Welcome Wednesday. You are a gentle reminder to “make time to smell the roses.”
“Make” time not just “take” time but make time to … work at our relationships with cherished family and friends … play and create … be intentional about our health: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual … wonder and ponder and be in awe … be aware of the negative effect social media is doing to our body, mind and spirit and disengage from it more than engage with it.
In other words, may we make time this day, this Wednesday to “smell the roses” … of activities that offer joy … of people who encourage hope … of thoughts that bring positive memories … of things that are keeping us alive and active like our breath, vision, hearing, mobility, pumping heart, and other organs and …
Welcome Wednesday. May we find ways to give thanks for this day.
Hello, Sunday! A new day begins. A new week begins.
And with these new beginnings, a wish … a prayer … a hope. May hatred, violence, fear, terrorism, self-seeking opportunism and seeking power for personal control or gain take flight this day from the worlds of politics religion, countries, communities, homes, media and each of us.
Hello, Sunday! A new day begins. A new week begins with a wish … a prayer … a hope.
May goodness .. love, hope, self-control, truth, kindness, patience, gentleness, thoughtfulness, joy and peace be released in little ways, in big ways and in-between-ways.
Hello Sunday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The tiny lights nestled around the daffodils, Witch Hazel branches and stone angel statue on my mantle hopefully light the way to hope and healing for all experiencing darkness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If only it were possible to see democracy surviving. Even “just a little bit.” But, the loss of democracy is on the rise in the United States, around the world, and even here in my beloved Canada.
The phrase “It wouldn’t happen here” has been spoken by people who voted for someone who told them what he would do. And when he began to do it, they came up with excuses. And then more things happened that they didn’t think would happen. And they made excuses.
And now?? When climate change and the threat of nuclear war are added to the rising hatred, violence, terrorism, it’s not surprising that people are asking “Is any place safe these days?”
And the answer to that question? Schools are not. Universities are not. Hospitals are not. Marathons are not. Sport events are not. Homes are not. Public events are not. Streets are not. Religious buildings are not. Government buildings are not. Shopping centres / malls are not.
Fear grows more and more as personal lives are dramatically impacted. Intolerance spreads as “someone” must be the reason for prices going up, jobs being lost, hatred increases. And the “us” and “them” language develops its own life.
When that happens, we forget that joy abounds … weddings happen … lives are celebrated … babies are born … lives are extended because of medical intervention … children laugh and play … elders share their wisdom and experience … musicians, photographers, dancers, painters, thespians, calligraphers, potters, weavers, chefs, gardeners, carpenters, fabric artists, knitters, landscape artists, writers and many others continue to awaken the creative spirit, touch the soul and inspire the mind.
When fear and negativity rise to the surface, decisions made by leaders focus our attention on the death knell of life. If only it were possible to see democracy surviving. Even “just a little bit.”
My spirit grieves for the lives that have been lost, the ongoing erosion of democracy, the ways selfishness keeps us from changing our habits to protect this planet for future generations.
What can be done? We can choose to see our world entering the death of the tomb. Or we can choose to see our world entering the birth of the womb.
I don’t want to give up. I won’t say the world is doomed. I believe in possibility. Perhaps a baby is being born this day or a child is already born who may conceive of a way to bring compassion out of this chaos, who may find a way to save this planet from climate devastation, who may find a way to motivate people to a world of kindness, compassion, love, community and hope.
May we not give away our ability to choose to face each tomorrow with hopeful expectation/anticipation … even if it is only “just a little bit.”
I remember … every year. It was a Wednesday morning.
Nothing unusual was happening in the classroom where I was teaching a class of high school students. Nothing unusual, except they were more attentive than usual. But, ‘something’ was different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then a bell rang – not the usual “time for the class to end” bell, but a different bell. Somehow the students knew what it meant. They slowly got out of their seats and headed in single file to the door, quietly. “Miss,” one of the students said, “We’ll be back once we’ve been to the chapel and had the ashes put on our foreheads.”
Just then the Principal came into the classroom and ushered the students out, apologizing that she’d not advised me about the interruption ahead of time. “The students will be back in the classroom in about half an hour” she said. And with that, she and the students left the classroom.
