Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

My  favorite quotes about pain, I have them memorized:

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

“There is no birth of consciousness without pain.”

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of those who have overcome it.”

“Find a place where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”

I’ve found a new and meaningful way for me to stay grounded and do some good: helping some people with pain. I’m not interested in joining the fray over politics; I am not for or against any politician right now.  My goal is not to harm and some small good.

Two years ago, when I started taking flower photos, a friend told me about a farm worker to the north of here who was in great pain with Sciatica. Sciatica is pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It often originates in the lower back and extends down the leg and sometimes the foot.   

It’s a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, not a condition itself, and it can cause pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling. 

St. Terese is known for her love of flowers, which are often represented by roses. Those who are dedicated to her report that roses appear when they ask for her intercession, which she gave to almost everyone she helped. I wish the original Christians were still alive and well. They are missed.

I called a doctor, did some homework, and found several new over-the-counter creams for treating Sciatica and lowering pain. These creams worked for several people. I gave thanks to St. Terese. It opened my eyes. It was so simple, yet it meant so much.

I am not a Christian, but I have studied and followed the work of the early Christian prophets, including Jesus Christ. When I can, I want to live without conflict or hatred. I want to do what I can and move away from what I can’t. I mean not to harm and to do some good.  It’s my way of coping without the hating part.

 St. Thérèse of Lisieux is renowned for her “Little Way” of spirituality, which emphasizes the importance of doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.

I had Sciatica once, and I remember how painful it was. I was going by the trailer where this person lived, and I decided to order a jar of Sciatica cream. I’m not sure what caught my eye and heart, but I remember thinking how wonderful it could be to reduce the pain of someone who did not have the funds or confidence to get help.

As she was called,  The Little Flower opened my eyes to “Little Way Spirituality.” Small things from the heart.

She believed in the value of simple, everyday actions and urged others to find holiness in their lives’ ordinary tasks and moments. This idea—small acts of great kindness—became the model and inspiration for the Army zig Good.

My friend, who had worked with farm workers, called me back to say this person had told her the cream had reduced and eliminated the severe sciatica pain she had experienced. What I remember is how good it felt to ease a person’s pain, something I don’t think I had ever taken seriously before or done. I was several years into the Army of Good Idea, and it was changing me—small acts of great kindness.

I called my friend and asked her if other farm workers experienced great pain from sciatica. She said there were others; the farm work is an easy mark for Sciatica. I’m taking five cans to the farm in the coming week and will explore how I can help people with nowhere else to go.

i’ll also be working with some very diverse young people with different kinds of politics to see if I can help them learn how to speak with each other.  I’m looking forward to that.

I’m weary of people complaining, pitying themselves, and venting their frustrations on others. This cannot last; it doesn’t make anyone feel good.

As St. Terese demonstrated, love can do that. Imagine if everyone reading did this or something similar to someone in pain.

I am serious about leaving the world a better place than I found it and not engaging in our politics’ cruel rage. I am very attached to my work at the Cambridge Food Pantry, and I will quietly and thoughtfully contact a doctor or social worker to see if I can lower some pain, one person at a time, a Little Way.

It’s one small step. Helping someone in pain live without pain or with less pain is a big deal for me. St. Terese had the right idea for healing, and I hope I do, too.