Start with a Stone…

A rock brought back from the NC mountains in Vickie’s yard

Dear Reader:

For Christmas Anne gave me a book of daily meditations called ” Yes, And…” and I was already hooked by the title-I had found a kindred soul author who loved … ( 3 dots ) as much as I do when writing!

Today’s thought was a short meditation but one specific observation sent me spiraling in different directions! Rohr wrote: ” History tells of too many people who have tried to be spiritual before they have learned how to be human! It is a major problem.

Within a fraction of a second… I thought the parables! Or as Rohr observed: ” Maybe this is why Jesus came to model humanity for us -much more than divinity. ”

Think about it… Jesus kept story style teaching ( parables) as simple and ” earthy ” as they come… situations listeners could relate to in their daily lives. Take a moment and make a list of the ordinary, mundane objects -Jesus’ parables (life lessons) included. He wanted to teach the crowds how to be human first and still make the right choices through a growing relationship with their Creator.

(Cloth/ Coat, Wine, Lamp, Barns, Figs, Dirt ( Soils) Weeds, Plants, Mustard Seeds, Yeast, Fishing Nets, Sheep, Goats, Coins, and Gates… just to mention a few.)

Rohr: ” When you cannot enjoy the lilies of the field or the sparrows in the sky, don’t waste time thinking you can enjoy God or respect people at any depth. So start at the bottom and try to love a rock. If you can do that, it only gets bigger, wider, higher,, deeper, and better.

Once you get the simplest human parts down ( loving rocks) God will most assuredly take it all from there. Get the ordinary being thing down and you will have all the spirituality you can handle!

So until tomorrow… ( I don’t know about you but I am ready to break into…a little Marvin Gaye)

Ain’t no mountain high enough

Ain’t no valley low enough

Ain’t no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you… GOD!

Today was s my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Start with a Stone…

  1. Rachel Edwards says:

    A very wise pastor once told my Mother that if you are not happy on earth you will not be happy in Heaven…and I have rocks that I got in the mts placed throughout my flower beds…❤

Leave a Reply