Sunday Musings - December 18, 2022
It is one week until Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and all his wise common sense teachings. Today I also celebrate the birthday of my youngest sister Pat and a special friend Doreen.
I am acutely aware that today is the second day past the end of the life journey of my friend and colleague, Dr Vilja Stein. There is nothing remarkable about the fact that she ended this life journey. Although the timing was unexpected all of us know that this journey is very brief; that we have only this moment to share the best of what we are capable.
I am not alone in wanting to celebrate a life well lived. I have already this weekend talked to many who share my love and appreciation for this remarkable woman.
I know many others are also having to face the brevity of this journey. Just this morning, within a small circle, there have been two other recent deaths and several who are being reminded of the fragile and temporary resilience of this human body.
Vilja Stein’s children’s will be honoring their mother with an obituary which attempts in a few sentences to capture a tiny slice of the essence of what this woman shared and what she left. Her many roles as a daughter, mother, physician, wife, partner, friend, colleague, teacher, traveler, bird enthusiast and cat lover has touched of lives of more than the six degrees of separation seems possible.
Although she lived with a deep well of sadness which is shared by all war refugees, she, as was true for her father Rudy, had an enormous passion for nature, good food, fine chocolate and the spoken and written word. She continued to read in French, English and Estonian as well as medical Latin. She was extremely athletic, especially when walking, playing tennis or swimming.
On this last Sunday before we officially celebrate the ideal of unconditional love, absolute forgiveness and a grateful, joyful dance perhaps we can resolve to practice the courage and wisdom of the teachers with whom we have been blessed; of all the very human teachers such as Vilja Stein who always knew she, too, was a work in progress. Her father, Rudy, was determined to continually practice the serenity prayer; to bring himself back to what he could control. Often what he could control was whether to choose to see the beauty; the possibility rather than the obstacle.
When Jesus was reminded by the disciples to pay attention to the fact that he was talking to a prostitute, he reminded them to see the beauty of themselves reflected in this woman; to examine themselves to see if, in fact, their “sins” were less than her; to see that love forces love to the surface. We need not make Vilja Stein or any of our teachers gods. We need only remember we have the opportunity, as Ram Dass reminded us to “Just keep walking each other home.” without the need to judge or grade each other.
On this Sunday morning I will imagine the energy of Vilja Stein spreading to wrap each of us in possibility.
Thanks dear friend.
Written December 18, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
It is one week until Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and all his wise common sense teachings. Today I also celebrate the birthday of my youngest sister Pat and a special friend Doreen.
I am acutely aware that today is the second day past the end of the life journey of my friend and colleague, Dr Vilja Stein. There is nothing remarkable about the fact that she ended this life journey. Although the timing was unexpected all of us know that this journey is very brief; that we have only this moment to share the best of what we are capable.
I am not alone in wanting to celebrate a life well lived. I have already this weekend talked to many who share my love and appreciation for this remarkable woman.
I know many others are also having to face the brevity of this journey. Just this morning, within a small circle, there have been two other recent deaths and several who are being reminded of the fragile and temporary resilience of this human body.
Vilja Stein’s children’s will be honoring their mother with an obituary which attempts in a few sentences to capture a tiny slice of the essence of what this woman shared and what she left. Her many roles as a daughter, mother, physician, wife, partner, friend, colleague, teacher, traveler, bird enthusiast and cat lover has touched of lives of more than the six degrees of separation seems possible.
Although she lived with a deep well of sadness which is shared by all war refugees, she, as was true for her father Rudy, had an enormous passion for nature, good food, fine chocolate and the spoken and written word. She continued to read in French, English and Estonian as well as medical Latin. She was extremely athletic, especially when walking, playing tennis or swimming.
On this last Sunday before we officially celebrate the ideal of unconditional love, absolute forgiveness and a grateful, joyful dance perhaps we can resolve to practice the courage and wisdom of the teachers with whom we have been blessed; of all the very human teachers such as Vilja Stein who always knew she, too, was a work in progress. Her father, Rudy, was determined to continually practice the serenity prayer; to bring himself back to what he could control. Often what he could control was whether to choose to see the beauty; the possibility rather than the obstacle.
When Jesus was reminded by the disciples to pay attention to the fact that he was talking to a prostitute, he reminded them to see the beauty of themselves reflected in this woman; to examine themselves to see if, in fact, their “sins” were less than her; to see that love forces love to the surface. We need not make Vilja Stein or any of our teachers gods. We need only remember we have the opportunity, as Ram Dass reminded us to “Just keep walking each other home.” without the need to judge or grade each other.
On this Sunday morning I will imagine the energy of Vilja Stein spreading to wrap each of us in possibility.
Thanks dear friend.
Written December 18, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
RSS Feed