Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Change
In the movie, “Wonder” which I recommend to junior high students and teachers in elementary school, there is a line that says, “Augie cannot change the way he looks, so maybe we can change the way we see.” Brilliant. Augie has a face that is scarred by many surgeries since he was born. He is homeschooled until middle school. Then he begins going to school where he encounters students who “see” him in a certain way. The way they see Augie directs the way they act toward him. Children can be cruel and boorish. Augie will always look “different.” The students begin to change the way they act towards him and with him, when they change the way they see him. AA has a book entitled, “A New Set of Glasses.” We tend to see the world as distorted when in fact it is often the way we look at things that is distorted. So whenever I catch myself seeing people in a way that seems to want me to separate, ignore, judge or distance myself, I will ask myself if I need to see differently. At time it is me who needs to change. How about you?
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Thank you for this reminder. Many years ago I used to go with our pastor who said Mass at a nursing home. We would provide music. The patients would be wheeled in. One lady was brought every week, head hanging forward almost on her tray. When mass was over she was wheeled away. I remember wondering if she even knew where she was. One time I was helping return the residents to their room I was pushing her and asked where here room was. She ignored the question and said, "Thank you so much, all of you, for coming. It is the highlight of my week. I always sang in the choir at St. Pius, so thank you, thank you" After that I had several conversations with her. She wasn't 'out of it'at all.
ReplyDeleteFr. Terry - changing the way we see is critical and I always need the reminder. Also - "A New Pair of Glasses" is not, actually, AA conference approved literature, though many of us read it to our great benefit.
ReplyDeletexxoo :)
Jupiter