What is real?

identifying the invisible things that are realer and truer than what we see

This week in preschool music class, we grew quite a lot of pretend flowers in little pretend flowerpots made of our bended arms. This is one of my favorite games, as I get to see my students thoughtfully decide the color and variety of their flowers but more importantly, to hear what they will do with them next. Some opt to keep their flowers, planting them in a garden or placing a bloom in a cup next to their beds. But others will choose to give the flower away, sometimes to their Mom or brother or cousin, and in that case they’ll often tuck the pretend flower into their pocket for later delivery. But when these preschoolers opt to give these flowers to a friend in class, or even better, to their teacher… well, you’ve never seen anything as dear as a four-year-old walking over and handing an imaginary flower over to a fellow human who then puts it carefully in their pocket for transport. One of my students on the receiving end of a friend’s flower said she couldn’t “wait to bring it home so I can look at it all day long!”

Now these are of course, invisible flowers, but they are also in a truer sense, real. A beloved teacher’s aide was telling me after class how much she enjoyed the activity and how she was excited to put her three kid-gifted flowers in a jar in her kitchen. This lady got it. Sometimes the things (and people and ideas) which appear solid, and which are right in front of our faces are made of the flimsiest substance, aren’t they? These things can provoke fear or loathing and they can steal our peace if we let them, but often it's the things that we can’t see which are the realest things of all. They’re certainly the most true, and these are the things which drive our very real action that hopefully is helping very real people in a time of very real suffering.

This week let’s give some thought as to what is real and give more time and attention to those true things than to anything else. Let me know in the comments what real things you find and elevate, and which false things you’ve left behind. You know I’d love to read all about it!

I’ll be back next week with a longer reflection, but until then, peace be with you and yours, friend.

Raised Catholic rewind:

True Self - Raised Catholic 108 - transcript with link to episode

Beauty, Truth and Goodness - Raised Catholic 43 - transcript with link to episode

What I’m reading/listening to/recommending this week:

Dancing (I do this at work, but you can do it anywhere)

Book: Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

Recorded masses/great homilies from St. Cecilia Boston

Video: beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace by Jon Batiste and Andrea Bocelli

Prayer:

Oh Lord, in these troubled times, we have no idea what will come, but you do. We have no way to prepare or make a way, but you do. All of our hope is in you, Lord - our protector, our hiding place, our savior, our good parent, our teacher, our brother and friend.

Jesus, I trust in you.

Thank God you are real.

For us and our dear ones in the name of Jesus and wrapped in the mantle of our Mother Mary, we pray, amen

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