I love these weeks that immediately follow the change in Daylight Savings Time. With the extra time each evening, my kids are playing basketball outside for longer periods of time, they’re skateboarding later and their practices are extended just a little bit. It’s as if their childhood reawakens with just a little extra light each evening. Plus the recent full moons have been beautiful.
Today I share this screenshot of a prayer on kindness that sums it all up for me. With this reminder, and the quote on courage, we can enter into this Easter season ahead with a focus on what is most important: spending time with loved ones, practicing courage, and embracing kindness. Blessings on your week ahead!
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
I have been on a bit of a U2 kick of late. Last week I read Bono’s memoir, Surrender. On Sunday evening, my family and I enjoyed viewing “Homecoming” on Disney+. This music documentary includes U2 bandmates Bono and The Edge, along with David Letterman, as they introduce David to Dublin, Ireland, tell stories, and play music.
I have long admired the music of U2, and have always appreciated Bono’s faith which he wears on his sleeve, through both his lyrics and his activism. I am pleased to share an excerpt from his book below, along with the Tiny Desk concert link which promotes a new compilation of U2 hits that they recently produced. Of course, all of these event and activities are aligned to promote the band itself, which I am also happy to do.
This recent time reading, listening to music, and admiring the art and impact of U2 has reminded me of my family’s Irish roots, at a most appropriate time. Furthermore, I’ve appreciated each of these resources as beneficial to my Lenten prayer and reflection. I hope they may serve a similar purpose for you, and blessings on your week ahead.
“Well, while I hope God is with those of us who live such comfortable lives, I know God is with the poorest and the most vulnerable. In the slums and cardboard boxes where the poor have to play house. In the doorways as we step over the divine on our way to work. In the silence of a mother who has unknowingly infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war, in the bare hands digging for air. God is with the terrorized. At sea with the desperate, clinging onto drowning dreams. God is with the refugee. I hear his only son was one. God is with the poor and vulnerable, and God is with us if we are with them.”
My day began with an early appointment at the dentist. I was fortunate to view most of “The Redeem Team” on Netflix wile undergoing my dental procedure. I recommend it as a resource for an excellent illustration of teamwork, positive coaching, and impact. I’m thinking of watching it with my kids if I learn how to block some of the expletives one might expect from some of the motivational speeches which were depicted.
Today I also listened to “A Bit of Optimism,” one of my regularly listened to podcasts, by organizational theorist and speaker Simon Sinek. His Five Leadership Fundamentals recently left an impression on me, and so I am pleased to share the video from his 2019 keynote outlining these fundamentals. In this keynote Sinek covered five ways leaders can inspire with an “infinite mindset:”
One: Advance a bigger just cause. …
Two: Foster trusting teams. …
Three: Admire worthy rivals. …
Four: Practice existential flexibility. …
Five: Courage to lead.
I reflected on both of these frameworks, from Sinek and from the 2008 US Olympics basketball team, while walking the labyrinth at a local park. I stopped here on my drive back from the dentist this morning, first to walk while I made some phone calls. I then found myself lost in thought a bit while I continued hiking, which was a great blessing.
At the risk of oversimplifying things, I believe that leadership can be distilled into the following characteristics: humility, mission & culture, distributed leadership (aka teamwork) and ethical decision-making. At least that’s my takeaway for today! Blessings on your week ahead.
I have been blessed in recent weeks to take part in meaningful prayer, professional development and growth, and celebration of community with colleagues across the country. Today I share a few resources from some of those gatherings, along with appreciation for the simple things of daily life. My daughter’s wonder at the simple things, the rare, snow-capped mountains of Northern California off in the distance, sharing a great novel with my wife, playing guitar with my sons, and laughing at the office with co-workers….I am grateful. All in the midst of the health challenges of loved ones afar, climate chaos, and discord across many aspects of U.S. Society.
Balancing the juggling act of gratitude with awareness & empathy is a lifelong pursuit.
Blessings on your week ahead!
A Prayer of Welcome
Lord show us the way to deepen our faith in you and in our brothers and sisters.
Lord show us the way to transform our interior life and in doing so transform how we interact with the world around us.
Lord show us the way to peace in our hearts, our families, our communities and our world.
We know the transformative power of welcoming communities.
May we continue to be a community of welcome where your love is witnesses in our relationships with each other.
Lord show us the way to do more and to do better as we strive to serve you.
I was struck when praying this morning reading’s about how Psalm 130 sings of God’s goodness while inviting us to trust deeply in God. I praise God on this day for those with whom I have reconnected in recent weeks. I have traveled each of these past three weeks (and eagerly embrace a couple weeks ahead at home!), and I was fortunate to re-unite with a cousin of mine, after 30 years, in the New Orleans area. Last week in Denver I had dinner with a best friend of mine whose friendship dates back nearly 25 years; I visited with his family just in time before they relocate soon to Bangladesh. And the other night I attended my niece’s band concert in Orlando and was awed at her prowess on the clarinet; the dinner that followed with her mom and my mother-in-law and her husband reminded me of how fortunate I am for their presence in my life. The love of family and friends is indeed God’s grace fully alive.
Today I also learned is “Women’s Day of Prayer.” I am pleased to share the below, sent to me by a former grad school professor. Let us give thanks for all the women in our lives. Blessings on your weekend ahead!
Prayer In Honor of Women’s Day of Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of peace:
Bless all women who daily strive to bring peace to their communities, their homes and their hearts. Give them strength to continue to turn swords into plowshares.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love:
We pray for all women who face prejudice, inequality and gender disparities. Help us see and to face the discrimination against women in all the many forms it may take.
