There are no winners in war.
Only
… lives lost
… lives destroyed
… anger released for generations
May there be שָׁלוֹם سلام peace,
שָׁלוֹם سلام peace,
שָׁלוֹם سلام peace.
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© June Maffin
https://soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups
Photo: used with permission of Pixabay
It’s October. Here in the western hemisphere, we are in the Season of Fall/Autumn – a beautiful time of the year where I live.
After taking this photo, I couldn’t help myself.
I took a break.
I ran down the path, playing with the fallen leaves. If only for a few moments, returning to life-as-a-child, when life was simple, uncomplicated, safe, and secure.
May we all take a break.
May we let our mind drift … far, far away from the political yuck, pandemic, global issues … from the nasty social media, personal stresses and crises … from the anger and fear and bewilderment. And for a few moments, may we let our imagination take us to a place where we scamper down a lane covered with leaves, joyfully toss the leaves up in the air, inhale the smells of this now-upon-us Season, listen to the sounds under our feet and over our head as we play, as birds fly south, as we laugh and breathe … breathe in – the Breath of Life – Ruach – fresh air – holy living.
Signs abound in Nature and within us as we move into and through the Autumn Season of our lives.
There are times when we feel alive and vibrant in body, mind and spirit. There are times when we realize that the withering of skin,
the creaking of bones, the aching of muscles, the forgetfulness that can come with the aging process are simply part of the Autumn Season of life.
Is it wisdom to ignore these signs? Is it wisdom to focus solely on these signs? How can we maintain balance and acknowledge the the cycle of life?
Perhaps trees and leaves can be our teacher. When leaves change colour … the tree is still there. When our face, legs, arms, neck, hands begin to wither … we are still there. When leaves fall … not all fall at the same time. When we rise from a chair or sofa … stiffness doesn’t always remain with us.
Fall/Autumn is here. Winter is coming. And in the meantime, if leaves and trees could talk, perhaps they would remind us to spread our branches, to acknowledge our natural beauty in each season, and to welcome life.
L’chaim! To life!!! Welcome Fall! Welcome Autumn!
© June Maffin
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
www.medium.com/@junemaffin
Photos taken in Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada
Conversations seem to be happening more and more often around “Get your affairs in order … just in case” as fires, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. cause devastation and people are faced with the seriousness and reality of their own mortality.
I encourage friends to not just speak about such things – or just think about them – but actually “get their affairs in order.” But, I find few do.
There are always excuses – verbal and unspoken … “I’m young. I’ve got lots of time.” … “My partner/husband/wife just won’t talk about this.” … “My kids will make the right decisions for me/us when the time comes.”
When serious illness is diagnosed, when someone unexpectedly dies, when weather horrors result in the destruction of home / business, the consequences of ‘not being prepared’ lead to even more stress.
Several years before my beloved Dutch-born husband Hans died, we not only tightened up our paperwork (aka “got our affairs in order” – updated our Wills and Representation Agreements), but each wrote what our wishes were (what we called our PWD – Personal Wish Document), if we were not able to die at home but had to be in institutional care or were permanently hospitalized.
Things like
— “If I can swallow, my favourite beverage is … ” (for me: Tim Horton’s Hot Chocolate; for Hans: Scotch <g>
— “If I can hear, see, I’d like certain personal things close by … ” (watch, eyeglasses, hearing aids, iPhone, pillow, blanket etc.)
— “If I can read, I’d like my … “(iPad, reader, favourite book etc.)
— “If I can hear, I’d like to hear music” (for me it’s musicals and semi-classical symphonies and baroque; for Hans it was organ music and Diana Krall)
— “If I can watch tv, I’d like to watch … “(for Hans it was “How It’s Made” and the history channel; for me it’s musicals and British comedy)
— “If I can eat, I’d love a treat of … ” (for both of us it was milk chocolate).
Even though Hans couldn’t swallow, I put a drop of Scotch on his tongue and he could taste it. Same thing with the smallest amount of milk chocolate. And, he watched “How It’s Made.” Well, the tv was tuned to that channel. I’m not sure he was aware it was on that channel, but who knows. Scientists say that the last sense to leave us is our hearing, so maybe he was hearing it.
I would add something else … record your voice. Oh, how I wish I had thought of, and done, this one. I have lots of photos of Hans, but no record of his voice and I would love to hear his sweet voice.
Hans and I believed that death was a part of life and neither of us had a fear of death. It was the dying part that we weren’t thrilled about. But doing the above gave us a sense of control over that part of life’s journey.
Loss of control is something that happens towards the end of our lives. It can happen in small ways – and in large ways. But, having such a PWD (Personal Wish Document) along with updated Wills and Representation Agreements CAN help.
Death is not a pleasant subject. However, the reality is – death is going to happen some day to everyone we love – and to ourselves.
When we die, our loved ones will experience a variety of emotions. Underneath it all, is stress. Profound, gut-wrenching, deep stress.
But, there are things we can do before our life’s journey ends – some things we can do to make our death less stressful for those we love. “Get things in order.” Now. Not next month. Not next year. Earlier than later … “get things in order.”
