Year-End Reflecting

The end of every year is an important time to reassess one’s life. I like to spend time, after the busy-ness of the holiday celebrations, reflecting on the past year. Then, I begin to set goals for the coming year.

Interestingly enough, the Center will be offering such an opportunity when my youngest son, Zachary, facilitates a three-hour workshop, titled “New Year, True You,” in which he offers ways that the yoga tradition and modern psychology help us reflect on ourselves and set goals that can develop our new, true Self. I encourage you to consider participating in this learning experience. I have learned much from him as he grew up. I am still learning from him now that he is a young man, steeped in the world of business and yoga.

Getting back to my point about the need for each of us to spend time reflecting on our past year—as I reflect on this blog and its content over the past year, I am wondering on what you would like me to comment during the coming year. In the past year, I have focused on the yoga tradition and how it applies to our daily lives. I have shared information that could move you along on your spiritual journey. I have often sprinkled my reflections with information about many of the world’s religious traditions, so as to give more of a holistic perspective on spiritual growth.

However, I have refrained, even though I have felt tempted to do so quite often, from commenting from a yogic perspective on the pains that are occurring in the political world, or the agonies of the economic struggles of families in today’s financial world of work and inequality, or on the challenges of being a person of color in our white-dominated society, or of being a Muslim in today’s Christian-oriented world.

I have refrained from talking about theology and the Christian and Hebrew scriptures, even though I would be excited about sharing my researched and examined Christian theological concepts from a yoga perspective. As some of you many know, I was born and raised a Roman Catholic and studied for the priesthood for eight years. My wife, Mary, and I are practicing Catholic-Christians, always attempting to do the will of God/Christ in our daily lives. That pursuit of mission and purpose is one of the main reasons for the existence of the Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality and Healing. I founded the Center as part of my doctoral work in Practical Theology while teaching at Marian University. I wanted to participate actively in the building of the Presence of God on earth.

Now, with this end of the year reflection, I am wondering on what you would like me to reflect? As my son, Isaiah, told me in front of the rest of the kids one Christmas, “Dad, you should write a book.” He gave me the title, too: More Than You Ever Really Wanted To Know.

I am really wondering, now, what you want to know. Have I been sharing what you want to know, or more than what you want?

Mary tells me to just share my spiritual journey with you. However, I think that might be more than you want to know. In any case, if you feel the urge to let me know on what you want me to reflect or share, I would be very grateful.

Meanwhile, may you find some time to reflect on your past year and set goals for yourself--goals that will help you know what you want to know and learn what you want to learn in this coming year.

Namaste’