Jim and I were at a hotel a few weeks ago that had a blackboard in a picture frame, and Jim wrote on it:

“Put a bad picture in a better frame”. We often talk about what we look for is what we see. Last week we had a PACT meeting (Probation/Parole and Community Team) - a resource fair meeting for people who have been released from prison or jail. 3 participants were there and it was so good to hear the providers offer help to these men. Each one of them was already working, and we applauded them for that. But we also knew these men could go beyond working simple jobs and so we talked about different resources… the GED, the CDL, the college class on management…… it was so much fun to watch these men’s eyes light up when they recognized that they don’t have to stay in their first jobs out… but there there are other opportunities coming up. Together we just put a better frame around their stories.

Last week we said ‘good bye’ to an amazing young lady who volunteered the summer with us. English was her second language and she wanted to practice it more before returning back home to Japan. I have to say, between both us not being native English speakers we had to asks many questions for clarification. I wondered how it would go with the kids, could they understand her? Could she understand them? How would it work out? But in the end… the kids just loved her!!! She taught origami, a few phrases in Japanese, together we learned about where Japan is and how it is different. What could have been a difficult situation ended up being a wonderful experience - we just put a different frame around it.

I am going through Father Richard Rohr’s “Breathing Under Water” curriculum to address some of my past , learning to rethink it, reframe it and, and growing through it all - putting a better frame around a bad picture.

Yesterday a church offered their parking lot for RV’s of the people displaced by the Mariposa fires - putting a better frame around a difficult picture.

Every day we have opportunities to put a better frame around our perceived ‘bad pictures.’ We get to choose how we see the world, how we see the people around us, how we see ourselves. Every day, we get to choose what kind of life we want to live and what kind of life we want to give to others.

So, let’s all put a better frame around a bad picture.