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© June Maffin
https://soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
There is something about ‘learning’ that not only touches the soul, but activates it — opening our heart to new experiences, new feelings, new thoughts.
I don’t know how long I looked at this plant on the walk before I took its photo, or how long I looked at its photo in my camera, but there was something quite magical about it all.
The plant took me on a journey of learning about the ‘name’ of the plant and what other indigenous plants in our provincial parks have been used by the First Nation peoples to heal bodies, flavour food, and add colour to fabric.
As I walked in our local Provincial Park, it “called” to me. I’d never seen one before. It was tall and gorgeous … a very large leaf with a tiny flower in the centre. “What are you?” I wondered. After some research, I learned that it is ‘Miner’s Lettuce’ … an indigenous plant common on Vancouver Island.
Its magnificent leaves form a rosette. Inside that rosette, there are tiny pink or white flowers with five petals in the centre, and the outer leaves turn a deep red colour when they dry out as the days get hotter and drier.
Thank you, little plant, for a new opportunity to experience spirituality in yet another way of opening my heart to the blessings around me.
I am grateful.
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© June Maffin
https://soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
www/medium.com/@junemaffin
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Today is Canada Day in this country. I honour and pay respect to the privilege and reality that I live on unceded aboriginal land, meaning that Aboriginal Title has neither been surrendered nor acquired by the government (Crown) and that our national anthem notes “our home and native land.”
Canada became a self-governing Dominion on July 1, 1867. That’s only 156 years ago. We are a very young country.
The First Nations people have been here for over 15,000 years. Our history with the People of the Land was not good long ago. It is not good now, as many in our land continue to reel at discoveries of unmarked graves of children on properties of former Residential Schools, and the ongoing reality of missing and murdered indigenous women continues to appall.
But there is hope in the gentle word “Mamawi” which is Cree for “All together” – a word which holds a hope that reconciliation can happen and that this country *can* heal. It will take intention. It will take time. It will take sacrifice. It will take work. But it is possible.
As we move into the next year of the history of this country of Canada, may we work to more fully respect the traditions of the First People of this land. May we honour their love of and care for the land, waters around it, the animals and life that live on our land and in the waters around. May we stop pointing fingers and recognize our role in the sense of helplessness, anger and fear by colonization and racism. May we find healing ways to acknowledge the hurt in our country’s history. And may we express gratitude for the good that is here. For there is good here.
This weekend, may Canadians continue to be grateful, proud, and respectful of one another –
… as we stand and sing our national anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUeLTZp-Dig)
… as we look at our Canadian flag and the Canadian Indigenous Flag designed by Canadian Kwakwaa’wakw artist Mulidzas—J. Curtis Wilson who tragically died in 2019 but whose creative artistry lives on (https://canadianindigenousflag.ca/about-the-artist/ his FB page www.facebook.com/Mulidzas-Curtis-Wilson-200634893312000/)
… and as we visit with family and friends and perhaps play the “Can you name these Canadian heroes” game https://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/can-you-name-these-canadian-heroes/?fbclid=IwAR3A0KnQVJca0xEUuk-AbybSBHTylZ_XUwSj_wwwmjTL1ynXr9e5oN_qKQ4
Happy Canada Day, my friends.
May it be a peaceful and safe day, mindful of our many blessings.
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OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM:
We are a bilingual country.
OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM IN ENGLISH
“O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM IN FRENCH
Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM’S BILINGUAL VERSION
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command,
Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits,
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
********************************
© June Maffin
https://soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
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‘Dislike’ … I understand.
‘Disrespect’ … I understand.
‘Anger and hatred’ … completely different because neither anger nor hatred – leave space for Love – leave space for Hope – leave space for Possibility.
Remember the Story of the Two Wolves?
A grandfather of the Cherokee Nation told his grandson that he had a fight going on inside him and it was a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf was evil – it emerges as anger, hatred, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, false pride, and more. The other wolf inside is good – it emerges as joy, peace, love, hope, truth, serenity, patience, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and more.
The child thought for a moment and asked “Which wolf will win?” The wise elder replied: “The wolf who is fed.”
We must be mindful of the wolf we feed … not just politicians or churches or community leaders or media, but … me … you … us.
May we refuse to choose to give power to the wolf whose voice is evil. One wolf was evil – it emerges as anger, hatred, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, false pride, and more.
May we choose the wolf whose voice is a voice of peaceful protest, peaceful opposition, and ‘good.’ The other wolf inside is good – it emerges as joy, peace, love, hope, truth, serenity, patience, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and more.
May we not perpetuate evil.
May we work against evil.
In the world.
In the church.
In the community.
In the family.
In ourselves.
May we speak up. May we speak out. And may we support people who will feed the wolf of goodness and change things so that compassion and kindness, humility and hope will emerge …
In the world.
In the church.
In the community.
In the family.
In ourselves.
“Which wolf will win?”
“The wolf who is fed.”
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© June Maffin
www.medium.com/@junemaffin
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
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Photo: unknown photographer
If you know the name of the photographer, please let me know so accreditation can be noted. Thank you.