I’m reading a new book called Little Detours and Spiritual Adventures: Inspiration for Times When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned. The author is Regina Brett, a local Cleveland area gal (Yeah, Northeast Ohio!), a wife, mother, grandmother, Catholic, and a journalist whose book God Never Blinks made it to the New York Times bestseller list!
Brett knows all about detours in life. She was an unwed mother at 21, a recovering alcoholic since 25, a cancer survivor at 41, and a caregiver for her mother with Alzheimer’s. In her introduction, Brett writes, “This book shares my experiences and stories of other people who faced even bigger detours yet still created a life they love.” Today I’ll share a few thoughts from chapter 12, “Mind Your Own Soul.” I think her words might make a good Lenten practice for some of us.
One day Brett’s older sister sent her an email that updated what was going on in her life. At the end, she wrote, “I am living the life my soul wants to have.” Brett was “wowed” by her words. “They woke up my soul,” she said. As she reflected on them, she asked herself, what kind of life would that look like? What life does my soul want? What is the soul?
For Brett, the soul is the Highest Self… The God within… The Holy Spirit… the Spirit of Truth that abides within all of us. The soul is not your “resume life,” but (in the words of Arianna Huffington) it’s your “eulogy life.” The recent death of Jimmy Carter clearly displays the difference between the two. Yes, he had an extensive resume. But most of the people who spoke at his funeral focused on the qualities that really made him who he was: his humility, his compassion, his ability to befriend a wide range of people, his beautiful marriage and family, his patience, his work for the poor, his simplicity, his humor. Many of us would say that Carter listened to his Highest Self, to the God within. As a result, he lived the life his soul wanted.
So, how do we listen to the wisdom of our own soul? Brett says even before she gets out of bed in the morning, she asks, “Soul, is there anything I need to know today?” We could add, “Is there anything I need to remember today? Or anything I need to do?” We can ask whatever question speaks to us on a given day.
I sometimes do something similar to this–only I usually wait until I’m sitting in my “prayer chair” in my pj’s, cradling a cup of coffee in my hands. Here are a few of the responses Brett has received from her soul. I’ve mingled a few of my own responses with hers. The question is: “Soul, is there anything I need to know today?”
God is here…
be in the moment… just do the next right thing… be patient… pause…
be present to everyone you meet… be gentle with yourself… chose to do the kind thing…
“resign as general manager of the universe” (Larry Eisenberg)…
step outside for a few minutes… if that’s not possible, then find a window and gaze outside for a few minutes…
love your life… pray, “Be still and know that I am God”… smile… pour your love all over the place…
take a deep breath… say “thank you” throughout your day… learn something new today…
help someone in need even if it only means holding the door for them or giving them a break in traffic…
really listen… stay calm… say, “In God I trust” and mean it… count your blessings…
float… enjoy… pray “The Serenity Prayer”… save some of this day for you…
laugh today… turn your wounds into healing for others…
God is here… God is here…God is here.
Brett’s book is filled with wisdom and inspiration. Some of the titles of other chapters are these: “Bravery Takes Practice,” “If You Only Got What You Wanted, You Would Sell Yourself Short,” “God Is Rarely Early, But God Is Never Late,” “Just When You Think You’ve Lost All Hope, Hope Finds You,” “Getting Lost Can Be the Best Part of the Journey.” Let me conclude with what Hoda Kotb (recently retired host of the Today Show) says about the book: “The first day I picked up Regina Brett’s book, my life got a little brighter. Her words are sooooo good… Her books are my go-to gifts for friends and family.”
For reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in this reflection? If so, what? Do you know why?
Name some things that could be on your resume? Name some things that you hope might be in your eulogy?
Does your soul (your highest self, the God within) ever speak to you? If so, what does your soul say to you?
Is your soul saying anything special to you this Lent? Would you be able to share this with us below?
PS: Let us continue to pray for our beloved Pope Francis…
Announcing our Three Raffle Winners!
