We All Live in Glass Houses, But Are We Really Throwing Stones?

Let's start out with a couple catchy-quotes we all know and love.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged."

"Those who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones."

Well, sure. Sound advice. Easy enough to follow, right?

Only if you can tell whether someone's actually judging you or not. And that's not always easy, thanks to the simple little fact that we are made the way we are.

A few people I know wrote some blogs recently that got me thinking about the human condition, and specifically the topic of how quickly we judge and point fingers in today's society.

One post that caught my eye comes from Renza over in Australia, and she wrote about how so many doctors judge their patients who aren't following directions and doing what they're supposed to. Her point: leave that judgement at the door, and just realize that we don't want your judgement. That's not going to make us any healthier, or get us closer to wanting to listen to you.

First off, I agree with her. To an extent.

But once I started pondering the post a little more and mulling it over with a cup of coffee (and some wine late in the day), it really got me thinking about another side of the issue.

The Inner Peace (Republished 17+ Years Later)

The morning sun painfully peeks through the bedroom window
to pay his final respects, warming her body as the
warmth slowly fades for the final time.
My eyes are closed to him, for in my eyes
all the world is clouded with sorrow.

With all my heart, I hold onto her hand
to ease the pain, hoping to contain her
love and tenderness in the earthly body
for one moment more.
A tearful joy floods my head as she takes my hand
and holds on with that tender grandmother love.

A while light of wonder that fills the room
with essence of peace.
Maybe that's just rays of sunlight, but to me they are angels.
Beings with unblemished complexions of compassion and sympathy.
They hover above the bed, waiting with patience to guide her soul
into the heavenly light.


Clouds of misery hang just as close, during this dark hour.
The hour in which my childhood forever faded into adulthood.
She has been released from this mere planet of pain
and suffering, and moves on to a place of eternal happiness.
A place where her spirit will live forever, having achieved an inner peace.

Though anguish and grief grip my soul with their hands of steel,
crushing my very essence into a fine powder of sadness, I know
that she is with the Lord in this time of sorrow. She is reunited
with her husband, and someday
we will embrace once more in the Eternal Home.


Michael W. Hoskins
April 16, 1996