Whether we refer to ourselves as Monarchists or not, now is not the time to debate. Queen Elizabeth has died today. She reigned for seventy (70) years.
She was human – very human and she made mistakes. And on this day, as her family is mourning, her country is grieving, and many around the world are questioning the appropriateness of a Monarch in general, the horrific effects of colonialism and the accession to the throne of the successor in particular, the time will come for debate about all of that and more, but with respect, not today.
Today, I am remembering a woman who faithfully served her country and the Commonwealth to the best of her ability. I give thanks for her lifelong service and ask God’s blessing on her.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote “Earth’s crammed with heaven each common bush aflame with God Yet only he (sic) who sees, take off his (sic) shoes.”
If Divine Presence is everywhere (“every common bush”) can it be surmised that there is *nowhere* that Divine Presence, God, the Creator isn’t?
I love reading the letters “n o w h e r e“
They can say “no where.” AKA “it cannot be found.” They can say “now here.” AKA “it is evident.”
Many want to believe in miracles, yet few believe they exist. To them, miracles are … “no where.”
Maybe they are looking for the magnificent, the stupendous, the WOW.
And in doing so, they miss the miracle-in-the-ordinary … the “now here.”
When we take our ‘shoes off’ and become like a child about to wade into a cool brook, we see the minnows in the water, the eagle flying overhead, the smile on the faces of those around us.
We hear the laughter of others and breathe fresh air into our lungs.
We experience the Divine-in-the-ordinary, and also in the commonplace, in the mundane, in “every common bush.”
Miracles.
I want a miracle for my friends, diagnosed with final stages of cancer. I want a miracle for my neighbouring country in the death-throes of political upheaval.
I want a miracle for the world that continues to struggle with COVID and now re-emergence of polio and new emergence of Monky Pox.
I want a miracle for the people of Ukraine and American women who cannot get an abortion even if they were raped or if their own life is in jeopardy.
I want more than glimmers of hope. I want miracles! I want to experience “each common bush aflame with God.”
I guess it’s up to me, and each of us, to find the glimmers of hope in ‘possibility’ and not inevitability.
I guess it’s up to each of us to decide whether it’s “shoes on – or shoes off.”
“Create,” said my friend, with enthusiasm. I looked at the blank piece of paper and was numb.
“Create? Create what?”
“Let it flow. Put paint on brush, brush on paper. See what happens.”
“She’s got to be kidding” I murmured to myself. “I need her to show me what to do. I’ve never painted before”.
The others were mixing paint colours, adding water, having fun. One was even humming. And I? What was I doing? I was looking at the others, trying to figure out what to do … looking at the instructor … trying to have her tell me in simple, easy, step-by-step instructions, how to create. But there I sat. Immobile.
~ Schoenberg created twelve-tone music. ~ Bette Nesmith Graham invented liquid paper. ~ Picasso created cubism. ~ Maria Telkes & Eleanor Raymond developed the first solar-heated home. ~ Auden made verses. ~ Gutenberg invented moveable type. ~ Cartwright invented the game of baseball. ~ Earle Dickson invented bandaids. ~ Anna Connelly created the outdoor fire escape. ~ Walter Hunt created the safety pin. ~ Grace Murray Hopper invented COBOL, the first user-friendly business computer software program. ~ Jack St Clair Kilby created the microchip. ~ Arthur Wynne created the crossword puzzle. ~ Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper. And then there was Einstein, the Wright brothers, Hildegard of Bingen, Louie Pasteur, Eli Whitney, Georgia O’Keeffe, and …
They all created. Were they ever ‘immobile’?
I was. Why?
Thoreau wrote “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”
The Deuteronomist wrote “Choose life!”
So, what did I have to lose? I put some paint on a brush. The brush touched the paper. Creation?
Creation. Finally.
Another life lesson: … risk … go confidently in the direction of your dreams … choose life … create.
Because Temple Grandin did, an entire industry was changed because she decided to “Create. Just begin.”
This greeting card is the result of the above decision to “Create. Just begin.”
P.S. If you’ve not seen the movie about Temple Grandin, I hope you will – soon. What a remarkable woman – role model – pioneer – leader – visionary – human being.
In the midst of … grieving the loss of yet another friend … learning that another friend’s husband’s dementia has taken an unexpected downward turn … hearing the anguish of Americans devastated by the inability of the NRA to see the connection between assault rifles and the horrifying massacre of 19 children and 2 teachers and the shooting of 5 children and the grandmother of the perpetrator who continue to struggle in hospital to survive their physical wounds, all of them facing a lifetime of dealing with the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds of the slaughter … mindful that the possibility of the reversal of Roe v Wade is on the horizon and will have devastating consequences for decades … aware that people around the world are still homeless, still poor, still in pain, still dealing with mental/physical illness and COVID … and unable to forget the images of the horror that continue in Ukraine, this photo speaks to me of life and death, darkness and light, shadow and hope.
Yes, hope.
Where is the hope? It’s in the clear sky … the bright yellow colour in the flowers in the foreground … and the healthy green leaves beside them.
Where is the hope? It’s in the words on a sign I read on a concentration camp wall that read “I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining. I believe in the stars even when I see them not. I believe in God, even when God is silent.”
The presence of hope is always with us. Sometimes – tangible. Sometimes – intangible. Sometimes – visible. Sometimes – invisible. Sometimes – audible. Sometimes – silent. But it is always present.
