Holy Work by AmySecrist

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“If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.  If you are blamed, you won’t be discouraged; if anyone calls you a saint, you won’t put yourself on a pedestal.” 

  ~Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
My ears adjust, repressurize
in response to the forty-fifth high-pitched scream of the day
as I scrape uneaten bits of lettuce and broccoli from the dinner plates.
“This is holy work,” I tell myself,
my face close to the trash can, the odor
of old banana peels and used diapers mixing and wafting upward.
My husband stops home for a quick dinner
and I tell him how I’ve not yet lost my mind;
then he heads back to the office and I lose my mind.
The little ones pick and poke and pester each other,
and I add my screeches to their screeching and everything stops -
“I’m sorry,” I tell them, stooping down.  ”I could have said that nicely.”


Almost before I ask, they forgive me and we are hugging;
they are giving me all of their love, so I am giving them all of mine -
this is holy work.

Comments

  1. Melanie Jean Juneau1:18 pm, August 31, 2013

    well said... humility IS the key to love, our kids hearts and God

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy Secrist9:47 pm, August 31, 2013

    Ugh. Humility is SUCH hard work. And when I'm praying, and I ask God to "make me humble" or "help me to be humble," I immediately realize what I've just done (I've asked God to give me humiliations, for that is the only road to humility!!!) and I start back-pedaling my prayer right away! "oh, no, maybe I don't really want to be humble...ok, make me humble but don't make it hurt, etc!" :) Thanks for your comments

    ReplyDelete

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