hiking in the Shenandoah

Once upon a time I lived in the Appalachian Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Now, I live NEAR these destinations, but in a different state. The beauty extends beyond State boundaries and this past weekend I soaked it up!

One of my new friends, Sarah, and her fiance Greg acted as the tour guides for the journey. Sarah and Greg have been mentioned in posts before, but not by name - such as here. This wonderful couple were our only helpers when we moved. As if that was not enough of a gift, it was also raining and cold that day. They were our angels...in more ways than I can count. But, we also have fun together too. This weekend is one example.

We picked a trail along the river. While it was lovely, and I did know a large portion of it would be uphill while climbing over rocks. I hadn't factored in leaf covered rocks. I was also unaware of the exact distance - which was approximately 8 miles that took our group over 4 hours to complete. Whew!

However, Greg had packed the group a sweet treat that we indulged in on our journey.

What is that she is drinking - you ask?

HOT CHOCOLATE!!! with marshmallows y todo. Ooh-la-la! I had never considering packing such a thing on a hike, but I am sure glad Greg thought of it!

Thanks to Sarah and Greg for creating a wonderful Saturday experience!

just Sheri, still sore from the climb - but loving it

full on joy!

I was recently part of a celebration for work. The group I was celebrating with serves those with physical and intellectual disabilities. There was food and games, music and dancing.

I had so much fun dancing with some of the clients. What struck me most though, is the honesty in their emotions. No pretense, just experiencing the moment. A full embrace of excitement and enthusiasm. Full on joy.

I want to experience life like that. Full on.

just Sheri, embracing the moment

hidden in plain sight

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to join a group of individuals at one of the local homeless camp areas.  There are camps throughout our community - behind restaurants and strip malls, construction sites and churches. This particular camp was set up directly behind my bank. I have gone to this parking lot often since moving, but failed to notice the foot path leading in to the woods.

My immediate thought is how there are so many folks living in our society, in our cities, in our neighborhoods, who are hidden in plain sight. They are there, yet we don't see them. Why don't we see them? I think it has more to do with us than them. Acknowledging their presence disrupts our comfort. So, instead we look past them, through them, around them. We willful ignore the signs.

Perhaps we do this because we don't know how to help, or what to do. Perhaps we do it because we don't want to be inconvenienced. Perhaps we do it because we've been blind so long we forgot how to see. I don't have the answer.

What I do know is, there are hundreds in my community living in the woods. They are hidden in plain sight. With the exception of a few good-hearted souls, they are forgotten.

Since that visit to the woods, where I played horse shoes and heard stories of unfortunate circumstances, I have been praying one scripture over and over and over again.

Psalm 9:18
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

For those that I met in the woods, I pray they are not forgotten by the masses. That a civilized society will remember the less fortunate. I pray hope is alive in their hearts and that one day soon it becomes their reality. This prayer is not just for the homeless, but for all of those who live among us but are hidden in plain sight.


just Sheri, attempting to open my eyes to the unseen

just read: Humilitas

Back in September I posted about the author of Humilitas, John Dickson.

Since then I have read through some of my stack and packed this book in my carry-on to China. I finished it while on the trip. I enjoyed the authors approach to humility. Reading this book gave me a lesson in ancient history and latin vocabulary, while challenging me to build better character qualities - a VERY unique (and intriguing) combination!

I cannot possibly summarize the book in one blog post, so I will instead focus on one chapter.  John applied the virtue of humility to leadership in a number of aspects, but the one I will focus on is persuasion. Persuasion is a tool leaders use to influence circumstances or events. John argues that "the humble are frequently more persuasive and inspiring than the arrogant."

According to John, the fundamentals of leadership are: 1. ability, 2. example and 3. persuasion. Then he says:

"... persuasion is the leader's ability to articulate and argue a position in a way that motivates others in the team to move in the new direction. A leader with example but with no ability to persuade others will be well loved but unable to lift people beyond the circumstances they can see around them. Persuasion is key."

John goes on to explain that according to ancient philosophers, Aristotle in particular, the character of the speaker is the most effective tool. Beyond intellect. Beyond emotional appeal. Character, or ethos, influences. Why? Aristotle says, "We believe good-hearted people to a greater extent and more quickly than we do others on all subjects in general and completely in cases where there is not exact knowledge but room for doubt."

John concludes the chapter by saying, "When people trust us, they tend to believe what we say, and few are considered more trustworthy than those who choose to use their power for the good of others above themselves." A strong argument in favor of humility.

Want to be great? Choose to be a servant. That is the stance of a world-changer! Listening to others. Thinking of their needs above your own. "Humility is the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself." Tough to do, but worth the effort.

just Sheri, seeing the value of ethos and trying to establish it in my heart

culture shock: politeness

In returning to America, there was something interesting that I noticed. Americans are quite courteous. We wait patiently in line for our turn. We hold doors open for perfect strangers. We say "please" and "thank you" during exchanges of even mundane tasks.

My friend Phim had a flat tire. Someone stopped to help and didn't leave until it was taken care of, because he said he hoped someone would do that for his wife and child if they had a flat.

I haven't seen these kind of courtesies in a while. Now, we ain't got nothing on the developing worlds hospitality! But, courtesy is fostered here and should be exported. I'd prefer that over the materialism that we are exporting currently.

just Sheri, thankful for common courtesy