Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

[Reportedly inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, and attributed to her. However, an article in the New York Times has since reported (March 8, 2002) that the original version of this poem was written by Kent M. Keith.]

The "Other" - we have forgotten that we belong to each other

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa

Hearts filled with Joy - Where do YOU find JOY?

.

The school at which I teach has within its list of core values that we want students to take JOY in their learning. I love this statement and this sentiment, and I am so happy (shall I say Joyful?), that those who crafted these statements have included this statement. Joy is perhaps a somewhat underused word, perhaps even somewhat old fashioned, but the concept of JOY is a wonderful one. Where we find joy is really where the Holy Spirit is at work and thriving in our lives. In addition, the affirmation of JOY in our lives is an affirmation that God wants us to live abundant lives. John 10:10 is one of my favorite verses, "I am come so that you may have life and have it abundantly." God does not want us to live lives of slavish service, but rather joyful lives of caring for ourselves, caring for one another and finding JOY and LOVE and Peace in life.

I had my students write an assignment on where they find JOY, and these were some wonderful papers to read - there was a wide variety of ways that students find joy, in family gatherings, running in the rain, making food, having a cup of tea with a mentor, playing sports, writing, reading, teaching, learning, watching zombie movies...you name it, they mentioned it -- and I find joy in reading these wonderful papers.

Then I ran across this quote from Mother Teresa, a sort of a different take on the quote attributed to St. Francis ("preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words"), Mother Teresa is quoted as saying:

"One filled with joy preaches without preaching." -Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Where do YOU find JOY?