Gifford Volunteer Chaplain Kathy Rohloff shares her personal reflections in this blog post. Kathy and all of our volunteer chaplains offer a nonsectarian presence. If you need someone to listen, and hear you with compassion, you can reach them by calling the Rev. Tim Eberhardt at 802-728-2107.
By Kathy Rohloff
A father was retelling a story of a day spent on the beach with his young son. The child was experiencing much joy collecting the random items washed up on the shore.
They them came upon a large cache of beautiful, unbroken shells. It was then his father began to pick up some up and heard his son crying behind him. “Why are you crying?” he asked.
“Because I can’t pick up the shells!” and then he cried louder.
“And why can’t you pick them up?”
Clutching his closed fists to his chest, he sobbed, “Because my hands are full.”
Sadly, we all have hands that are full.
And if they are full, we cannot grasp the new possibilities for today.
Every day we decide what can take up residence inside our minds.
Will we replay the misunderstandings and hurts and abuse of things past? If we do, we give them the power to rule our day.
Will we have the courage and fortitude to lay them down, leave them in the past, lift our heads, and embrace the newness and possibilities available each day?
Laying aside what was meant to hurt and exclude and demean is really the first step in being set free.
And what a burden will be left behind when the weight of having to know and understand and have an answer for everything is laid aside.
Our hands will be empty and ready to be filled.
The son in the story emptied his hands and what he filled them with was of more value than he left behind.
Today is a good day to begin.