Where there is injury, pardon:
Comfort all women who suffer from the pain of war, violence, and abuse. Help them to become instruments of their own reconciliation and peace.
Where there is division, unity:
Forgive all women and men who let differences breed hate and discrimination. Let your example of valuing all of creation help us to see that we are equal partners in the stewardship of your world.
Where there is darkness, light; where there is untruth, truth:
Comfort all women who struggle in the darkness of abuse, poverty, and loneliness. May we stand with them in light to acknowledge their suffering and strive to remove the burdens of shame or embarrassment.
Where there is doubt, true faith:
We pray for all women who live in fear of their husbands, fathers, and forces that control their lives. Help them to be empowered to be their true selves through your everlasting love and faith.
Where there is despair, hope:
We pray for all women who live in the despair of poverty, violence, trafficking, slavery,and abuse. May the light of your love bring them hope.
Where there is sadness, new joy:
Help us to see the strength and goodness in all women and men. Transform our hearts to celebrate the love and grace of all people. And may we be blessed with the courage of St. Clare of Assisi to follow our own path of love for you and all sisters and brothers.
Today on this Ash Wednesday I am pleased to share the below reflection from Sr. Norma Pimentel, M.J., the executive director for Catholic Charities of Brownsville, TX, along the U.S./Mexico Border. Also embedded below is a classic Peter Gabriel tune that always makes me think of God’s presence. May these Lenten days of reflection ahead bring us God’s continued grace, appreciation, and compassion.
Lent—when we recall the passion of Christ—is a time for atonement and introspection to examine ourselves and all that surrounds us. As we begin this holy season, it may be a time for our own hearts to stop for a moment to take notice of how we are living our faith, to notice the needs of the families and others in our communities—and particularly of our children.
Children are precious gifts. Let’s treat them as such. Remember, they are being formed by the examples we model for them. They are counting on us to care for them and to guide them. They need our attention…
Ask yourself—what can I do? How is my faith present to others? Do I make time for others? Does it help bring peace and love to my family and others in my community? Does my faith bring out patience, understanding, care, and compassion? Am I a loving example that others can follow?
If our communities are going to heal, it must start with each one of us modeling for our children—and each other—the virtues of our faith.
For Reflection:
In the chaos of our world—particularly seen through the eyes of children and young people impacted by the world’s violence—where do you find God?
How can you be more attentive to God’s presence in the chaos, to be present to and attend to the needs of those on the margins, and to the work of justice?
In what ways, during this Lenten season, can you bring peace, love, patience, understanding, care, compassion, and justice to help heal the world around you?
Every morning when I walk my dog we stop at our neighborhood church. I take a moment to think and offer up a daily prayer each morning at this site with significant meaning- it is where my wife and I were married. Although we no longer attend this same church, it serves not only as a neighborhood landmark but also as a reminder of the loving community of family and friends who support us to this day.
I also reflect often at this spot about the many different chapters of my life. This church itself at one point was a significant setting in my life, as have been a couple of other churches since then. I am reminded that life is a series of transitions, and throughout the changes I am blessed by growth, new opportunities, and refreshing perspectives.
In my extended family, and in one of the school communities I serve, I have loved ones and colleagues transitioning on into other stages in their lives. For some, these steps may mark the conclusion of their time on earth. I pray for the peace and comfort of all involved.
In the midst of the change that is constant in our lives, may we be grounded in the spirit of community that I believe God wills for each us. Blessings on your week ahead – I hope you can spend some time outdoors, as I have been fortunate to experience in recent days.
“No matter how much life and circumstances may batter and bruise us on this journey of life, the God of our childhood is also the God of our adulthood and is also the God of our old age. God is faithful on this developing journey, ever seducing us along the way to remember who we are and from where we come.” —Edwina Gateley
This week I’m sharing a few resources that have come across my way. Highlights thus far include a site visit and meeting yesterday at the school I used to serve, and my oldest son’s playoff run in CYO basketball. I am excited for him that he has this excitement during these concluding months of his final year in elementary school.
As the pace picks up at home and at work, I am grateful for the clear weather, for my collaborators and colleagues, and I give thanks for the health and well-being of my family and friends. Best wishes to you and yours!
No matter how much life and circumstances may batter and bruise us on this journey of life, the God of our childhood is also the God of our adulthood and is also the God of our old age. God is faithful on this developing journey, ever seducing us along the way to remember who we are and from where we come. —Edwina Gateley
I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)| Clarence Bekker & Roberto Luti | Live Outside | Playing For Change
Yesterday I chaperoned my daughter’s first field trip since 2019. We visited the San Francisco Symphony for a children’s-based/teaching performance, followed by time at the playground near City Hall. We ended the afternoon with a read aloud and time spent browsing at the San Francisco Main Library. It was a joyful day, one filled with community, exercise, music and fun. We are so pleased with the decision to change schools for our youngest two children and it was a gift to witness hands-on learning in action.
On the drive home from school, my oldest son asked why Black History Month occurs during the shortest month of the year. This led to multiple open-ended questions from me, followed by a good conversation with all three of my kids. As they get older I enjoy the depth of the discussions we enjoy.
In honor of Black History Month, I am pleased to share a compilation from the group. “Kings Return.” I follow them on Twitter and find myself delighted whenever they release new content. Enjoy!
Lastly, I wanted to share this link: Pope Francis Lands in Congo, Where All His Priorities Converge. I found it an insightful overview of Pope Francis and the realities facing the Congo. I especially appreciated his quote, “Power is meaningful only if it becomes a form of service,” and remain awestruck by the Pope’s example of embracing the “poor and exploited,” as described in the article.
Keeping the Faith 