Learn

Growing up I was very close to my Grandfather – Papa, as my sister and I called him. Through a lifetime of experiences, he gained a wisdom that we looked up to, and he freely shared with us. His one-liner bits of wisdom stay with me even today – “One convinced against their will is of the same opinion still” and “Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt” – were a couple of my favorites. While he would never claim to be the author of many of these one-liners, there was one that I think was born deep in his soul, and he was particularly fond of sharing with my sister and me.

“The only way you have wasted the day is by not learning anything”

Papa did not have the benefit of great, formal educational opportunities; so, he took advantage of being a student of life and supplemented it with a class here or there and countless hours at libraries. His life’s education seemed to mirror one of his favorite authors, Louis L’Amour, chronicled in Education of a Wandering Man.

He understood, and instilled in us, that each second, of each minute, of each hour, of each day is a precious gift from God. We must make the most of it.

The time we are graced with, we must explore it and all that is in it. We need to keep ourselves ready for the Divine presence around us. Give thought and meditate on the trail we have walked with God. As we learn about and from one another, our natural world of which we are all stewards, the vast reaches of God’s creation only visible in our mind’s eye, and God’s Incarnation, God with us, we find that the knowledge we gain serves something greater, love.

Brother Keith Nelson, SSJE reminds us –

“In the end, knowledge is not enough. Knowledge – like technology – is like a very good, very capable servant. Love is its true master. Without love, our knowledge is lifeless. In the service of love, it finds its place and purpose.”

I think Papa would agree.

As we learn, chase after knowledge, we gain a new perspective, a deeper understanding of the source of our being – our Creator, Redeemer and the One who loves our soul as though it is the only one in the universe – God; and in this we find love grows, served by our learning, as we walk with God with mind, eyes and heart wide open.

Post by Mike Corey