Today I share some golden nuggets from a few sources of inspiration. Author Thomas Groome and his work, What Makes Education Catholic: Spiritual Foundations, continue to be the focus of my team’s professional development and group learning. And one of Sheryl Crow’s final songs in her Tiny Desk Concert struck a chord with me this week. “Out of Our Hands” is about 20 minutes in, intro’d by a wonderful reflection on compassion from the Dalai Lama.
God is good, as we journey along toward the Resurrection time that serves as the bridge toward hope and peace. Blessings on your week ahead!
From Thomas Groome:
As Catholic educators we can constantly encourage our students to be confident that ultimately no falsehood can become true, no tyranny endure, no oppression triumph, no injustice prevail, no slavery remain, no discrimination become just, no cross be too heavy, no addiction be beyond recovery, no bad habit unbreakable, and the list goes on. What a spiritual foundation of faith-based hope this is for all people, and one in which to ground Catholic education. (p. 36).
Sheryl Crow, Out of Our Heads
If you feel you want to fight me
There’s a chain around your mind
Something holding you tightly
What is real’s so hard to find
Losing babies to genocide
Oh, where’s the meaning in that plight
Can’t you see that we’ve really bought into
Every word they proclaimed and every lie, oh
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts, oh
Someone’s feeding on your anger
Someone’s been whispering in your ear
You’ve seen his face before
You’ve been played before
These aren’t the words you need to hear
Through the dawn of darkness, blindly
You have blood upon your hands
All the world will treat you kindly
But only the heart can understand, oh, understand
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts, oh
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart
Oh, let them go
Let them be, let them go
Every man is his own prophet
Oh, every prophet just a man
I say all the women stand up, say yes to themselves
Teach your children best you can
Let every man bow to the best in himself
We’re not killing any more
We’re the wisest ones, everybody listen
‘Cause you can’t fight this feeling anymore, oh, anymore
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart, oh
Keeping the Faith 