Sunday, July 24, 2011

A Reverent People

 We all have names. We are "Susie's" parent; "Pete's" supervisor, the volunteer at the library on Tuesdays,  you-know-the-soccer-coach-who-fell-and-sprained-their-ankle; the one who makes that favorite dish that everyone loves at work; etc. etc. etc. 

We need some time to remember who we are, what our real first name is and what our natural skills and traits are. We need to ponder what we believe, what our priorities are. We all need quiet moments - to ponder, reflect, recharge, relax, and rest.

We also need to take time to show reverence. Several people have described reverence as profound respect mingled with love. For me reverence is a quiet word - it isn't boastful or loud, neither hasty or incomplete. It would be a word that I would act differently around, made sure I "washed behind my ears" so to speak.

The first person in my life that I would describe as me acting differently around was my great-aunt Mabel. We called her Auntie May. She seemed old even when I was a little girl, probably because her hair had turned gray prematurely. But she treated me with respect and in turn, I did the same back. One was proper and dignified around Auntie May because she was. And she always sent me post cards when she took trips, which was such a delight to get mail!

Reverence is about having respect, honesty, and integrity in ourselves and choosing to find and be with  others who are practicing these too. By supporting each other, we return to a more reverent people, not drifting like we are now. Some say that revelation is dead. Not so. Revelation is just another word for "idea". They just come from On High, and not from ourselves. By being reverent, good, and quiet, we could hear those ideas more and by acting upon them, we definitely would know the course to follow, don't you think?

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