BLOGGER IDOL WEEK 11
So this week's Blogger Idol Theme allows for a little more diversity in the writings and I had a bit of a hard time deciding which direction to take. Darren gave us the main theme, "Blogger Pageant", and then gave us the framework for the theme. We were to go to one of three sites where beauty pageant practice questions are listed and choose a question to answer. There were a few pretty hilarious questions and several more serious questions. It was tough choosing. At each site I found at least two questions that appealed to me, but when I got to the last site I found what I felt was the one question that was aimed at me, " Which of these women do you think was the best role model and why? Princess Diana...Mother Theresa... "
This question really speaks to me as I can recall when Princess Diana and Mother Theresa both died at about the same time. I was disgusted that a former Princess (they did divorce, after all) and a woman surrounded by scandal took all of the limelight away from a woman that dedicated every minute of her entire life to serving her fellow man. Of course, I've no doubt that Mother Teresa was perfectly content with the way things went. She did not live her life and do her works for the recognition of the public. She even gave up her greatest happiness -teaching at St. Mary's High School with the Sisters of Loreto to answer a call to serve the poorest of the poor.
A drunken, smelly, dirty man, who has obviously spent the night on the street passes you on the sidewalk. You cringe, shake your head in disgust, think how disgusting he is. Mother Teresa looks at him and sees another human being who needs love. She takes his hand and smiles into his eyes, and says, "How are you?" And he tells her, "Oh, after so long, I feel the warmth of a human hand." And his whole face changed.
Mother Teresa knew the secret to happiness. To love others and to show that love with even the smallest of gestures. Love is a personal thing and to truly love one another, we must be personal -a smile, a touch of the hand. We needn't know everything about that person to know that they need that love. All people need and deserve love. Mother Teresa knew this.
Mother Teresa did her works selflessly, with no desire for recognition. I greatly admire this trait in her, because I know my self that it is not easy to work without gratification. Her only gratification was the smile of a poor dying man or woman that she cradled in her arms, when not even their family wanted them.
She is the epitome of humility. When she had speaking engagements or was interviewed (on those infrequent occasions) she would not even look directly into the eyes of her listeners but insisted upon looking straight ahead over the heads of onlookers. It was her feeling that she was speaking for Jesus Christ and that if she were to look upon the crowds, it would take away from the strength of her words.
Mother Teresa worked hard to give dignity to the poorest of the poor. She loved one and all equally. She did not only serve the economically poor, but also wealthy who were poor in spirit, and the lonely.
She loved the unlovable above her own self. She served the Lepers, together with her Sisters, serving over 55,000 of the world's most shunned diseased. And through this work, she not only found new Christians, but persuaded non-Christians everywhere that love can move mountains.
This beautiful human being, this earth-walking Saint, has challenged governments to implement change, to build homes for the poor and the dying -not only in Calcutta, but all over the world. She has stopped nation's leaders from establishing laws that force sterilization of the poor and the sick.
This woman, this loving person has shown the world that you needn't be a Christian to love your neighbor; that it is necessary for us as human beings to reach out to one another. I believe that Mother Teresa is a marvelous example of all that is good in humanity. She gave us hope. She gave us strength. She made us look at ourselves and she made us see that every person on this earth IS lovable and deserving of dignity. She was not a role model only for women, or Christians, or the poor. She was and is a role model for humanity. She never asked for monetary donations; she had faith that what was needed would come. She dared us to give of ourselves. Have we? Will we?
So this week's Blogger Idol Theme allows for a little more diversity in the writings and I had a bit of a hard time deciding which direction to take. Darren gave us the main theme, "Blogger Pageant", and then gave us the framework for the theme. We were to go to one of three sites where beauty pageant practice questions are listed and choose a question to answer. There were a few pretty hilarious questions and several more serious questions. It was tough choosing. At each site I found at least two questions that appealed to me, but when I got to the last site I found what I felt was the one question that was aimed at me, " Which of these women do you think was the best role model and why? Princess Diana...Mother Theresa... "
This question really speaks to me as I can recall when Princess Diana and Mother Theresa both died at about the same time. I was disgusted that a former Princess (they did divorce, after all) and a woman surrounded by scandal took all of the limelight away from a woman that dedicated every minute of her entire life to serving her fellow man. Of course, I've no doubt that Mother Teresa was perfectly content with the way things went. She did not live her life and do her works for the recognition of the public. She even gave up her greatest happiness -teaching at St. Mary's High School with the Sisters of Loreto to answer a call to serve the poorest of the poor.
A drunken, smelly, dirty man, who has obviously spent the night on the street passes you on the sidewalk. You cringe, shake your head in disgust, think how disgusting he is. Mother Teresa looks at him and sees another human being who needs love. She takes his hand and smiles into his eyes, and says, "How are you?" And he tells her, "Oh, after so long, I feel the warmth of a human hand." And his whole face changed.
Mother Teresa knew the secret to happiness. To love others and to show that love with even the smallest of gestures. Love is a personal thing and to truly love one another, we must be personal -a smile, a touch of the hand. We needn't know everything about that person to know that they need that love. All people need and deserve love. Mother Teresa knew this.
Mother Teresa did her works selflessly, with no desire for recognition. I greatly admire this trait in her, because I know my self that it is not easy to work without gratification. Her only gratification was the smile of a poor dying man or woman that she cradled in her arms, when not even their family wanted them.
She is the epitome of humility. When she had speaking engagements or was interviewed (on those infrequent occasions) she would not even look directly into the eyes of her listeners but insisted upon looking straight ahead over the heads of onlookers. It was her feeling that she was speaking for Jesus Christ and that if she were to look upon the crowds, it would take away from the strength of her words.
Mother Teresa worked hard to give dignity to the poorest of the poor. She loved one and all equally. She did not only serve the economically poor, but also wealthy who were poor in spirit, and the lonely.
She loved the unlovable above her own self. She served the Lepers, together with her Sisters, serving over 55,000 of the world's most shunned diseased. And through this work, she not only found new Christians, but persuaded non-Christians everywhere that love can move mountains.
This beautiful human being, this earth-walking Saint, has challenged governments to implement change, to build homes for the poor and the dying -not only in Calcutta, but all over the world. She has stopped nation's leaders from establishing laws that force sterilization of the poor and the sick.
This woman, this loving person has shown the world that you needn't be a Christian to love your neighbor; that it is necessary for us as human beings to reach out to one another. I believe that Mother Teresa is a marvelous example of all that is good in humanity. She gave us hope. She gave us strength. She made us look at ourselves and she made us see that every person on this earth IS lovable and deserving of dignity. She was not a role model only for women, or Christians, or the poor. She was and is a role model for humanity. She never asked for monetary donations; she had faith that what was needed would come. She dared us to give of ourselves. Have we? Will we?
posted by Lisa at
3/29/2004 10:58:00 AM
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