In The Circle

I wrote to my friend Jim Palmer last night. When he was here in Kalamazoo to speak at Threads Church he donated copies of his book for a fundraiser/auction I was donating design work for. This fundraiser was for a woman named Becky. I didn't know Becky in person, but she was a teacher in a school for impaired young adults where my best friend is principal. Becky's last hope was an experimental drug to halt the progression of ovarian cancer.

Jim wrote a response, and I used it in email I sent out to a large group of people I care about:

"My friend Jim donated copies of his books for the silent auction fundraiser I was involved in as designer. The woman we were helping was on an experimental drug for ovarian cancer. She died Sunday, and I wrote to Jim to tell him, and to tell him what she had said at the fundraiser just a few weeks ago.

This is what Jim wrote back to me:

"it's interesting that some of her final words, which you passed along to me in your email are now a seed within me birthing new life; these words - "I never knew so many people loved me." it makes me see that i myself am in a great circle of love that i am only partly aware of. it also motivates me to let others know they are part of my circle of those i love. maybe our lives are like the stone in the pond and our love has this ever widening ripple influence.
anyway, just to let you know, you're in my circle :)
jim
--Jim Palmer Author of Divine Nobodies www.divinenobodies.com"

And so I just had to let you know that you're in my circle. :)
Anne"

A remarkable thing happened. Email started flooding my inbox. Some from people I hadn't heard from in a long time - one man wrote who I hadn't talked to in two years. Another dear friend called me from Florida. All the messages were full of appreciation and love. Sometimes the days get busy...and then the weeks...and then the years...and we don't connect with all those who have created ripples of love in our life.

If you'd like to edit my email and pass this ripple along, please do. Throw your own stone in the pond and keep this love traveling in ever widening circles.

In memory of Rebecca Davis Russcher, 1959 - 2007

Yes, please

EVER LET MERCY outweigh all else in you.

Let our compassion be a mirror where we may

see in ourselves that likeness and that true image

which belong to the Divine nature and Divine essence.

~St. Isaac of Syria, Directions on Spiritual Training

If Only

The Friend of God has these three qualities: a generosity like that of the ocean, a compassion like that of the sun, and a humility like that of the earth.
~BayazidTadhkirat