I had just turned twenty, three months earlier. It was my first teaching position. I was teaching in a private school – a Roman Catholic school. At that time, my knowledge of Christianity, let alone Roman Catholicism, was limited. Very limited. Though I had been raised in a loving home, I had not been baptized or exposed to a church that included rituals anywhere close to“ashes on foreheads.” All of it was so new to me.
The school was quiet – no one in the corridors. The only sound I heard came from the Chapel – quiet music, muted voices. When the students returned to the classroom, their foreheads had a black substance smudged on it. They were sombre, quiet. Something about them was different. But again, I couldn’t quite figure it out.
When I asked them to tell me what had happened in the Chapel, the students seemed to take delight in being my teacher! “Today is the day when we tell God we are very sorry for the times we’ve moved away and that we want to be better people.” But, I wondered, why the public display of the cross on their foreheads? “Ah, Miss, that reminds us that we’re all human and that we began as dust and will end as dust.”
Sounded to me like an ugly threat – “You’re going to die!” Well, I knew that one day I would die, but why would anyone want to go to church to be reminded that every year, “from dust you have come; to dust you will go”? It seemed incredibly maudlin to me.
After school that day, I encountered Harry, one of the high school students I tutored. He was one of the few non-Christians at the private Roman Catholic school he attended and so was exempt from Chapel. But there he was, with a smudged sign of the cross on his forehead. He told me that his friends said they were going to receive the imposition of ashes and invited him along. He went, not because he wanted to, but because his friends had invited him and besides, he was curious about it all.
When he received the ashes on his forehead, he said that he felt that something had changed. He shared these words which he wrote in his journal … “As I received the ashes, all at once I realized in a whole new way, that it’s really true – “we are dust and we will return to dust when we diet.” He realized at that moment that life is transitory … and that he would not live forever.
In Christian churches around the world, people gather to receive the ashes on their forehead and hear the words “Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return.” Certainly no one’s favourite words, but they represent a truth of which we all need to be reminded from time to time. Sadly, September 11th did that. January 6th, did that. Every time there is a school/community/church shooting, an environmental tragedy, a loved one dies, people realize their own mortality.
That’s what Ash Wednesday does. It is a sober reminder that we are not immortal. We are mortal. Ash Wednesday is a reminder that it is impossible to handle our problems and live our lives without help from anyone else. Paradoxically, that is precisely the point at which we can become new people.
Acknowledging our humanity, our vulnerability, our mortality helps us to live more fully. One way to do that, is to receive the imposition of ashes on our foreheads. That ritual is simply an outward symbol of what is hoped would happen internally and a commitment to be the best we can be.
Do we need to be a Christian to do that? No. Do we need to have experienced an Ash Wednesday service before? No. Do we need to be connected to a church to do that? No. All we need to do is accept our mortality, and allow the ashes to be a sign that we recognize that our mortal life is a gift and commit ourselves, with the help of the Holy One, by-Whatever-Name, to use the rest of our mortal life to the very best of our ability.
Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Season of Lent, the 40-day penitential period before the celebration of Easter. The imposition of ashes, an ancient Jewish tradition, was a public sign of an individual’s repentance. By the seventh century, the Christian church adopted it as part of the Church’s Lenten preparation when people would find a way receive the imposition of ashes.
Some churches are supplying ashes for individuals/families so that they can sprinkle the ashes into the palm of their own or a family member’s hand and apply it themselves. Some are encouraging the use of a cotton Qtip which could be dipped into the ashes and the ashes placed on the forehead that way … giving members dirt, seed and water instead of ashes, acknowledging that from the dust of the world, new hope springs … encouraging people to mark their hearts with the sign of a heart or the Cross as an outward and visible sign that of the intention is to turn hearts over to God/Higher Power and experience unconditional love and forgiveness in a new way.
Whatever way each of us chooses to observe Ash Wednesday, may we enter into the ritual with reverence and humility and with gratitude. Ash Wednesday is, for me, a gift … a precious opportunity to acknowledge my humanity, my vulnerability, my mortality. May this Ash Wednesday be a moment of grace for our world.
“Meraki.” [may-rah-kee] May today be a ‘MERAKI’ day. 🙂
Modern Greeks often use the word ‘meraki’ to describe “doing something with soul” … aka – when you put something of yourself into whatever you’re doing.
