CANORA - “I have re-read them and they benefit me.”
Ken Rolheiser of Canora, regular columnist for Canora Courier¸ has released his second book comprised of those columns, Pause for Reflection.
The title of the book is More Letters from the Little Pencil of a Loving God: The Best of Pause for Reflection.
Rolheiser commented that in re-reading the columns, they help him by “reminding me of God’s great love for us and our struggle to stay inspired and motivated.”
In one column, Our Rock and the Small Stuff, Rolheiser shares the story of how a philosophy professor delivered a lecture to his students.
“First, he took a mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks that were about two inches in diameter. Then he asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was, so he picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed, but couldn’t see where he was going. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled everything else.
“‘Now,’ said the professor. ‘I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your children, your health- anything that is so important that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car .That sand is everything else – the small stuff.’”
Later in the column, Rolheiser expanded on the professor’s advice, “I want to add a deeper thought for reflection. We need to make room in our lives for the Rock of our salvation. That is the ‘matter’ that is eternal in us. Our dust will eventually return to the seashore as so much sand but God’s life in us, without which we really can’t have a full life, is critical to our happiness, our fulfillment. We need to put God into our lives first, before it is too full of the small stuff.”
As Rolheiser mentions in the introduction to the new book, “Encouraged by readers’ comments, I have decided to continue to share the best of the best of more than 1,000 columns that relate to that sacred place where we meet Christ and have visions of the life after death importance of our daily lives. I have selected the articles that made me laugh, cry, and left me inspired about live and love.”
Comments submitted by readers on Pause For Reflection columns include:
“Words so well put that gives one a lot to ponder. You have an absolute incredible talent with your spirituality!”
“Snapshots of your lives, catching moments as we chase the sun.”
“Amazingly kind and gentle soul, a man of God who has modelled to his community the love of Jesus all the years we have known him. God bless you.”
“Rolheiser give his reader an insight into his soul and a thought-provoking prompt towards a deepening spiritual life – Very inspirational!” (Lisa Hendey, CatholicMom.com).
For more information, or to place an order please visit the Amazon author page at
, or go to kenrolheiser.com. or contact Ken directly.
