I am thankful for true friends.
Food: clementine, oatmeal, some dill chips, veggie wrap with steamed vegetables, four mini snickers, squash, salad with honey mustard and sunflower seeds, two celery stalks and a carrot
Exercise: walked dogs two miles, ran two miles, walked from Burris to Lafollette
Posted in Food
Well, I’ve been lazy.
Bec’s mom asked me to define grace. Here is what I wrote back to her:
I think there is the theological concept of grace, which is sort of wrapped up with mercy, being the divine act of not giving someone what they deserve in payment for a sin they have committed, but I don’t really like to think of grace that way too much because it seems, then, like something you Lord over someone. It seems to cheapen it because you could then say, “Remember that time when I let whatever transgression you committed go?” I think real grace, Biblical or otherwise is so much more than that. Possibly the best way for me to describe the way I think of grace is that it is the anitthesis of shame. Too many of us live in shame all the time for whatever reason.
I was talking with one of my favorite professors the other day and we were talking about this idea in regards to people who had been abused (mentally, physically, sexually, etc.), women who have had abortions, etc. and the way people carry their shame—shame we bring on ourselves, shame we dole out to each other, shame that is part of societal structure, shame that is preached from pulpits, delivered from political lecterns, and spoon fed to school children by their teachers. It seems that shame helps keep people in their hierarchical places. Those of us who can usurp shame with grace break free from those cultural bindings. Grace turns shame upside down. I don’t want this to seem like I don’t think there are consequences for actions. There are. But consequences are one thing and life-long shame is another.
An act of grace could include the simplest thing like taking in your neighbor’s garbage can, talking kindly to a sales clerk, looking people in the eye and saying hello, not throwing a fit at the barista who screws up your coffee AGAIN!, caring about someone who is difficult to care about, or offering your expertise or time to someone else for no good reason. I do think the theological idea figures in to all of this because when we are doing these acts, which are also kindnesses, we are in effect heaping love and mercy onto another person.
Our world would be much better off if we practices “charis” or “hesed” every day as much as possible. “Charis,” the Greek that is usually translated as grace really means goodness, kindness, beauty, or even human creativity, and “hesed,” the Hebrew equivalent, is usually translated as compassion or loving-kindness. Both Biblical terms are used in situations where God empowers the act of grace in the person who is enacting it, or it is an act that God performs toward humans.
I would by no means limit grace to a Christian concept, though; the ideas of grace and compassion abound in almost all religious writings I have read. I think if there is one theological idea that is nearly universal, even among those with no theological ascription, the idea of grace is it. I mean, it seems to be an idea even my atheist friends can get behind.
Also, the great interest in grace is upsurging because I have been trying to write a creative nonfiction piece for about three years that has grace as its main theme. I’m collecting stories of grace form people and I have some pretty good ones to work in.
And, a large portion of my dissertation deals with grace and shame and the way Black women writers use preaching/healing figures with various forms of authority (juridical, ancestral, Biblical, and hybrid) in order to bring grace instead of shame to the Black female body.
Also, I try really hard to live this way, and I am trying to become more conscientious of it as I work with more and more students. If I believe something, I think I should behave in that manner. Obviously, it doesn’t work every day, but I think I am getting better at it.
So, there you have it: my thoughts on grace. I need to work on this essay over break, but I also HAVE to get my dissertation proposal finished.
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This is for two days, the best I can remember:
I am thankful for people who challenge me to think about things in new ways.
Exercise: walked the dogs, ran 3 miles, walked from Burris to RB, etc.
Food: bananas, juices, cheese sandwich, too much pizza, salad, apples, clementines, cheese, pretzels, milk
Posted in Dissertation, Food, Grace, Politics, Relationships, Religion, Teaching, Writing
You take ’em both and there you have the facts of life. Today has been the epitome of doing just that—taking the good and the bad and figuring out the facts of life. I feel like I was handed huge handfuls of bothand then asked to figure out how to blow my nose or open a door using the door knob. I couldn’t hold all the goodness, keep all the badness, and complete a simple task. So I let the badness go. For a change, I flushed it away without worrying about it. I am just left here holding onto all the goodness and reveling in it like there is no tomorrow!
I received this prayer in my inbox today, courtesy of Sojourners, and it really impacted me. I am going to print it off and put it in places where I look frequently, like mirrors, doors, and inside books, so I can learn from its depth and humility. I think it makes me contemplate new ideas and to ponder God in new ways.
