Another good thought from Henri Nouwen...
Listening as Spiritual Hospitality
To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.
Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Comfort
When I got home from work last night I decided to wash the sheets on my bed.
And, at the end of the evening as I crawled into warm, sweet smelling sheets, I was reflecting on how wonderful the first night in freshly washed sheets always is.
I love the way the sheets are still tucked and taut, and you just get cocooned inside of them.
I want to be warm, but find that I'm not truly warm unless there's lots of weight in the blankets on top of me. I like that feeling of being buried in comfort and warmth.
I'm a fan of bedroom comfort, can you tell?
For me that means pillows. Mounds of them.
A long body pillow against the wall. It provides both insulation from the cold of the outside wall, and comfort options for leaning or sleeping against.
A pillow between my knees (or under my knees when I'm sitting propped up in bed). Mostly just because my back and hips are less sore if I do this.
Three pillows that go behind me when I'm sitting propped up. Two of these get sort of jumbled under my head while I sleep.
Last night pillows and clean sheets were high on the list of things that make me smile.
And, at the end of the evening as I crawled into warm, sweet smelling sheets, I was reflecting on how wonderful the first night in freshly washed sheets always is.
I love the way the sheets are still tucked and taut, and you just get cocooned inside of them.
I want to be warm, but find that I'm not truly warm unless there's lots of weight in the blankets on top of me. I like that feeling of being buried in comfort and warmth.
I'm a fan of bedroom comfort, can you tell?
For me that means pillows. Mounds of them.
A long body pillow against the wall. It provides both insulation from the cold of the outside wall, and comfort options for leaning or sleeping against.
A pillow between my knees (or under my knees when I'm sitting propped up in bed). Mostly just because my back and hips are less sore if I do this.
Three pillows that go behind me when I'm sitting propped up. Two of these get sort of jumbled under my head while I sleep.
Last night pillows and clean sheets were high on the list of things that make me smile.
News today...
These are the headlines catching my attention this morning:
16 Dead after German School Shooting
10 Die in Alabama Shooting Spree
Tanzania "Witch Naming" Underway
16 Dead after German School Shooting
10 Die in Alabama Shooting Spree
Tanzania "Witch Naming" Underway
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