Meraki is about creative, loving, soul-awakening acts. Whether preparing a meal … caring for a garden … creating something artistic … caring for someone who is ill, lonely, grieving, in pain … arranging a room … tangling … praying for a situation/person … whatever. If it’s done with soul, with passion, with love, then it’s ‘meraki’.
An ancient Chinese proverb offers a gentle reminder of ‘meraki’: “If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
This weekend in some parts of the world, some are sharing ‘light in the soul’ … ‘meraki’ … in acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, loving gestures/actions as they mark Valentine’s Day. Expressing ‘meraki’, they are letting another know that they are ‘hearted’ – loved’.
Sadly, while of this is happening, some are alone, receiving none of the above. They are lonely, isolated because of illness, weather, grief, hurt feelings, poverty, self-hatred, fear. Oh the fear caused by politics, evil leaders, equally-evil minions.
This Valentine’s day of commercial love is anything but a day of soul, of joy, of love. Where is the meraki in the commercialism? If you are one of those people, my hope is, if only for a moment, you will consider yourself “hearted,” and loved, and receive my little ‘TULILUV’ tangled tile image at the top of this reflection.
MAY you experience the love that went into its creation. MAY this Valentine’s Day be a little brighter than it might otherwise have been, and bring a gentle flicker of light in your soul. MAY the wise Chinese proverb come to fruition, so that there will be MERAKI … “light” in each soul … “beauty” in each person … “harmony” in each home … “order” in each nation …“peace in our hearts, countries, world.” AND MAY we “be each other’s strength”: https://soulistry.com/lets-be-each-others-strength
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P.S. If you’re into tangling and would like to have the step-out of my TuliLuv tangle (upper right corner of the heart in the image ), just let me know. Happy to share. 🙂
I keep hearing the cry … “what is hope?” and the cry … “where is hope?”
Lives – bodies, minds, spirits – will be assaulted by threats, violence, racism, sexism, broken promises, and more lies. As families are separated, the economy worsens and darkness plummets in areas of education, health, environment, personal safety and more.
Augustine died in 430. It was a time when many Romans fled for their lives to North Africa because of violence and corruption in high offices. It was a time when hope seemed to be elusive – and invisible. Terrible times.
Sound familiar? In the fifth century, he wrote these words: “Hope has two daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage … ‘anger’ at the way things are … and ‘courage’ to see that they do not remain the way they are.”
These days, many are experiencing elusive hope … invisible hope. Augustine knew that the only way through terrible times was for hope to emerge. His words guided the people at that time. Could they guide people at this time? Could we be called to hope, in spite of it all?
What if we allowed the anger at the “way things are” to surface by expressing our feelings in journalling, focusing on our breathing, artwork and sharing those feelings in conversations with trusted family, friends, colleagues, professionals?
What if we responded with courage … – by putting one foot in front of the other? – by remembering to breathe? – by inhaling Ruach? – by making time to “be” (remembering that we are human ‘be-ings’ not human ‘do-ings’)? – by sharing our fear, stress, concerns with caring people and welcoming opportunities to live … one moment at a time.
Hope has two daughters. Anger. Courage.
May we give ourselves time space to experience what we are feeling. May we give ourselves time and space to name what we are feeling as ‘anger.’ And may we be open to being siblings of Courage and Hope. In spite of it all.
“Soulistry” is a neologism combining two words: ‘soul’ and ‘artistry’ … soul-space – connecting creativity and spirituality. Sent from the traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia. ***********************************************
Hope – where is it these days? For Kylene, Stuart and their children, the word ‘hope’ seemed like an empty phrase. But sometimes, a little hope, whispered, spoken, cried, shouted, becomes reality. These days, the news seems to get worse by the day. “Where is hope these days?” I asked the question this morning and one word came to me: Lewis.
Lewis, a neighbour’s family ginger cat, had gone missing. I whispered a wee prayer and hoped Lewis would be found. But he wasn’t. A ginger cat started showing up in the back yard. It was skittish and ran away within seconds. But was terribly thin and clearly hungry. One day, after feeding it, I was able to bring it indoors. “Oh please, let it be Lewis,” I whispered. I contacted the family and within minutes, the Dad, Stuart, came over.
