Journal of Sacred Work

The time/cracks into furious flower. Lifts its face/all unashamed. And sways in wicked grace.  – Gwendolyn Brooks.

It’s not things that count, it’s people. it’s not presents that matter. It’s the present. – Erie Chapman

   Yesterday, we awoke to Christmas. This morning, a different reality entered our consciousness. Today you may end up returning presents that didn’t fit, didn’t work, or didn’t match your taste. I have such an aversion to returning things that I would rather keep the wrong present than face the flat expression of a tired store clerk.

  Each year, I wish people would give to charity instead of to me, because, although I still may want things, there is nothing I need – except for the things that you can’t wrap up: time, wisdom, love. No one can give me the first two and I’m always grateful for any expression of the last one. Surprisingly, though, there are two professions that offer to their practitioners, more time on earth…

  Here is one of the strangest bits of trivia I’ve ever come across. It’s the two careers that have the greatest longevity.

  TIME: What would you guess are the two professions where people live the longest? The first is music conductor. Leopold Stowkowki (left) for example, lived to be ninety-five – not unusual for this profession. Maybe it’s the aerobic exercise from waving their arms around. Maybe its the therapeutic effect of all that rich music flooding back through them. Maybe it’s that they feel in control of the wonderful organism of an orchestra. Or maybe it’s all of these. For the truth is that the "furious flower" of time blooms longer for music conductors as they sway to the tones of Beethoven and Mozart…

   The other profession with exceptional longevity is, surprisingly, gaining fewer and fewer adherents. Before I tell you what it is, consider its benefits: 1) Freedom from economic stress, 2) Freedom from family stress, 3) only women can choose it, 4) they spend lots of time in restful meditation and prayer, 5) they are married to the most perfect behaving of all spouses.

  As every Catholic knows, nuns live much longer than the average. And yet very few women are choosing to enter holy orders these days. Others will have to answer why this is. I think the bigger question is that if we were all sure we would live to age ninety in perfect health, would we live more wisely?

WISDOM: Those of us lucky to live with middle class incomes may want things, but we don’t need anything. Living out the truth of this wisdom can relieve an awful lot of stress and less stress is not only good for health, it’s good for the quality of our lives.

   It’s not things that count, it’s people. it’s not presents that matter. It’s the present.

LOVE: God sent his son to give us unconditional love. Wisdom tells us we need to let go of our expectation that ordinary humans can give us that kind of perfect selflessness – or that we can give perfect love to others. What a relief it can be to accept this truth. Many people go through their entire lives being disappointed in other people for not giving them the kind of love they hoped for and expected.

   Love means recognizing that the best we can do is to try to love others above ourselves. Caregivers often understand this better than anyone because of the way they are called each day to meet the needs of others.

   And this is the great gift we got to unwrap again yesterday. It is the joy of love – the chance to enter 2007 with a renewed sense gratitude for the gift that comes every moment of the day – and to express it to all those around us.

-Erie Chapman