Dear Friends,
Happy month of Thanksgiving. It’s a time for remembering all the gifts that we have received from God and others. May we continue to live with a grateful heart. With that in mind, I am grateful for the relationship I have with a former student of mine, Gail Lowney Alofsin, from my time at St. Joseph’s in Norwich, CT.
Gail is an adjunct Professor at Salve Regina University, the University of Rhode Island, and Western Connecticut State University, as well as a visiting professor at several business institutions. When she teaches a weekend class, I am invited, along with other speakers, to address the students. This time around, one of the presenters, Amanda, spoke of being a ‘Master Gardener of Leadership.’ Amanda began with these four points: Leaders need to – Plant Smarter Seeds, Water Daily, Prune with Purpose, and Share the Sunlight.
As Amanda spoke, all I could think about was how these four points related to our own growth in the spiritual life. I couldn’t wait to sit down and write about how I could adapt these principles to my life. Here is my attempt to “Baptize” (my way of saying adjust a business concept to my spirituality) these principles. I hope you can identify with some of these simple yet powerful concepts.
Plant Smarter Seeds – Am I willing to encourage others along their journey of faith, even if that meant they would far exceed my own faith experiences?
Water Daily – Do I daily nurture my prayer life so that it will be able to grow and flower into a fruitful life? If not, it may wither and fade away.
Pruning with Purpose – Ouch, although pruning makes things grow better, am I willing to be pruned (Listen to constructive criticism of others) for the purpose of increasing/building up the Kingdom of God in my own life as well as that of those around me?
Share the Sunlight – Lastly, am I willing to share the gifts and richness of my life with those around me? Everyone needs sunlight. Am I able to share it with all those on a faith journey?
Hopefully, I have given you some food for thought that will help you grow your spiritual life so you may become a Master Gardener. There is a lot left unsaid, leaving you with much to reflect upon during the coming week. Wishing you a blessed growing week as we continue into this season of CHANGE AND HIDDEN GROWTH. (Along with a little dying to self.)
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