As Stuart checked the cat, it was clear that it wasn’t Lewis and that this ginger cat was very ill. So off we went to Duncan Animal Hospital, one of our local vets who kindly cared for it and then turned it over to our local Cat Rescue for adoption. Good ending for that cat, but Lewis was still missing.
That was all before Christmas and I kept praying that Lewis would be found and the family would have a special Christmas gift this year. But that didn’t happen.
And then one morning, I received a wonderful email …“Our ginger cat, was found in Arbutus Ridge!” Thanks to Lewis’ tattoo he’d received from Cowichan Cat Rescue prior to his adoption, he was identified, and the rest, as they say, is history! Happy history!
No one knows how Lewis made it from here to where it was found -14 km away! It is a story that will remain with Lewis. But oh how I’d love to still be teaching Junior and Middle School students so I could tell the students about Lewis and invite them to write a short story about Lewis’ Adventures from when he went missing to when he was found. I’m sure Lewis had plenty of adventures!
Hope. Have you noticed that at times, hope feels like the ‘elusive pimpernel’: sought everywhere, glimpsed briefly, and then gone again. We search for hope … in prayers … in news … in outcomes … in promises … and often come up empty-handed. When headlines overwhelm and prayers feel unanswered, hope can seem fragile – even foolish. Hope does not ask us to deny reality. It asks only that we keep ‘showing up’, keep caring, keep believing that loss is not the final word.
Hope has a way of surviving in disguise, moving quietly through ordinary kindness, persistence, love, peaceful protests. And for those who don’t have hope, then lean on the hope of those of us who do.
Lewis came home. And for a moment, the ‘elusive pimpernel’ of hope let itself be seen.
In a world that so often feels broken, may Lewis remind us that sometimes, quietly, unexpectedly, what is lost, can still be found … even hope.
Today is a day that must be remembered. It is the international Holocaust Remembrance Day and we must …
We must remember the horrors that happened when good people did not believe what was happening.
We must remember the hatred and lust for power which resulted in intimidation, intolerance, corruption, horrifying violence against Jews, Roma, homosexuals, political activists, the disabled (physically and mentally).
Exact numbers of those who died in concentration camps in the Holocaust are unknown, but it is estimated that six million Jews, 15,000 homosexuals, unknown political prisoners, the disabled, and about 1.5 million out of an estimated 2 million Roma were murdered in the Gypsy Holocaust -(Porajmos). Records of one concentration camp (Auschwitz) show unbelievable facts: 1.1 million died … 960,000 Jews (865,000 of whom were gassed on arrival), 74,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 prisoners of war, and up to 15,000 other Europeans.
Many try to forget the reality of what happened in Europe to these people, including clergy who also died while doing their best to support and protect the vulnerable. Many denied the reality of the Holocaust then. Many deny the reality of the Holocaust now.
And many are not seeing distinct similarities between what happened then and what is happening now in the United States with ordinary citizens who are being assaulted, kidnapped, murdered by members of ICE and in Iran with protesters and …
We must remember the words of Martin Niemöller “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”
What gave rise to the Holocaust then – anger, hatred, fear – is happening now. And it is growing.
If Niemöller’s words are not taken seriously … if history is not remembered … if action is not taken … if people do not speak up there will be no one left to speak. Democracy will no longer be the reality.
WE MUST REMEMBER Remember that “It didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with ‘us vs them’. It started with intolerance and hate speech, and when people stopped caring, became desensitized and turned a blind eye.” <Auschwitz Memorial>
WE MUST REMEMBER and become educated about the atrocities of the past … educate today’s children so they know the truth. We must do our part in speaking up and speaking out.
WE MUST REMEMBER. Not to remember will have dire consequences.
It’s another day of cold darkness with teary-rain weather in many places. It’s another day of darkness and teary-memories as many remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, the third Monday in the month of January. But instead of his murder being a sign that things must change, racial slurs, hatred of “the other”, and violence continue.
And God weeps.
Weeping God, how you must ache for your people who face uncertain futures.
How you must ache for those who enter into conversations and political debate with open hearts and minds only to find threats, harassment, and fear leading the discussions and governing decisions.