Here are the three lucky winners of our raffle for a free signed copy of my new book, Sunflower Seeds of Hope. (Drum roll please):
Kitty Pasquale from Belmont, NY. She tells me she has four children “one of whom is with God, and waiting for me.” In addition she has eight granddaughters and eight great-grandkids–“finally some boys.” She loves cats too! Kitty has been reading “Sunflower Seeds” for several years.
Norma. J. lives in Titusville, PA and is a second grade teacher and the mother of “two wonderful daughters.” She has been reading my blog for over five years.
Kathy Donnermeyer is my third winner from Ft. Thomas, KY. Kathy just retired as a legal editor after 45 years! Congratulations to her. She met me about 10 years ago when her friend encouaged her (or maybe dragged her [my words, not hers]) to make my retreat at Mt. St. Joseph on the other side of the beautiful Ohio River. Kathy has been married almost 45 years and has four children and five grandchildren. An avid quilter, she has been reading my blog ever since that retreat.
Altogether there were 396 entries in the contest. Each person, no matter how many comments they wrote between Feb. 10 – 28 got one chance to win. On Feb. 10th, the first day of the raffle, 232 readers wrote comments to enter the contest. That’s the most comments I have ever had on my blog in a single day! I want to thank all of you who entered the contest–and all who read my blog. I’ll have to run another contest again some day soon!
There are so many good Lenten songs out there. For today I chose “Gracious God” by Jesse Manibusan. In this prayer to God, we remember that mercy is God’s name. We also recall Jesus’s life and death in which he gave his life away. As followers of Jesus, we give our lives away too. Lent is a good time to renew ourselves in our sacrificial loving…
I welcome your comments below. My readers and I always enjoy hearing from you!
25 Responses
Very beautiful song wish choir
could sing it. The thoughts before the song gave me
comfort. Thank you have a restful night
Kathy Kovell
Good morning, Sr. Melannie…
Good morning, all…
I wish I could respond to every line of your blog, but I have to go to work today! I will say this: every Monday we read, not just your blog, but your goodness, your kindness, your wit, your humility, your vulnerability, your truth, your faith in God, your soul. Thank you!
Oh, and one more thing: We read your book reviews — so soul nourishing, including this one!
Sr. Melanie,
Love the phrase, remember you are not the manager of the universe. A good reminder for me this Lent.
Good morning Sr. Melanie. I loved the concept of building a resume vs. building a eulogy. Before I retired building my resume was the main focus. As a working, single mother of 3, it was imperative that I keep advancing and succeeding to provide for my family. Oh, I was working on the eulogy too. I tried to teach my children the importance of giving back through volunteer work in our community.
After I retired, and life was not so intense, I recognized and embraced the importance of being present in the moments of life. Eye contact, listening, and focus when interacting with people. Sometimes that is more important, more needed, than immediately jumping in ‘fix a problem’.
Love the phrase that I am not the manager of the universe. What a hoot!
Good morning Sr. Melannie. Congratulations to the winners of the raffle! You will love Sister’s book . I’ve been reading it for a couple weeks now (only one topic at an time) and each day I get new insight into the ordinariness of life leading us to our extraordinary God.
I love Regina Brett’s books and have read her articles in our local newspapers for years. I like her definition of the soul as “the God within”. I usually dread Lent but have recently been looking forward to it. I don’t know why I’m experiencing this change but I’m kind of eager to see how this plays out. I do know that I will use my two favorite authors (Sr Melannie and Regina Brett) to help me on this journey. Thank you also for the beautiful song!
Prayers for Pope Francis and may God bless each of us!
What does God want from me? can feel a little guilt ridden.
What do I want? can seem a little selfish.
What does my soul want? sounds a lot more wholesome.
What a great way to start the month of March!
Thank you Sister!
Wonderful!
I left my job as Coordinator of Religious Education, after 7 years of running the program at my parish in NYC, and they gave me a party. It was like being at my own wake! What wonderful things they said about me! It was hard to hear. I didn’t feel worthy.
Being present is something I work at every day. Thank you!
