For some reason, those words wouldn’t leave my thoughts last night as I worked on a lovely pumpkin design by Suzanne Crisafi. But for me, it wasn’t working out to be ‘lovely.’ The Ecoline markers I had weren’t the ‘right’ colour. My hands were more shaky than usual. And vision was a wee cloudy.
I wondered how, on the eve (of the south-of-the-border-from- Canada) American Thanksgiving weekend, the ‘wonky world’ words could be appropriate. How to be in a posture of “thanks-giving” at a time when the world is so out or sorts and at times, frightening? Wonky world, indeed!
But I carried on and before I knew it, the card was complete with a very wonky pumpkin and flowers, the unplanned lettering appeared (ever-so-wonky), and a smile began to curl on my face. In spite of the wonkiness of the world, of this country, of this community, there is always reason for gratitude … big, small, huge, insignificant.
May each day be one of gratitude … ‘thanks-giving’ … even a ‘Wonky World Gratitude.’
Have you ever created something only to have it *not* end up being what you imagined it would be … a painting, a dinner, a handmade card, a Zentangle® tile, a quilt, a sweater … likely, yes.
And, when you discovered that it wasn’t what you had hoped for, did the word “fail” cross your mind? or the word “end” (as in, I’ve never going to paint, crochet, etc.) again? or the word “no,” as in your inner voice telling you ‘not’ to enter it into your local fair or contest, give it as a gift or post it on FB or IG?
If so, then maybe it’s time to remember the words of the former President of India, Abdul Kalam (whose words I’ve adapted) … and what the words “Fail. End. No” can mean?
If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means First Attempt In Learning. End is not the end because E.N. D. means Effort Never Dies. And if you get “no” for an answer, remember that N.O. means Next Opportunity.
Guess who is on to N.O. — the Next Opportunity to create.
People of many cultures, traditions and religions around the world around this time of the year, use the symbol of light to bring the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance with the intention of driving away the physical darkness of winter and the spiritual darkness of hopelessness and fear.
To those marking the Hindu “Festival of Lights” – a special happy Diwali which has begun. Diwali is five days of celebration where, on Day 1, homes are cleaned, rangolis and kolam are made and decorative art is drawn with rice flour; homes are decorated with clay pots (Day 2); on Day 3 (today), the height of the holiday, best clothes are worn, lamps are lit to bring as much light as possible into homes and fireworks are ignited bringing light and colour to the sky. Then tomorrow (Day 4),considered to be the first day of the new year, the focus will be on thanksgiving and reflection; and the final day of Diwali (Day 5) siblings are celebrated and the bond between them is honoured.
However, it’s not just those of the Hindu faith who use the symbol of light to banish the darkness. When we watch the news and become disenchanted, distressed, concerned or fearful by the expanding negativity, hatred, fear, it might be good to remember the words of President John F. Kennedy – “what unites us is greater than what separates us” and light a candle to symbolize the bringing of light into the darkness of the world.
For example, many … put a light in their window in the ancient tradition of Winter Solstice … light the Menorah candles on each of the eight days of Hanukkah … begin their seven nights of Kwanzaa by the lighting of the Kinara … light the candles on each of the four weeks of the Season of Advent … place lights around homes, in wreaths and trees throughout the Season of Christmas.
However we shed light in the darkness, may joy, hope and peace surround you at your special times of celebration. And may the light shine … from within each of us … through each of us … beyond each of us. May it be a Merry, Happy, Joy-filled Diwali, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Advent and Christmas.
As I drove through Shawnigan Lake, B.C. on Vancouver Island, I noticed this path.
I stopped to take the photo because it caught my eye and gently reminded me that while the Fall/Autumn Season has arrived, if I look ahead, I will see the Light … the Light of Spring … the Light of Hope. It is there (at the very back of this photo – in life).
Even in the darkest of days, somewhere in the world, there is light/Light and light/Light is part of Hope. May we be the light and hold the Light for those who cannot see it, imagine it, experience it.
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.
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.”
