When the retreat is over and the rubber meets the road, so to speak

I spent last week in a retreat focused on the way of Radical Compassion: loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves. It was the tip of the iceberg compared to what they do in their program, but it was great. Frank Rogers is a gifted speaker. He has two books out and I look forward to reading the one that arrived yesterday.

It was also great to be with and worship with spiritual directors and retreat leaders from around the country.

But, how does all that learning, training, and "being" translate into the real world?

So far, so good. But I know that the new shine will wear off, the fullness can deplete. It is an intentional moment by moment choice to live with compassion.

I sent an email this morning in which I typed "form". Autocorrect changed it to "former". I didn't catch it until afterwards. Normally, I would be less kind to myself. I don't like typographical errors.  Today, I let it go.

I went by the high school to find out what happened with a form I dropped off last month. The person said they saw it, but didn't know what to do with it.  No one had called. The person I spoke with on the day I left it didn't add a note. The form is slightly self evident.  Instead of becoming frustrated, however, I showed compassion and grace.

Then I called the Pediatrician office to inquire about the nutrition form that was supposed to be faxed in last month. We had received a reminder letter. Because of nut and peanut butter allergies, this is important. They found the form, sitting in the outbox. It had not been faxed. Today is the deadline. Grace and compassion reigned again.

To respond with grace and compassion consistently means that my tank needs to be full. I must be filling up at the Source of grace and compassion in order to offer it to myself and others.

I am grateful for last week's retreat and teaching.

When I royally mess up or situations out of my control occur, I hope to be quick to apply the new tools in my tool belt.

At the moment, I am finishing up a breakfast sandwich and an espresso at Starbucks before heading into the office. I was looking forward to all those extra stars that would be added to my account, until I realized that the promotional ended yesterday.  Oh well.

I decided to make it worth my while.....I needed breakfast anyway. It feels great sitting outside here in the sunshine. It is a pause moment.

I am grateful for opportunities to love God and love others as myself.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra