Patient Endurance

141006-Camino Photos-5-1-EditI was reflecting this morning the virtue of patience. I recognized that it took a lot patience to walk all the way across Spain! This long walk requires one to endure a lot of physical pain and discomfort and to overcome and endure that emotional ups and downs that are seemly inevitable. It takes a lot of “patient endurance” to get all the way to Santiago de Compostela!

In my reflection this morning, I was also thinking of how love is tied directly to being patient. For indeed, it seems to me the heart of patience is love. For as the Bible says, “Love bears all things”. It such an essential virtue to have if we want to really love others.

In our caring for our two grandchildren two days a week, we certainly have been reminded of our calling to remain patient when our patience has “worn thin” and we are about to “lose it”. It takes a lot of grace to remain patient and calm and to instruct and guide them in their development. We know from research on early child development, that these first five years are critical and I would dare say that patience is a key virtue for all care givers of the young.

In our lives we have a choice each day on how we live our lives out. Do we want to be a more loving all our relationships? What does it take? I think a good place to start is to work on building the virtue “patient endurance”.

Blessings and grace to you,

John

Photograph of the Week

Wings Like Eagles

Speaking of patience, I know that great wildlife photographers have to have a lot of patience. They are also very knowledgeable of the ways and behaviors of the animals they are hoping to photograph. They put themselves into position and wait and sometimes they wait a long time and never get the shot they want.

I have never really been that great at wildlife photography but sometimes you do get lucky and I sure did when I captured this shot of an eagle up in the Skagit a couple a weeks ago. This eagle I think got tired of me talking his picture so much and then just took off. I snapped the shutter at just the right moment. Viola!