Ripples and Reflections Ii

By Anthony van Wensveen

A much younger version of myself reading this book would be astounded. How could I have written these reflections? For quiet reflection was not the stuff of my childhood. In a large extended Dutch/Australian family with endless uncles, aunts, and cousins, being heard was a challenge. They were lovely but loud, and everyone had an opinion. This was a fun family to grow up in, and I have no doubt I was as loud and opinionated as everyone else. So how did I become a quietly reflective person from such boisterous beginnings?

Using the well-worn analogy of life as a journey through time and space, I found myself in an amazing time and space. I was thirty-four when I took up a position as a teacher at a Catholic high school called Chevalier College. I was no model Catholic, I but felt my values could align comfortably with those of the college. But lets face it: faith was always going to be a problem for me. I could have ended up a round peg in a square hole, but the generous staff accepted my recalcitrance with grace and inclusiveness. Having long been an armchair philosopher, I found myself in this wonderful, reflective environment and began to ruminate about life, the universe, and all that. I appreciated the rituals and symbols of Catholic faith, but the repetitive, supernatural nature of the language seemed to me to be the very thing that excluded and alienated many students. I wanted to drag spiritual wisdom out of the cloisters and let it inhabit everyday life. To do this, I started to write reflections about everyday things, domestic life, relationships, family.

Much to my surprise, rather than being shunned, my humble ponderings were warmly received. So began my career as a cherished philosophical windbag.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Feb 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503502154

Anthony van Wensveen

Tony van Wensveen was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1958. After studying visual arts at Sydney College of the Arts and Education at Sydney University, he worked as a teacher in various state schools, before moving to the Southern Highlands, near Sydney, where he continues to teach visual arts at Chevalier College.

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Copyright © 2015 by Anthony van Wensveen.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5035-0214-7

                eBook         978-1-5035-0215-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 02/11/2015

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

705033

CONTENTS

A Prayer For Aging

Angel Of Lightness

Beware Of Darkness

Body

CD

Cells

Change

Choose Your Pleasure

Dark Side Of The Moon

Ease Of Life

Fear Ii

Fringe Dwellers

Frozen Wisdom

Glorious Days

God’s Big Idea

Grace Ii

The Half Way Cafe

House Of Piles

Hope

I Am A Leader

I Am A Planet

I’m A Stone

I Got My P’s

The Jar Beneath My Nose

Life On The Run

Loss

Love And Fear

Love And Fear

Oscar

Successful Man

Paintbrush

Poor Ginger

Rain

Palette

The Pest

Reboot

Reality At 120 Kph

Relationships Ii

Resilience

Running Repairs

Sacred Place

Talkin’ ’Bout My Generation

Secret Place

The Splendid Fairy Wren

Shared Past

Station To Station

Stocktake

Steely Dan

Tears In Rain

The Beauty Of Maths

Faculties

The Day I Lost Part Of My Life

The Final Moment

The Middle Bit

The Music Of Life

The Sublime

The Sum Of My Parts

The Weaver

The Yellow Toaster

The Yin Yang Zone

Tough Luck

Tree

Truth

Words 2

Yahtzee

Under A Roman Sky

Zen And Motorcycles

A PRAYER FOR AGING

We look for understanding

as our parents grow old,

for we have all changed since our relationship began.

How can we not feel sadness as we see their life force diminishing?

How can we not feel nostalgia for when they were young and vital?

When their strength and wisdom anchored our view of the world.

How can we not feel frustration when they no longer play their role

the way we’ve always taken for granted?

Yet what to do? How to act with such turmoil?

For our relationship is as precious now, as it ever was.

Let us look back to the parents of our childhood….

to their gentle affection, their patience, and their unquestioning love.

Let this be our gift to them now.

Let it be our peace.

Let it be their peace.

ANGEL OF LIGHTNESS

I rather like angels

appearing with the lightness

of a feather on the breeze.

Lifting the weight of life’s vicissitudes

from our shoulders.

For oft’ we live our lives so heavily.

Live lightly

with a gentle touch.

Banish harsh words and judgements,

lecture with brief wisdom,

not bombast,

punish with a soft heart,

reward with restraint.

laugh easily,

forgive easily,

accept praise with grace

and disappointment with resilience,

gaze upon your reflection

without a critical eye,

listen more than speak

and seek to hear what goes unspoken.

Tread soft upon the earth.

May angels

help us lead lives

of