A young man was declared “Not Guilty” in a U.S. court yesterday, in spite of the fact that last year, when he was 17, he carried a rifle into a crowd, shot and injured one man and killed two others.
There are some who believe the Judge was wrong when he threw out the ‘possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor’ charge; that if the defendant had been any race other than Caucasian, he would have been found ‘Guilty’; that the defendant should not have been involved in picking names for the jury who would try his case; that the Prosecution was incompetent.
But at the end, it was up to the members of the jury. At the conclusion of the trial, they believed that the accused was “Not Guilty.” He is now free and can never be tried for this crime again.
Declared “Not Guilty.” Does ‘Not Guilty’ mean ‘Innocent’? Conversely, does ‘Innocent’ mean ‘Not Guilty’?
Two men are dead because a young man killed them with a rifle he never should have been given … let alone carried into the crowd that night … let alone used.
Anger escalates. And fear. And hatred … surfacing in social media, daily conversations darkening thoughts and words and possibly more actions.
Something has to be done so that hope can enter, fear can lighten, hatred can begin to dissipate, and the slippery slope can straighten out.
Where to begin? Surely it begins with each of us
Register our outrage? Yes. “Name” our fears? Yes. Recognize and acknowledge our own prejudices and biases? Yes
And do what we can to bring about a Spirit of Gentleness into the world around us … and not just around us … but within us.
Time will tell … if Civil charges are brought. Time will tell … if the slippery slope that the United States is on will result in civil war – or even the ending of democracy in that country. Time will tell.
And in that time, may there be moments of gentleness may we be gentle – gentle with ourselves – gentle with our children … partners … other family members … neighbours … tradespeople … store clerks … gas station attendees … medical professionals …
May a Spirit of Gentleness flow through hallways, homes, offices, classrooms, social media, governments … in me … in you … in us all.
Last night, the Aurora Borealis was expected to make an appearance in this part of the world. News told us that might even see them from our own back yard. I was excited! I’ve only seen the Northern Lights once and that was long ago in the Okanagan of British Columbia while camping. It was such an incredible experience that night! I woke my son so he could see the magnificence of the colours streaming across the sky. Last night, I waited – and waited – and waited.
But, in spite of a clear sky, no rain and news media postulating such a sighting might be possible, no Northern Lights. I even set the alarm to get up and see them!
Long ago, while doing consulting work in Alaska, my Alaska friend, Scott, took me out to a field, far away from any lights for several nights. Each night we waited and waited and waited in his truck for the Northern Lights to appear. He kept telling me they were magnificent – stunning! – and often appeared there. Nope. Not one sighting. Any night.
When I got home, there was a message from Scott … the night I left, the Northern Lights appeared and “they were incredible!” One more night – if I had just delayed my flight home one more night – but, I didn’t and have been dreaming of seeing them again one day. Last night, I came sooooo close.
While I may never see the Northern Lights in person, those nights sitting out in the Alaska field with Scott, waiting for the Northern Lights to make an appearance, and last night waiting at home, offered opportunities to pray for and think about the environment – and play.
Photos I’ve seen of the Northern Lights show them as multi-coloured, but I decided to play only with blues and purples, just for the fun of it. Some day, I hope I get to see the Northern Lights in person again, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to dabble in watercolour, enjoy Scott’s Facebook photos of the Northern Lights that regularly appear in his part of the world, and reflect on the environment and my role in keeping it healthy.
Shine on, beautiful skies above this world! May you be a reminder to all human beings of the role we play in the existence of a healthy world of clean air. And may those beautiful skies bring solace and hope where grieving, fragmentation and fear about the future of this world prevail.
To have this pop up in my Facebook newsfeed today, October 17th, of all days (it would have been our 12th wedding anniversary) well, you both said it all.
When my husband Hans died 5 1/2 years ago, a part of me died too. But knowing what the future would have been like for him (skin cancer, then colon cancer, then esophogeal cancer diagnoses) and seeing him literally waste away, be unable to eat, live in constant pain, be unable to speak and knowing it would only get worse, as difficult as it was to accept, there was a deep sense of gratitude that his suffering was over and an inexplicable awareness that finally, he was at peace and that we would be “together forever” some day.
Thank you, Rabbit and Bear and especially Canadian artist Tara Shannon who created this lovely image.
When we die …. ahhh. When each of us dies, may we go into the hearts of those who have loved us so that “we’re together, forever.”
Little rock and stones I’ve found on local beaches have become transformed into what I’ve been calling Kindness Rocks … as in the act of kindness rocks … and also these are Kindness Rocks.
After painting the rocks, words/phrases/images/colour were added and then the rocks were hidden outdoors in the hope in the brief moment of discovery, finders will experience a gentle momentary respite from worry, fear … whatever is robbing them of smiling, enjoying the moment, celebrating life, sharing love.
Have I had fun making these? You bet! And I’ve been having fun hiding them and giving them away, too.
By the way, while there are no design “rules” for the Kindness Rocks, recently I seem to be focused on a theme: love … hearts.
The hope of the latest Kindness Rocks is that finders would share some love … hide the rock for someone else to find … do an unexpected kind deed for someone … tell someone how they are important in your life … smile at a stranger … wear a mask … get vaccinated.
I admit it, I’m a KISSer … KISS philosopher … KISS theologian … KISS human being a believer in living an approach to life reflective of “Keep It Simple, Sweetheart.”
The Apache Blessing’ resonates with my spirit: “May the sun … bring new energy by day. May the moon … softly restore by night. May the rain … wash away worries. May the breeze … blow new strength into your being. And may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.”
The Blessing was supposedly written in 1947 by Elliott Arnold in his Western novel ‘Blood Brother’ and popularized by the 1950 adaptation of the novel in ‘Broken Arrow,’ a movie by screenwriter Albert Maltz. Whatever its original source, I love its simplicity and message.
May the simple gifts of sun, moon, rain and wind bless us in ways we cannot ask or imagine in terms of peace, hope, healing and goodness.
I love watching them poke their heads above the ground, changing their location every year, making their appearance in so many different varieties. Intriguing and delightful, they put a smile on my face.
What are they? Here’s a clue … it’s that time of year when dampness and earth combine and make …
… mushrooms!
Yes, I really do love watching the mushrooms poke their heads above the ground, changing their location every year in the back yard … intriguing and delightful. Each year, they put a smile on my face.
This year, two kinds of mushrooms have appeared so far: shaggy ink mushrooms and a variety of the boletus mushroom.
Author Munia Khan wrote that“if you feel all damp and lonely like a mushroom, find the thick, creamy soup of joyfulness and just dive into it in order to make life tastier.”
What delicious words!
For those who are feeling ‘all damp and lonely like a mushroom’ from personal or political stresses, may you “find the thick, creamy soup of joyfulness” and then “just dive into it in order to make life tastier.”