May we have eyes to see it, ears to hear it, hearts to feel it, and minds to believe it.
An aside, when I took this photo a few summers ago, I didn’t know why I did. Nor did I know why it seemed so important to have the Alberta rose flowers in the photo.
And then tonight, I noticed that while the dark clouds over the mountains in the background may look ominous, the pink flowers in the foreground are a gentle reminder that things aren’t always as they seem. And now I know why I took this photo.
An aside, when I took this photo a few summers ago, I didn’t know why I did. Nor did I know why it seemed so important to have the Alberta rose flowers in the photo. And then tonight, I noticed that while the dark clouds over the mountains in the background may look ominous, the pink flowers in the foreground are a gentle reminder that things aren’t always as they seem. And now I know why I took this photo.
I don’t want to think of evil, or believe in evil, or acknowledge the presence of evil.
And yet … as the situation in Ukraine continues … as political lies flood some media outlets and people believe the lies and repeat them as if they were truth … as weather conditions continue to pummel the world with floods, snowstorms, tornadoes, earthquakes, exhausting heat … as graves of residential school children are discovered … as some around the world have so much, while others have nothing … as homelessness, contaminated water, unbreathable air, dangerous work situations cause lives to be compromised or lost … as children, youth, adults, seniors die of gun violence … as freedoms are eroded … the signs are there and I must not be naive.
Evil exists.
That word ‘evil’ is spoken a lot these days by many people for many reasons. Accusations of ‘evil’ come to us on tv, in face-to-face conversations, through phone calls, via text messages, FB posts, messages and emails, and even handwritten correspondence … not just by adults, but by youth and children and elders … not just by politicians, but by ordinary citizens.
It’s easy to … tweet or text or type first, rather than think
… react first, rather than respond
… speak words of love, rather than show that love in action
… enable others, rather than be honest
… dwell in and focus on one’s own selfish desires, rather than allow the needs of others to be the motivating force.
When people say “All …” be that all religions or all politicians or all Democrats or all Republicans or all Conservatives or all Liberals
or all NDPer’s or all Jews or all Mexicans or all gays or all Italians or all Blacks or all trans or all Southerners or all differently-abled or all Americans or all poor or all elderly or all mentally ill
or all Asians or all youth or all … (fill in the blanks) … and then make a sweeping statement degrading, disrespecting, bullying, ignoring anyone in a particular category, there is no opportunity for dialogue, respectful listening, compassionate hearing, genuine caring, sincere conversation, sharing of opinion, or elimination of prejudice/bias let alone reconciliation, healing, hope.
The world craves hope. But if Hope leaves, what remains? Evil.
Before the 8th century when the ‘hearing, speaking, seeing evil’ concept began to take form through the writings of Confucius, the Biblical teaching: “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 NKJV) provided wise counsel.
But evil didn’t go away. Can it be defeated?
Difficult … but yes.
It involves change … a change in one’s way of life … a transformative change of heart … a turning-around … metanoia … turning around *e-v-i-l* to become *l-i-v-e.*
It is time to stop … denying … enabling the existence of evil.
Evil is real.
It exists.
It is time to name it.
It is time to turn the letters of ‘evil’ around to ‘live’!
Change – Metanoia Time.
Where there is darkness
… we must bring the light.
Where there is darkness
… we must send the light.
Where there is darkness
… we must *be* the light. “Let us not be overcome by evil … but overcome evil with good.” <Romans 12:21>
Every day we wake up, is a day to say “Welcome” to whichever day it is: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Rain or shine, hot or cold – while some days may prove to be difficult – the “Welcome, Days of the Week” cyber floral mosaic series was created in the hopes that the flowers will put a smile on your face, remind you of happy, peace-filled, times and brighten your day, just a bit.
If you are feeling ‘blah’ or ‘down’ or ‘just not yourself’ for whatever reason (global politics, personal health/finances/relationships), concerns about family), may you welcome the hope this cyber floral bouquet offers: the flowers in the photo will bloom again. And so will you … some way … some how … some day.
Each day is a new day and every day offers possibility, promise, gift. From me to you – a floral “Welcome” to each day of the week.
Feel free to return to this floral ‘Welcome, Day of the Week’ whenever you’d like a little “floral pick-me-up” on a particular day, and share this (or any “Soulistry – Artistry of the Soul” reflection) with others.
In spite of the rain, rain and more rain, the flowers in many parts of the world are beginning to ‘rise and shine’. Happy Monday morning!With so much yuck happening in the world, I thought I’d post a floral “welcome” / “happy” each day this week. So, “welcome Tuesday!” It’s Wednesday … a day to slow down a bit, observe Mother Nature around us, and “smell the roses.” Welcome Wednesday!Continuing on in the weekly floral “Hello / Welcome Day” series which began here on Monday and will continue until this Sunday. It’s so easy to grumble when we wake up, worry as we hear the latest news, get stressed when the weather descends in an unwelcome manner, find irritation in the actions/words of another, that we overlook the gift of another day to live, breathe, serve, think, move, reflect, contribute, play, work, simply “be.” Welcome Thursday – delighted you’re here!Sometimes we think “I don’t think Friday is ever going to get here” and then, voila – it arrives. So, welcome Friday. You’re finally here!The weekend has begun! The tiny bud on the strawberry plant encourages us to think about what may be ‘budding’ in our life that we can focus on this weekend. Welcome Saturday – ‘bud’ away!
