In Simplicity and Humbleness: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I was at a meeting yesterday, in my third space, and a colleague expressed how overwhelmed she felt over the world picture of war, elections, schools, just everything… Our small group prayed for focus on why we gathered rather than falling into the traps of anxiety and distractions. In the past, I would have fed ” the beast.” Now, I am learning more of who I am, and getting closer to my purpose. With simple faith in God, I have been given a gift of courage, in my family, in my workplace, and now in my third space. I used to worry about what people would think of me. That is no longer my concern because thinking like that only held me back from doing good in my place, space and time. And just yesterday I reverted for a brief moment of worrying about how someone would react to my efforts and one of my lovely ladies told me, “Be bold.”

I have learned that in the face of anxiety, the best thing to do is to is to take a deep breath, say a quiet prayer, fill yourself with that prayer and know that it is in your power to make a difference. For me, this knowledge comes from my Catholic being. For you, it may come from another source of identity. Regardless, it starts with our own self, extracting something deep within, no matter how small or simple, and bringing it to the surface. I would be foolish to think I could do that without God. It is only with God that I can create those ripples St. Teresa spoke of.

Little Giants, Little Flowers, Lace makers, Doctors of Prayer – Many people carry the name Teresa. How beautiful to be united with these lovely women who extracted their talents with God’s guiding hand and left our world a little lighter, a little freer of the anxieties that intruded and continue to intrude our time. The anxieties of war, politics, poverty, family struggles have always been around. How we take on these challenges and how we choose to move through them, that’s where our simple actions come in. We are called to carry these actions in everything we do in our common places and our third spaces. All it takes is starting simply and humbly and watch as we make ripples at a time where ripples are seriously needed.

My Third Space

Your third space doesn’t necessarily need to be a church, but for me, it’s a really good fit. Drawing closer to God grew out of pain, and now I am so comforted being on the parish campus, I feel like a child on what I grew up in as a safe school setting where nothing bad could happen to me. School was not only a place of learning, but it was a source of love from the teachers that I was graced with. When I returned to the church, I nervously sat in the confessional. I had not been to confession in over 25 years, and there was no judgment, just acceptance. From there I joined the Legion of Mary who devote themselves to the love of the Blessed Mother, praying the rosary and doing charitable acts in the community. Of the Rosary, Mother Teresa stated, “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to fight evil and she used it as her weapon of prayer,comfort and strength.” In the Legion we invite Catholics that have been away to return to the church and others to come on by and see what it’s about. We also hand out Miraculous Medals and literature about the medals. Mother Teresa used the Miraculous Medal as a tool to symbolize a return to love. Being a legion member has prompted me to give my time to people in assisted living homes and children preparing for communion and confirmation. I did not do too great of a job as my children completed these sacraments, as they were a kind of box being checked off. ” They did these sacraments, now they can marry one day.” I realize now how sacred these Catholic steps are and being back in church allows me a kind of do over; it lets me show my own children how important the church is to me.

It is amazing how God works through each one of us, taking our talents no matter how small or insignificant we may think they are, and creatively leading us to do something good; no fancy word for it, just simple- GOOD.

If you would like to send a prayer petition to the Legion of Mary join my Facebook group page and send me a message.

If you would like a blessed Medal with literature, I will be happy to mail one out to you as long as we have means for postage.

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