Live and move and have your being in Him
Years ago I took a class and had to write my own obituary. It took me two weeks to do it because it was an uncomfortable assignment. When I saw writing a resume versus a eulogy above, it caught me off guard. I wanted to write my eulogy back then and not my “resume” of an obituary. When I’ve thought about that obituary it has always made me uncomfortable, but if I wrote the eulogy now, it would be shorter and hopefully say the things that truly matter.
Relative to the soul…this Lent season what keeps occurring to me is that often in our busy lives, we have to choose between letting someone else down or letting ourselves down. I think most often we choose to squash whatever we had planned or wanted or wished so that we don’t let the other person down. Although it’s counter-intuitive, I’m trying not to let myself down lately, instead.
Blessings to all,
I’ve just returned from a brisk and chilly walk, and reading this blog now is a grace-filled complement to my walk. With my first few steps, I always invite Jesus to walk with me and the Holy Spirit to move within me. During today’s walk, my soul reminded me to be gentle. Especially, I was reminded to be gentle with myself as I would be to others.
What a blessing that our good and merciful God not only dwells within us, but also chooses to encourage and guide us! May He continue to bless Pope Francis, the Church, Sister Melannie, and her readers.
Good morning Sister:
I am not the manager of the universe! Oh how true. These words are so comforting and I know a few people wh9 would love her book. May you have a Blessed Lent. Peace.
In reading all of these inspiring ideas and thinking about Lent, I am inspired to be joyful, to “pour my love all over the place”, laugh, and do the kind thing. I usually think of Lent as a painful time, but this year, to counter all of the sadness and cruelty in our country and the world, I’m going to be more joyful, knowing that God is with us.
I love your Lenten thought. I have in recent years thought of lent as “Happy Lent”…a time to make more space for God”. So I really like the idea of being more joyful to offset the sadness in this world! May you have a “Happy Lent”!
My soul and the Holy Spirit are telling me to stop watching the news during this Lenten season. I know God is at the helm, I just wish He would step in and stop the madness.
I can’t agree more heartily – to every single word you wrote.
My reflection on your blog, Melannie, is one word – gentle. Be gentle with each person I meet, each situation I encounter and also with myself. Thanks you and all those who wrote comments. They were inspiring. A blessed gentle lent to all.
Once again, you inspire us with a great book and another way to look at lent in a different way. I love the idea of waking each morning and asking God He wants me to do each day. You are a blessing to all of us.
“resign as general manager of the universe” — wow, that’s powerful. With so much going on around us, we might feel totally out of control. But, we don’t need to take it all on. In my Bible study group we all admit to having trust issues. I’m going to give a printed copy of that quote to everyone tomorrow at our meeting. It would make a great bookmark for our study book or our Bibles. Thank you for sharing all those great thoughts from both of you.
I couldn’t pick just one phrase…they are a work in progress, some come easier than others. Thanking God, not just for the big things, but for the little things in life comes easy & hopefully it doesn’t come off as insincere to Him. I thank you, Sr. Melannie for continuing to inspire us with your blog & inspirational insight songs.
I Pray your Inauguration Day & Beyond Prayer everyday as part of “Resigning as General Manager of the Universe” & Henri Nouwen’s Advent Prayer for every season…New Year, Lent Easter & Life’s Journey.
Thank you, Sr. Melannie. All great ideas for taking in the morning silence to listen to our souls. All your thoughts you shared along with Regina Brett, (loved God Never Blinks) are a great kick off as we enter into Lent. I always think God isn’t counting the candy bars/sweets we haven’t eaten but logging down the out of the way kind deeds we took the time to do. Just as we did extra curricular activities for our resumes, this reminds me to prepare more for my eulogy. Prayers for our Holy Pope and all those, like you, who help keep us aware of the blessings of our Catholic faith. Lent graces to you.
Yes, eulogy not resume-saddens me when eulogies are only resumes. Ash Wednesday begins with Choose Life! Thank you for sharing Life. Peace-Prayers-Pat
Thank you for this reflection and book suggestion. I needed this today. My family is facing some serious immigration issues. Hope in God is all I have right now.
God bless your Lent.
Maureen
Thank youfor your reflections