Reflections on Generosity
Kick off your week with a 5-minute reflection on generosity to ground yourself as you go about your fund development tasks. Each reflection includes a question to ponder throughout the week to aid your work.
Reflections on Generosity
69: Weep and Plant Again
..."And then with a cry from his soul despairing,He bowed him down to the earth and wept.But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain;“Arise, old man, and plant again!”
This week, I’m reading a poem, Disappointed, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913.
Reflection question:
- Is there an area of your work where you have been disappointment and you need to stop and weep before moving forward?
Reflection on the quote:
This week, something sad happened with a nonprofit in my community. Often, I focus on the positive side of generosity. Yet, with generosity, sometimes there is a pain. It’s a pain that comes from striving for good and giving generously and yet seeing our work swept away.
When we face times of disappointment, it is easy to respond in two ways. To give up and walk away from our work. We may walk away physically, leaving our job or volunteer position. Or, we walk away emotionally, no longer truly engaged in our work. The other way we can respond is to push through and act as though the disappointment didn’t happen. Unfortunately, disappointments build up and we can’t keep pushing without burning out. This poem gives a third way. Acknowledge the disappointment and pain. And then allow your soul to despair and weep. But, then have hope and arise again to your work.
This work has entered the public domain.
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop
Welcome back. Fundraising can be lonely with seemingly endless task list. This podcast isn't about best practices or trends. It's about the deeper wisdom of the beautiful space where generosity occurs, a weekly five-minute reflection to ground you for the week ahead.
This week, something sad happened with a nonprofit in my community. Often, I focus on the positive side of generosity. Yet, with generosity, sometimes there is a pain. It’s a pain that comes from striving for good and giving generously and yet seeing our work swept away. This week, I’m reading a poem, Disappointed, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913.
Quote
An old man planted and dug and tended,
Toiling in joy from dew to dew;
The sun was kind, and the rain befriended;
Fine grew his orchard and fair to view.
Then he said: “I will quiet my thrifty fears,
For here is fruit for my failing years.”
But even then the storm–clouds gathered,
Swallowing up the azure sky;
The sweeping winds into white foam lathered
The placid breast of the bay, hard by;
Then the spirits that raged in the darkened air
Swept o’er his orchard and left it bare.
The old man stood in the rain, uncaring,
Viewing the place the storm had swept;
And then with a cry from his soul despairing,
He bowed him down to the earth and wept.
But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain;
“Arise, old man, and plant again!”
Unquote
When we face times of disappointment, it is easy to respond in two ways. To give up and walk away from our work. We may walk away physically, leaving our job or volunteer position. Or, we walk away emotionally, no longer truly engaged in our work. The other way we can respond is to push through and act as though the disappointment didn’t happen. Unfortunately, disappointments build up and we can’t keep pushing without burning out. This poem gives a third way. Acknowledge the disappointment and pain. And then allow your soul to despair and weep. But, then have hope and arise again to your work.
Let’s reflect on one question this week:
Is there an area of your work where you have been disappointment and you need to stop and weep before moving forward?
Share this podcast if you enjoy these five-minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every Monday. To explore fundraising coaching deeper, visit Serving Nonprofits dot com. See you next week.