How you must ache for those whose love of power, love of money and love of self, supersedes commitment to honesty, mercy, compassion, justice and integrity.
Some cry … “How long O Lord, how long? Some whisper … “Let this cup be taken from us.” Some try to remember … the presence of the Holy One even “in the valley of the shadow of death.”
Many feel a kaleidoscopic tumbling of emotions and know not what to do, how to pray, what to say. And as they weep, the Creator weeps.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day once said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
May you continue to rest in peace Martin Luther King Jr, and may your life, witness, and words be a signpost of hope that a day will come when love will drive out hate. Let’s continue to show love … in waves of peaceful protest, steadfast focus on democratic principles, and actions of love – big and small – in our communities, families, and ourselves. Let’s be the light and love that will drive out the darkness.
I love the word ‘epiphany.’Epiphanies are those “ah-hah!” moments in life when we suddenly ‘understand’ … ‘get it’ … ‘gain insight’ into the nature or meaning of something (or someone) we hadn’t grasped or understood previously.
Many around the world are celebrating the Season of Epiphany beginning today, January 6th. Its origin began long ago, when it is said that a star guided three Magi to travel great distance to pay homage to the baby Jesus.Not surprisingly, the image of a star is often seen as a metaphor for bringing light in the midst of darkness … a darkness of any kind: physical, emotional, spiritual, political, financial, vocational etc..
In the western and northern parts of the world, it is winter – a time of darkness. Throughout the world, with the growing rise of ‘strongman leaders’, the light of democracy is slowly being extinguished. Welcoming the Epiphany through images helps to bring light to ourselves.
I’ve been enjoying “light” since the beginning of the Season of Advent: …. Royal blue lights appeared four weeks before Christmas (for the Season of Advent). … Red and green lights were added for the Season of Christmas and its Twelve Days of Christmas. … And just before heading off to bed last night (Twelfth Night), the coloured lights were removed and white tiny lights for the Season of Epiphany took their place. In this part of the world, which is usually dark, rainy and gloomy, I find that this ‘tradition’ helps me dispel some of the dreary-weather and dreary-politics of the world.
What about you? How can you encourage Epiphany to make a difference in your life this year? Perhaps you could
… Choose aSTAR WORD to guide you in the coming year. During the Season of Epiphany, I choose a Star Word which I hope will guide me in some way to a transformative self-growth epiphany. Last year, my Star Word was the word “create.“ I wanted to *create* … create more Soulistry reflections … create special handmade cards for friends and shut-in’s … create change in my health … create more opportunities to play … create ways to bring light into the world around me in terms of kindness, compassion, social justice. This coming year, my Star Word is “open.” I want to be open to new friends, new experiences, new insights, new ways of be-ing.
As well, as coming up with your own Star Word, how about one/some of these things to bring light into your home/life during the Season of Epiphany – especially if you live in a part of the world where evenings and nights are dark. … Weave tiny white lights around your home as a gentle reminder to welcome the Light that comes into the world through ordinary people who bring kindness, caring, gentleness, peace, patience, goodness, compassion, love, hope. The tiny white lights encourage me to give thanks for the ‘bearers of light’ especially the ‘bearers of light’ in hospitals, care facilities, ambulances, paramedics, fire and police stations.
… Make handmade origami stars. They’re easy to make (YouTube has easy-to-follow videos), are a creative outlet, and simple to do. Over the years, as I have worked on and strung the paper stars in various places – across windows, across mirrors, suspended from leaves of large indoor plants. I invite them to be a metaphor that I be guided in making wise decisions.
… Light some white candles and bring light into the darkness of the winter evenings. I find this to be a gentle, simple and contemplative act that invites a gentle peace in my home and within my soul.
Think of ways you can be the light in the world around you by bringing the light of patience, generosity, forgiveness, gentleness, self-control, thoughtfulness, goodness, compassion, kindness to others and yourself, so that work of Christmas doesn’t stop with Christmas.
As educator, theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman wrote: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.”
While the Season of Epiphany can last anywhere from 40 to 63 days (because the date of Easter changes each year), for however long the Season of Epiphany lasts, may it be a Season of Light in your life and this pandemic world, and in its own way, continue “the work of Christmas.” Happy Epiphany!
