Dear Friends,
We hope that you are safe and well .
Today's meditation features Joyce Rupp inviting us to reflect on "Who are Our Life-shapers" In the spirit of ubuntu: "I am because you are. You are because I am" she notes "Our humanity is a collective endeavor; we create each other and sustain one another."
We are so glad that you are in our lives!
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron and Jean
MEDITATION 585: Joyce Rupp: "Who are Your Life-shapers"
Reflection - February 2022
Not long ago, I read The Book of Hope. In this inspiring resource, Douglas Abrams interviews Jane Goodall, the well-known English primatologist and naturalist who made amazing discoveries about the life of chimpanzees in the Gombe jungle. Now, at age 86, Jane continues to be a vibrant speaker and activist regarding environmental concerns. Early on in the book, Jane describes how she managed to end up in Gombe. Her story reminds me of how each of our lives unfolds in unanticipated ways because of the people who show up and influence who we become.
In Jane’s situation, she longed to continue her education at a university but her family could not afford it. At the advice of her mother, she went to secretarial school and got a job which Jane described as “boring stuff.” Then a friend moved to Kenya and invited Jane to visit her. While Jane was there she learned that not far away lived Dr. Louis Leakey, the prominent paleoanthropologist who focused his life’s work on finding fossils of humanity’s earliest African ancestors. She chose to visit him, not knowing his secretary had resigned two days before she would see him. When Leakey learned of Jane’s secretarial background, he hired her immediately. He soon recognized Jane’s intuitive skill with animals and sent her out on her own into the tangled jungle to study chimpanzees in their natural habitat. And thus began Jane’s world-renowned achievements.
Our lives may seem miniscule compared to Jane’s but we, too, have our life-shapers, people whose surprising presence makes a significant difference. Whether briefly or for a long stay, they influence the direction we take on our life’s path. We might not know this until decades later when we look back at our journey and see how differently things might have turned out had it not been for how these persons affected the outcome of our development. As often happens, the persons who point us in a certain direction arrive without our knowing the future significance. Trace your personal-growth lineage and you may well be awed by how you’ve become the person you are today because of these encounters.
Desmond Tutu, the beloved archbishop of South Africa, was fond of speaking about “ubuntu” as a central foundation for the way he viewed life: “I am because you are. You are because I am.” David W. Robinson-Morris describes ubuntu this way: (It) is a Southern African philosophy that has been commonly translated as “I am; therefore, we are.” However, ubuntu can best be understood as an embodied practice that South African philosopher Michael Eze defines as, “A person is a person through other people.” Our humanity is a collective endeavor; we create each other and sustain one another.”
We “create one another”—we are intertwined with humanity and specifically with those persons whose presence shapes our lives and influences our destiny. The more we recognize this, the better our world will be for it. Valentine’s Day is not far away. Why not acknowledge some of your life-shapers? If they are still alive, send a message of gratitude for how they made a difference as you stepped ever more fully into your personhood. If they are deceased, pause and place your hand over your heart; honor them by your memories of how they assisted you in claiming your true identity and path of life.
Abundant peace,
Joyce Rupp
Free Zoom Podcast Saturday Feb. 5th, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m Pacific time
Will Rucker explores facets of compassion with Joyce Rupp
Registration required: stillpointcsd.org
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Two Joyce Rupp Events
Omaha, Nebraska
Servants of Mary Chapel
“Return to the Root” - Pre-Lenten Retreat
February 26th Saturday 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
No registration required.
Free will donation for
Afghan refugee resettlement
Information: Sr. Margaret Stratman
Ankeny, Iowa
Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Church
“Return to the Root” - Lenten Retreat
March 12, Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Registration (required)
Information: Patty Mayer
Free will donation for
Afghan refugee resettlement
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Events
Led by certified Boundless Compassion Facilitators
March/April
"Creating a Way of Life"
March 1st... six consecutive Tuesdays Facilitated by: Kevin Pokorny
Virtual group study - 90-minute small group dialogue on each week’s readings (Book: Boundless Compassion)
Registration and information
March 3 - 24
Queen’s House, Saskatoon, SK Canada
Part 2 of Zoom retreat series
Thursday evenings 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. CST
Boundless Compassion:
Creating a Way of Life”
Led by Dianne Mantyka
Brochure available
Information/Registration
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March/April
The Thoreau Center
Des Moines, Iowa
"Four Seeds of Compassion
Flavored by Enneagram Type”
(Choice of date/time when registering)
Small group series
of four 90-minute sessions
Zoom virtually or in-person (CST)
Facilitator: Julie Honsey
Certified coach
Narrative Enneagram Tradition
Registration and Information
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February 25-27
Charleston, West Virginia
“Embraced with Compassion,
Embracing the World”
Women’s Weekend retreat
Friday 7:00 p.m. – Sunday noon
St. John XXIII Pastoral Center
Led by Mary Dean Pfahler, SND
Information, Registration
Gerri Wright 304-552-3662
May 7
Metta Labyrinth Day (in person)
“Scattering Loving-Kindness Here, There and Everywhere”
Sinsinawa, Wisconsin
Guided by Stella DeVenuta, OSF,
Registration
Information Janice DeMuth
608-748-4411 Ext 811
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Boundless Compassion
Four Day Retreats 2022
LaGrange Park, IL
The Well Spirituality Center
May 1- 5
Sun. 7:00 p.m. - Thurs 4:00 p.m.
Mary Dean Pfahler, SND
Information/Registration
708-482-5048
Facilitator Training Workshop May 6
Mary Dean Pfahler and Joyce Rupp
(Same site & registration as above)
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Dubuque, Iowa
Shalom Spirituality Center
June 26 – 30
Sun. 7:00 pm. – Thurs. 4:00 p.m.
Led by:
Mary Jo Wulf & Jeannine Kosman
Information/Registration
Connie Palm 563-582-3592
CEU’s available
Facilitator Training Workshop July 1
Led by Joyce Rupp, Mary Jo Wulf,
and Jeannine Kosman
(Same site & registration as above)
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Schuyler, Nebraska
St. Benedict Center
June 19 – 23
Sun. 7:00 pm. – Thurs. 4:00 p.m.
Led by Patty Forsberg & Jeanne Johnson
Information: Jeanne Johnson
Registration
Facilitator Training Workshop July 24
(same site as for the above retreat)
Led by Patty Forsberg & Jeanne Johnson
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Canandaigua, New York
July 10 – 14
Sun. 7:00 pm – Thurs. 4:00 pm
Notre Dame Retreat House
Led by Mary Dean Pfahler SND
Registration/Information
585-394-5700
Facilitator Training Workshop July 15
Led by Mary Dean Pfahler SND
(Same site & information as above) _________________
Rock Island, IL
Benet House
October 14 - 18
Fri. pm. - Tues. 4:00 p.m.
Facilitator Training Workshop Oct. 19th
contact information
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Lenten Reflection Book
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