I have come to know simple truths that before were so disguised by my complexity. I have come to know the inner vision that sees with so much clarity. I've come to know me, the gentleness of my spirit, as it may express through love and tenderness. I've come to know power in a way that is personal and creative. My personal power of choice. I've come to know love; love of self and others is the same. I've come to know the oneness of all who walk the planet in an attempt to journey home.
When Mother Teresa was asked what would happen to her congregation after she had gone, she is said to have responded:
"A person emptier than myself will come along."
The implication here is that the greatness of a person lies in the depth of his or her own self-emptying. Another implication is that what is emptied of oneself will be filled with the self of God. Poverty as a chosen life-style is precisely this:
"To empty oneself of all that one is and has so that all will be at the disposal of the Lord."