God, I abandon myself into your hands. Do with me whatever you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. Into your hands I commend my spirit. I offer it to you with all the love that is in my heart. For I love you, Lord, and so want to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve and with boundless confidence. Amen. —Charles de Foucauld
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I am thankful for friends who are merciful to those who anger them.
Exercise: walked the dogs two miles
Food: banana, juice, chocolate milk, chili, cheese sandwich, Papa Johns, Christmas nougats, blackberries, some mint M&Ms, Orange Crush (Forgive me. It was delicious. So sweet and so cold.)
Nor is it the worst. As days go, it was solely mediocre. I got up and walked the dogs a fun route that they like. Then I ran over to Ed and Abbie’s and played with Iz for a bit, right before making her pout because I didn’t want to let her chase me through the house again. The good thing about the run is that I averaged 12:40 for six miles. I set out to run 5, but I didn’t realize that it was six miles from here to the 505 to RB and home. Sweet. It went well.
I installed a new little device on my blog that will measure how many miles I run. It is my goal to run at least 1000 miles by next December 5. That is roughly 2.75 miles each day, which is about 20 miles per week. Right now I run about 12-15 miles per week, so it is a bit of a jump, but I think I can do it. Anyway, the little ticker will let you see my progress. I started today with 6. 🙂
I spent the rest of the day reading, finishing up Mama Day, and wishing I had vision insurance so I could get a good eye exam. I have worn my glasses for the past two days and it has helped a lot. I think they might help even more if I had a proper prescription.
I realized today that I am ready for the semester to be over, which is pretty good, considering that it will be over in about two weeks. I am ready for a break and for some new challenges. New classes. New students. New schedule. I am ready. Bring it.
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I am thankful for long, cold runs. More importantly I am thankful for the most amazing god-daughter ever!
Exercise: walked the dogs two miles, ran six miles, walked to church
Food: banana, juice, 16 oz. milk, grilled cheese on homemade wheat bread with sharp cheddar, salad with honey mustard and celery and sunflower seeds, too many Christmas nougat candies, almonds, popcorn, cheese, apple, clementines (2)
One of the best books written, Mama Day by Gloria Naylor, was my occupation and my joy for the majority of the day today. I love the way Naylor uses the voices of her characters to tell a complex tale of spirituality and healing, the way she skilfully rends together the tale from Ophelia’s perspective and George’s perspective with the bits told by the omniscient narrator. I think if any writer writes a tale from back to front better than Toni Morrison, it is Naylor. The only way to describe this book is by talking about its beauty and elegance.
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This morning when we went grocery shopping, we had two interesting encounters with strangers. Both were grace filled moments in which we were able to stand in the store and have great conversation with people we didn’t know. It always amazes me that among the chaos of the holiday season and the ridiculous frenzy of the shopping madness that some people become completely intolerant and mean while others become so kind and gracious.
*On a side note I just saw an American Airlines commercial where the attendees of a seminar had to stand face to face because “there is no personal space here. We are all molecules of one large organism.” I don’t rightly think so. Just because I am in favor of kindness and grace, does not mean that I am in favor of being comfy-close with someone else. Ick.*
One of the sweet encounters we had was with a cashier at Meijer, who had just started her shift, but she got to go on her first fifteen minute break after she waited on us. Sometimes when people who work in service jobs find out that they get their breaks, they rush you through in order to get off their feet. I don’t blame them; I’ve worked in the service sector, too. This cashier, whose name I read over and over again so I could remember it, but I didn’t, took her time with us, made small talk, even took two other customers after us because they had been standing in her line. She was friendly, smiled, and told us to have a great day and happy holidays. I think this is going of the way to give grace and make people feel special or human. I like this touch.
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Bec made delicious wild rice soup tonight. She added fresh mushrooms to make it a little more hearty. We haven’t had it for a long time, so it was a welcome dinner. It is rich and thick and a perfect warm up before we go out to walk the dogs. I love a rich stew-like soup!
The Iron Chef secret ingredient is eggnog tonight. I think Bobby Flay got his chef’s hat handed to him by Morimoto. I love it when that happens.
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I am thankful for small but meaningful interactions with people we didn’t previously know.
Exercise: walked dogs 2 miles
Food: banana, hot chocolate, cheese ball, pretzels, celery, swiss cheese, rice soup, almonds, two clementines, Klondike bar
Posted in Dissertation, Food, Grace, Literature, Reading, Relationships, Winter Weather
Reason Breeds Insanity 