Heather Holleman's Blog, page 69

Make Time for Solitude —Find Water

I love walking along Spring Creek!

One Thing Is Needed

I haven’t read the story of Mary and Martha for a while. I find it this morning before church in Luke 10:38-42:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

I underlined “one thing is necessary” because on my daily to-do list, I quickly become Martha. Imagine the scene: Martha is a perfect hostess; she greets Jesus as the door and she’s the one doing all the work. She’s mad at her sister and then mad at Jesus for not telling her sister to help her. It seems like a legitimate complaint. She’s anxious and troubled by how much she must do. She’s overwhelmed. She’s distracted and cannot focus. Isn’t the answer to get more help?

But the answer isn’t found in getting Mary to help. Jesus answers Martha and invites her to become the kind of person who sits at His feet and listens to Him. But why? How does this solve the problem of how much Martha must do as hostess?

If Martha was this kind of woman—the kind who spent time with Jesus and listened to Him— the serving part wouldn’t seem so exhausting or hard. Martha would do things out of an overflow of the Holy Spirit’s direction and power. The serving would no longer be a distraction; it would be a calling. It would represent a joyful, focused assignment for the day.

I also think about the “one thing necessary” involving an understanding of God’s supernatural power in our lives. I’ve often thought I don’t have time to spend in God’s word or in prayer. I have too much to do. But time spent with the Lord is never wasted time. In fact, on those days when I’m overwhelmed, I need more time with Jesus. And I’m with a God would can multiply my time, multiply my resources, and supernaturally make all things work for good in the day. In Martha’s situation, God could make everything easy and light for her immediately.

One thing is needed today.

The Snow Squall

The whiteout conditions suddenly swirled around the house like a tornado of snow. We could hardly see the house across the street. The wind howled. The blizzard covered us. And then, as soon as it blanketed the neighborhood, it left us. A snow squall puts you inside a cyclone of snow. It feels haunting and strange and suffocating, but it only lasts so long. Then, peace returns.

So while it’s happening, you stay in place. You wait it out. You observe the strange beauty of it. I like to remember snow squalls when life feels blanketed in confusion or uncertainty or even sadness or hopelessness. It won’t last long. In fact, usually, a snow squall only lasts 30-60 minutes at most. Of course, it feels much longer. But it does end.

A Little Love for You

I often ask students (and myself) this question: How are you taking care of yourself? It’s a great question to unearth mental health practices, joyful rituals, and habits for well-being. I love hearing what students say whether hydrating, getting out in nature with friends, listening to great music, or cooking a fantastic meal.

This morning, I thought of a better way to phrase the question: How will you show love and kindness to yourself today? We shower our friends with little gifts and expressions of care, but do we do this enough for ourselves? We’re also kind to others. We are patient with them and helpful. But do we extend this kindness to ourselves? So many of us do not. Consider this your task for today!

Today, I could treat myself to a fancy macadamia nut coffee creamer or that oat-milk ice cream everyone’s talking about (I think it’s the Oatly brand). I could go into the woods and take pictures of melting snow. I could relax with my cats and watch Gilmore Girls. What about you? How will you take care of yourself and show love to yourself today?

Pacing

I’m teaching students how to “pace” their writing. Pace is the speed at which a reader will experience our writing. I teach students to manage pace in several ways:

They can speed up the pace with shorter sentences, strong verbs, and action. Give me a three-word sentence. Make it quick. Keep me engaged.

They can slow down the pace with isolated sentences (sentences that stand alone as their own paragraph), long sentences with semicolons and commas, and more reflective writing (an interlude). They can also vary the pace of the writing by asking a question to the reader (interrogatives). It’s fun and so effective to invite students to change the pace of a paragraph of writing; otherwise, we’re either bored with a slow pace or exhausted by a racing one.

The key is to modulate pace.

They mark in their papers the 3 I’s of Pacing: Isolated Sentences, Interrogatives, and Interludes.  

We love to locate where other writers change the pacing of their writing as well.

This isn’t just true of writing. It’s true of teaching. It’s true of how we shape the day. After lots of action, invite reflection. Ask a question to encourage meaningful interaction with the day. Then go back to action. Then return to a slower pace.

Some of us race all day long. I’m learning to vary the pace of the day. It’s helps to conserve energy, keep my attention focused, and build perseverance.

A Little Hello

My cat Merlin hardly spent time in plain sight. Once, he lived a scared, anxious, and hidden life.

But over the years, we’ve coaxed him out of hiding. He now rolls on his back to show us his love. He snuggles on the couch and meows pitifully if we fail to pet him enough. He loves life. He eats too much and is now dieting.

Things take time. I love learning about patience from big, scared cats. If you have one in your life, stay the course.

As You Know, I Love Pickles

Today I bought our family my favorite pickles of all time! Barrel Pickles!

Having a favorite pickle makes me me. As I teach my students how to write about themselves in personal narratives, I remind them to think of small details that make them them.

When You Don’t Pack Your Lunch

I didn’t pack my lunch today. Now, I find myself in my office at Penn State. I’m hungry!

With no lunch and students arriving for office hours, I’m drawn to my candy bowl reserved for students. I take note of the old candy left over from Halloween at the very bottom of the bowl. It’s probably expired. Who cares? Even that looks delicious when you’re hungry. Next, I take note of the mini granola bars. I consider how I can eat every last one since my hunger has grown by the minute. I will eat them like an animal!

I might have avoided all this with a simple packed lunch. What silly decisions we make if we allow ourselves to get too hungry–or too anything. Living with flair means we know how to stave off that which will overtake us if we let it.

Extraordinary Things

As I begin the book of Luke, I take note of Jesus’ impact on others. With Jesus in the room, as Healer and Teacher, we find people seized with amazement. We find people glorifying God. We find everyone filled with awe. I love how Luke puts it in 5:26 after Jesus forgives the sins of a paralyzed man (and then physically heals him as well). We read, “And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today’.” 

May God return us to—or perhaps give us for the first time—the same amazement, the same awe, and the same reflective heart. As we live a life of faith and worship, filled with the Holy Spirit, we might walk around our ordinary day like this. I want to sit down at the dinner table with my family tonight and say in awe, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

What You Appreciate Most

As a college professor, I’ve probably written over 100 recommendations for students as they seek internships, jobs, or graduate school acceptances. I also take phone calls and answer emails for personal reference checks on students. This week, a company contacted me to answer a few questions about a former student. I loved this question in particular:

If you had to choose one thing you appreciate most about this student, what would it be? 

I thought carefully about all his technical skills, all his excellent work for my course, and all his intellectual capacities. But that’s not what I talked about. What I most appreciated was this student’s kindness. He was warm. He shared his life. He gave compliments to other students. He listened to others. He was humble. He was a good friend to other students. I looked forward to seeing him in class every day.

I’d rather have a kind student than a high-performing one. I tell my students this as they move out into their professional lives. Sometimes the soft skills of kindness and listening matter as much or even more to an employer than how fast you can solve a math problem or write code. In fact, many times, employers and graduate schools ask me about character more than skill. They ask about teamwork. They ask about how a student responds to feedback. They ask if a student is someone I would choose for my own cohort. If a brilliant student knows everything but is dishonest, arrogant, rude, demanding, late, or entitled, I cannot recommend this person. But kind? I will give my highest recommendation to hard-working students who exhibit true kindness.