Every time a child is born into this world it comes bearing a message of joy. And this is the message: God is not discouraged!
+Rabindranath Tagore
Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or last time. Then your time on Earth will be filled with joy.
+Betty Smith, author
OCTOBER HAS ALWAYS BEEN a special month in my life because it’s the month in which my brother Jim was born and I was five years old and remember the event very clearly. I wasn’t at the birth, but I did get to ride with my dad and mom when they went to the hospital every day because Jim had to stay there until his skin problem cleared up and Mom went to hold and feed him. In those days, I was too young to visit my baby brother, so I anxiously awaited the day we could bring him home and we celebrated with joy. He was so cute and pudgy. I loved him instantly and watched over him a lot.
October is the month in which Franciscans all over the world celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of one of the first non-cloistered religious orders for men and women during the Middle Ages.
His attempt to live life just like Jesus did as a poor, humble, joyful, loving, compassionate person seemed to resonate with many other men and women, and they followed and imitated him because the simple life suited them too. We Sylvania Franciscan Sisters share the four defining Franciscan values of Contemplation, Conversion, Poverty, and Minority as we live out our lives wherever we are and whenever we can. As we move along in life’s journey, we find new ways to do so and invite others to join us on the journey.
This October has a very special event that I am anticipating as I write this article, and that is the birth of the first grandchild of a very dear friend of mine. She and her daughter, son-in-law, family, and friends have been patiently and anxiously awaiting since the first announcement of the baby nine months ago. Little Madeleine Grace will indeed be bringing a message of joy into this world and certainly into our world—God is not discouraged! So why would we be discouraged? Do not children bring joy and hope and love into our lives? So let’s celebrate! The publishing of this article in Healthy Living News this October begins the 25th year of my writing this “Spiritually Speaking” column. That makes almost 300 articles by the end of next year! The first article I wrote was entitled, “Dying, Death and Grief: A Personal Perspective.” I am delighted to be writing about the joy awaiting us this month when Madeleine Grace enters our lives and our world. Adapting Betty Smith’s quote above, we will indeed Look at everything as though we are seeing it for the first time or last time. Our time on Earth will be filled with joy.
Join us as we celebrate new life with joy!
Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org. ✲
