The Craftiest Workshop

I attended mass with my parents last Sunday at their church in Kamsack SK and the homily message really resonated with me.

Father Joseph spoke of the Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung and how he emphasizes that there are two stages of life, the morning and afternoon. In the morning of life we are like children who are full of curiosity, not judgemental, not self conscious, happy, easy going, fearless and forgiving. In our afternoon of life we tend to be more guarded, judging, self conscious, grumpy, scheduled, cautious and hold grudges.

He told this story:

There was a grandma out for lunch with her grandchildren at a restaurant.  The young boy asked his grandma if he could say grace.  His grandmother said,”Of course you can.”

The boy said, “God is Great. God is good. Thank you God for this food…and I pray that grandma buys us some ice cream for dessert. Amen.”

At a nearby table a women felt the need to comment on his prayer.  “What is wrong with children today when they pray for ice cream?”

The little boy heard her and asked his grandma, “Did I do it wrong? Will God be mad at me?”

The grandmother reassured him, “No, you did great. Don’t you worry.”

A man that heard both the prayer and the negative comment the woman had made, came over to their table.  He made the boy feel better saying, “What a beautiful prayer you said!  I think everyone could do with a little ice cream every once in awhile.  It is good for the soul. Maybe the lady over there didn’t pray for enough ice cream in her life.”

The grandmother and the children ate their meal and then she did order some ice cream for dessert. When the ice cream came and was placed in front of the boy, he did something unexpected.  He got up with his ice cream and went over to the women who had made the negative comment about his prayer.  He placed the ice cream in front of her and, with a big smile on his face, said, “Here’s some ice cream. I think you need it more than me. It’s good for the soul.”

The priest challenged us to not be children but to be more like children in the afternoon of our lives. If you approach your faith and your life in the mindset of a child, you will find more meaning and happiness.
I searched a bit and found this article “Senior circles: Jung’s theories giving meaning to an aging population” which explains the idea a bit more clearly.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/ph-ho-n-senior-circles-0607-20120607-story.html

I feel like I am at the beginning of the afternoon of my life and am exploring positive ways to keep my life fulfilling.

I challenge you to do the same.