Making An Ass of You and Me In my forties, during my chaplain training, I heard about the acronym A.S.S.U.M.E. It means that when we make an assumption, we make an ass of you and me. Now that was a new idea. Was my teacher saying I shouldn’t assume I know what someone else is thinking? I was intuitive. I could feel these things. Besides, it takes less time to jump to conclusions than to listen to what someone has to say or ask for clarification. If I was anything, I was impatient. Then I started visiting patients, and I discovered I had been fooling myself all this time. I…
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Reconciliation: A Spiritual Resolution
General Resolutions As New Year’s Eve approaches, resolutions are on many people’s minds. According to a 2015 Nielsen study, the most popular New Year’s resolutions are staying fit and losing weight. Close seconds are “enjoying life to the fullest” and saving money. Then comes spending more time with friends and family and getting organized. These changes are great ways to make ourselves feel better by enlivening us physically and mentally, helping us feel secure in the world; and increasing our productivity. Spending time with loved ones is always good, assuming those relationships are healthy and supportive or are at least open to improvement. Of course, we don’t need to wait…
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Passover, Easter, and the Holy Fool
Passover and the Holy Fool Every once in a while, as it does this year, Easter falls during the week of Passover. Significantly more unusual is that Easter also falls this year on April Fool’s Day. Last time that happened was in 1956. It won’t happen again until 2029. [1] Getting into the spirit of the day, the Devon News, a British paper, informs us that Pope Francis has canceled April Fools because it clashes with Easter. To make up for any disappointment, April Fools will be celebrated twice in 2019. [2] Instead of canceling this day of revelry, Methodist minister Jeanne Torrence Finley suggests we take advantage of the…
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The Influence of Fathers
Orlando and Fathers Last week, the big news was the Brock Turner rape. This week it’s Orlando, where Omar Mateen killed 49 men and women in a gay nightclub on Hispanic night. At the Pulse, people who felt condemned, berated, and threatened could be themselves and still feel safe. That sense of safety was shattered. This week also includes Father’s Day, so I thought I’d take a quick look at the impact of fathers on young men who grow up to love or hate, create or destroy. The classic father is wise and caring, yet can enforce rules with gentle firmness. A good father loves and protects us, he always…