Thankful for youCOFFEE WITH WARREN, with Warren Harbeck |
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This Thanksgiving, I have something very special I’m profoundly grateful for: YOU and your contribution of wisdom and life experiences with us through these columns. In fact, this is the 1,212th column since it was added to the pages of the Cochrane Eagle newspaper from its very first issue by the late Jack Tennant, founding publisher. That all began on August 1, 2001, and it’s appeared in every issue since then. Well, this is the final weekly appearance of these columns in the Eagle. It may appear occasionally in subsequent issues, but not as a regular feature. I have other responsibilities to attend to, and now that I’m into my golden years, I’m finding that, all too often, my weekly get-up-and-go has got up and gone before I get even a fraction of my week’s agenda accomplished – and that includes completing a book I’ve been working on for several years. But your part in these stories will never be forgotten. Of course, I trace my sensitivity to listening to and embracing your wisdom to two life-changing events in my earlier years. First among them are the many years I’ve sat under the influence of Elders of the Stoney Nakoda Nation at Morley, Eden Valley and Big Horn. Their emphasis has long been that you learn a lot by listening. The second major influence has been my studies in Biblical Wisdom Tradition, underscored by scholar/columnist Professor Ron Rolheiser, who was my initial encouragement to begin writing columns. But about your inspiring presence in my life, in countless coffees together you have opened my heart to two key qualities that have shaped so much of my current life experience. The first is the listening heart. You have shared with me so many stories from your own life journeys. These came to a catalytic moment when my attention was drawn to the example of ancient King Solomon, of Israel. When Solomon ascended the throne upon the death of his father, King David, God came to him in a dream and asked him what he’d like. “A listening heart,” Solomon requested, so that he might lead his people wisely. The second quality is “a cup of light.” And this reflects how our listening-heart presence can lift the spirits of those around us. So, thank you, dear readers, for your inspiration behind these 1,212 columns.
© 2024 Warren Harbeck |