazed
"Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, to look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel
Amazing! Life is filled with abundance, magnificence, and miracles. Rabbi Abraham Heschel knew this to be true. He was one of those incredible human beings who make us stop to wonder. Such brilliant and selfless people as he ask us to notice and act upon splendor. Heschel was a spiritual teacher who was in awe of every aspect of the world and its' Source. He called for us to pay attention and then do our part to make the world a better place...in words, in personal kindness, and in works of mercy. Action was a companion to radical amazement for him. When asked why he was marching side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King, he responded; “I am praying with my feet.”
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
Living in radical amazement is counterintuitive. When one of our prime objectives is to be comfortable, it is difficult to live in awe and wonder. In order to be radically amazed, we must develop a sense of responsibility for the life. And that’s not so comfortable. But when we accept our responsibility as co-creators of everything around us, we begin to treasure the splendor of the world and universe as wonderful gifts. The miracles will be revealed. We will love, appreciate, and admire our own families, friends, and communities even more deeply. This is far more important than personal comfort. Let’s become radically amazed as we look around in awe and gratitude for the indescribable magic that is everywhere and everything! When we see it is so, may we answer back with our feet.
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.
In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.
His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
A Walk in the Desert
Pack Your Bags
Let's Go Fishing
Making America Kind Again
Spiritual Awakening; From Pain to Wisdom
What Makes You Unique; Creating Six-Word Memoirs
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response was this; “For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.”
Back in November 2006, SMITH Magazine asked readers to send in their own Six-Word Memoirs. They were meant to be short life stories which would be shared in the publication. So many people responded that the Six-Word Memoir project formed and grew wings. Stories have ranged from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).The Six-Word Memoir project has become a global phenomenon and a bestselling book series. Six-Word Memoirs have been featured in hundreds of media outlets from NPR to The New Yorker and covered on tens of thousands of blogs. Hundreds of thousands of people have shared their own short life story as well as in classrooms, churches, and at live Six-Word “slams” across the world.
I have used the Six-Word Memoir project in counseling groups and as an interactive presentation for over a decade. Initially, I used it as an icebreaker but soon it became a powerful tool to inspire and encourage conversations which get to the bottom of how kids (and adults for that matter) are experiencing their lives. They disclose in six words what might have been impossible otherwise.Larry Smith recently published a book called Things Don’t Have to be Complicated: Illustrated Six-Word Memoirs by Students Making Sense of the World, published with TED Books, a division of the TED Conference. It would be a great resource for any School Resource Officer who will be making presentations to student groups (both small and large).
Kind of Group: Experiential
Group Size: 4 to Classroom Size
Purpose of Group: Team building; Community building; Relationship building; Developing individual insight;This is how it works:
Write your own Six-Word Memoir or story on the black board or white board.
When the kids have settled in, read the words to them and ask what they might think the story means.
Ask the group this question; “Can you tell your life story in six words?” Provide examples of memoirs. Some people ask the kids to add drawings to illustrate them.
Other examples are:
Not quite what I was planning
My life made my therapist laugh
The psychic said I’d be richer
Bad brakes discovered at high speeds
My happily ever after is now
Ask the kids to create their own Six-Word Memoir. Allow about ten minutes. They can sign their names or leave the work anonymous. Some folks have kids make a Six-Word YouTube video.
Your Life. Six Words.
Six Word Memoirs written by my seventh grade students at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Middle School during my student teaching experience.
Steps to writing a Six-Word Memoir (Student Directions)
Instruct the kids saying: “To narrow down your memoir to six words…start with many”
Start with a list. Take three minutes to write as many words as you can about yourself. List things you like, things you think and things you feel. Don’t worry about spelling. Don’t erase or cross out. Go for quantity. Just write. (examples; friend, happy, silly, hip-hop, sleepy, bored, band nerd, jock, secrets, girls, girls, girls, dinosaurs…)
Now circle two or three words that stand out for you. The ones you could say more about. (example from the list; silly, bored, girls)
Pick one of the three and freewrite about it. In other words, just start writing about it…Whatever comes to your mind. Don’t stop writing for about two minutes. (an example of freewrite; “I love to get silly and make people laugh. Sometimes I do it in class and get in trouble but I don’t care. One time I fell out of my seat when I tipped it backward and hit my head on Gina’s desk. Everyone went hysterical. I could be a comedian. It makes people like me”.
Simplify and synthesize the Freewrite. (example from above; My topic is “silly”. My idea is “Being silly makes me happy and popular no matter what the consequences are”).
Develop my Six-Word Memoir: “Silliness is crazy. Love me yet?”
Now ask if anyone wants to share their memoir.
Process and seek feedback from the group on any of the shared memoirs with their permission
Congratulate the kids on their work and collect the papers completed by students. Then pick three or more of the collected memoirs and read them. If they have been signed ask the student for permission to read before doing so. Process as in step 6.
Close the group by offering to meet with anyone who wants to talk about their memoir. Lighten the mood with a Six-Word Closing like;
This was cool. See ya later
Be a star. You already shine
There is a lot that can be done with the memoirs you will collect. By all means keep them. One thing is certain. Everyone will have been uplifted and will have gained some insight.
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
More on Judging and Being Judged
Inclusion; Let It Begin With Me
Sail on Sailor
An Irresistible Banquet
Going Down to the Crossroads
Bring Us Some Good News
“The good news, which the World Redeemer brings and which so many have been glad to hear, zealous to preach, but reluctant, apparently, to demonstrate, is that God is love, the He can be, and is to be, loved, and that all without exception are his children.” ~ Joseph Campbell
Sometimes it's hard to sort through the many messages we receive to find something positive. Lots of warnings, tragic tales, and major concerns present themselves. So when someone comes along with a happy story, a light spirit, a smile and good news, they are met with joy and relief. What a terrific gift it is to carry good words.
The prophet Isaiah writes with enthusiasm as he describes ‘how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news’. Each of us has the ability to be such a messenger. All we have to do is make a little shift in our perspective and presentation. We can begin to share the good things going on in our lives and in the world with as much emphasis as we have shared the difficulty and woes surrounding us.
Bringing good news to everyone we meet will change the way things go for us and for those we encounter. I went into a local business not long ago and was greeted personally by the owner. Steve engaged me in conversation and shared stories of his grandchild and love for his wife as he helped me with my purchases.My mood lifted dramatically. His good news created a spirit of thanksgiving within me. I thought about my own wonderful marriage, delightful wife, children, and grandchildren. It does not take much to make a difference. It does create a genuine atmosphere of joy.Pope Francis met with a group of atheists not long ago and proclaimed the good news that salvation was just as much a reality for them as for the religious. The revelation of grace for one and for all is changing the entire notion of inclusion. Good news is everywhere. Take the grand opportunity to be a messenger of it today.
Today I will make a shift in the emphasis of my message. I will bring good news to hungry hearts.
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast