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Letters to the Editor
From Our Readers
About The Lens - Issue 24: The Principle of Our Unique Life Lessons
Our colleague Christa Metzger reads and comments on each issue of The Lens. Her feedback and keen eye is a gift to all of us.
Here are some lessons I learned from each of the contributors:
Paul: Am I awake and continuously aware so that I don’t miss the unique lessons of each of the precious moments of my life?
Stephen: Since there is always another lesson around the corner, how might I pause and find rest to renew my strength to face the next one?
Adam: It takes a lot of wisdom to know when and how to get someone you love to give up that chicken bone that you believe will hurt him or her.
Peter and Anne: You made me want to become more aware of how unseen forces, such as love and angels in many forms, help us in our life’s lessons – individually and collectively.
Tom: Your sharing of how you give back to others inspired me and caused me to reflect on how I might balance doing more of that with my seemingly increased need for silence and rest as I age.
Charles: Your three major life lessons were like a very tough final exam! Glad I’m in continuing education so I can keep working on those!
Kathleen: What a wonderful story! It inspired me to take better care of myself when my glasses get crushed, or my wallet is empty, or my ego is devastated! Thank you for the step-by-step details you provide.
Bob: I couldn’t help asking myself in what ruts I might be stuck, and to what extent I am willing to venture out and more consciously experience the wonder and mystery of life.
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Dear Steve,
Wonderful wonderful essays. Each and every essay holds wisdom and truth, and are a treasure to read. A few got me to the quick…
Earth School by Peter and Anne Selby. I felt in-tune with every word they conveyed. Brave spirits, individually and collectively, Guardian angels, enemies as teachers, love as the glue, lessons like waves, and how it is show time– with much at stake. I resonated so deeply I had to re-visit their website and was delighted to find that we live only three hours from each other. Ashland and Sisters, simpatico neighbors!
Succeeding in Earth School by Charles Mitchel. Love and Trust v. Fear and Doubt. I feel like my natural inclination is love and trust. And then I read cnn.com and am imbued with fear and doubt. I don't let my 2nd grader walk to school. I don't leave him unattended to run wild at the local football games. (And I live in a super sweet small town.) I feel like we are inundated by fear and doubt in mass media. Then I unplug, and my love and trust rekindles. This essay is beautifully written. Thank you for those words of wisdom by Ralph Waldo Emerson at the end. I printed them large and have them hanging on my wall.
The School of Life by Christa Metzger. I applaud this essay and the bravery it takes to share a painful life lesson. Reading through the list of what this lesson taught is exactly how I would want to phrase learnings from my own recent life lesson. What a keen mind and open heart Christa has, to distill that experience in such a way. This essay connected at a very deep level - gave me goose bumps.
Onward by Robert Cole. YES! YES! YES! To be touched by wonder every day. To be open to the magic that is available in every moment. On a similar note, my son is devastated to learn that there is no such thing as an invisibility cloak. And I'm trying to say, don't worry, there are even more magical things in all that we experience all the time! But man, it's hard to win that argument with an 8-year-old. Harry Potter versus mommy? Harry is winning...
Thank you once again for the thought-provoking essays. ~ Erin
Erin O'Kelley Muck, Ashland, Oregon
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