I remember the day that the wind changed direction and the smoke from the fire was so frighteningly strong that it woke me and my lungs ached.
Over the years, as I watched the news about the fires in the Amazon, Uruguay, Brazil and now the fires in Canada with smoke from those fires being carried by the wind to the United States and even Norway, global concerns about life-destroying fires in general and the impact on climate change and on peoples’ lives was, and is, being stoked.
And not just physical fires.
There is a lot of soul-destroying fire happening in today’s world … leaders and wanna-be leaders whose focus is self-adoration, self-promotion rather than the people … supporters of such leaders who mindlessly follow and don’t stand up to the immorality, lies, dangerous rhetoric and don’t speak up for democracy, justice, compassion … tropical storms and other dangerous weather concerns becoming more and more frequent and stronger … the seemingly never-ending war in Ukraine. The life-destroying and soul-destroying list goes on.
What is the response to these destructive fires? Many no longer read or watch the news because they find it too stressful and their sense of helplessness is reinforced. But, does ignoring the news help reduce the soul-destruction?
If putting a lid on a physical garbage can, filled with festering garbage, only hides the putrid smell, can a similar response happen in putting a lid on an emotional garbage can filled with festering garbage of anger and hatred and fear and resentment and racism and me-me-me-ism?
Tears fall from my eyes and tears cover my heart and my soul as I realize that soul-destroying fires really exist and that lately, they seem to be moving even more quickly. What can I, or others, do?
I find that the tears, the sense of helplessness is diminished by being aware of what is happening, not by ignoring the news … by naming the fears and not letting them fester … by not closing my eyes to the realities … by not stifling conversation about what is happening … by being open to letting Light in, so that healing can begin for this world we inhabit and love.
May every tear shed, every prayer said, every thought expressed, every peaceful protest, every vote count.
May all do what we can to become informed about issues and work to becoming a world of people who listen to the pain beneath the words, who recognize fascism and work for democracy, and who focus on the corporate ‘needs’ of society rather than their individual ‘wants’. It is time to put out the fires that bring body, mind and soul-destruction to people and this planet.
Okay, I admit it. I’m a Broadway musical fan and a Tony Awards fan and the Tony Awards are almost here! Sunday night the popcorn maker will come out, the phone won’t get answered and I’ll be glued to the tv, waiting for snippets of Broadway musicals as the Tony Awards salute excellence in Broadway theatre and the gift of music!
Why title this Soulistry reflection “A Poohian ‘Theology’ of Music”? It’s because music speaks to my soul – nourishes my soul – delights my soul … connects me to the Divine.
Without a doubt, if I were ever able to make a return visit to New York City or London, I would love, love, love to get tickets for some musicals. But as that’s unlikely to happen, Sunday night will do – a night in front of the tv watching the musical performances on the Tony Awards show.
What’s with the “Poohian” in the title? It’s because Winnie the Pooh once said: “Poetry and Hums aren’t things which you get. They’re things which get you. All you have to do is go where they can find you.” (A.A.Milne author of “Winnie the Pooh”) The “poetry and hums” get to us! And when they do, the body expresses emotions being experienced in the soul when fingers rap out a rhythm, toes tap a beat, heads nod, larynx hums a tune or sings out loud.
When the “poetry and hums” get to us, healing can happen. Feelings of sorrow, anger, frustration, fear, rage, passion, grief and even boredom can be relieved. Courage can be awakened. Love, passion, happiness and devotion can be nurtured. Our physical body can become stimulated with increasing blood flow, speed of circulation, muscular energy, and metabolism. And we can be connected with the Source of All Life in a unique way.
Music is gift. Music gifts us with the ability to reflect, remember, and become re-created. Maybe it’s the combined right/left brain activity that takes place when we sing, play instruments or listen to music on the radio, tv, CD’s, stereo or at a concert. Maybe it’s the soul-soaring as hymns are sung, psalms are chanted, sung prayers are offered. Maybe it’s the unique embodiment of art, wisdom, theology and emotional release in word and song that captures our heart and mind. Whatever it is, music appeals to our soul and senses.
Society reminds us that music is a wonderful part of our existence: music awakens astronauts (and many of us) first thing in the morning … music entertains at concerts … music enriches movie experiences … music is often played in stores, elevators, airplanes and even restaurants … and music has an endurance that is retained in the deepest recesses of memory.
Those who have worked with stroke victims and neurological disorders know that people who have forgotten so much (even the names of their partner, children) have been known to play music on the piano, hum the melody of beloved hymns, toe-tap to remembered songs, and respond to meditative choruses.
One of the greatest conductors of all time, Leopold Stokowski, once said that “there are regions so elusive in our life of feeling that only music can express such intangible and sublime visions of beauty.”
There is no doubt that music awakens the soul and that an inner part of ourselves connects directly to the Holy Other whether that music be Rock, Country, Classical, Reggae, Chamber Music, Jazz, Latin, Folk, Celtic, Gospel, Spa Music, Country, Blues, John Philip Sousa marches, Gregorian chant, Chuck Berry, Celine Dion, Paul Anka, Barbra Streisand … whether it be penny whistle, French horn, bass, bagpipe, flute, bassoon, cello, comb and tissue paper or even one’s own whistling!
Music can make us dance and skip, move us to tears, and encourage us to be as happy as Winnie the Pooh on a fine summer’s morn! It’s true, Pooh, music can be a wonderful bridge between the body and soul. “All you have to do is go where they can find you.”
May we make time to go where music can find us. And may we remember that “music gives life to everything” and give voice to the “poetry and hums” that nurture and touch our soul beyond cognitive understanding.
Around the world, fires burn, water rises, tempers flare, workers strike, untruths abound, fear permeates, AI threatens and the war in Ukraine continues.
I discovered the Photofunia App and played with it a bit … placing a watercolour piece I created for the people of Ukraine, surrounded by images of hope – for them and the rest of the world.
May the symbolism of the egg, green leaves and daffodils open hearts and minds to the possibility of life … new life … without forest fires, floods, anger, strikes, lies, fear, threat, war.
Quote “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”
Author Confucius (551 – 479 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher whose teaching and philosophy deeply influenced Eastern thought and his thoughts developed into a system known today as Confucianism. He was a strong proponent of building a harmonious society following the well-known philosophy that people ‘do not do to others what they do not want done to themselves’ – a very early “Golden Rule.”
Soul-Questions * In your journal, reflect on the moments of ‘rising’ in your life. Note what you did to bring about that resurrection moment.
*What were the results?
*Consider a time in your life when stresses were such that you became sad, depressed, isolated, distanced from family/support groups/friends and did *not* rise. What consequences were there from that time of ‘rising’?
*Have you ever experienced feelings of guilt at times when you were unable to rise after falling? Journal about those feelings and consider how you might handle such feelings should similar occasions arise in the future
*Reflect on one of the ‘rising’ moments in your life in your journal, noting – your feelings – any consequences – what prompted you to rise
*Reflect on the strength, encouragement, energy, healing you received when you picked yourself up from a difficult time in your life.
The tulip is from my garden and is one of the ones I brought back from the Netherlands. It’s already beginning to wilt – will die – but then next spring, it will “rise again”. The cycle of life.
***********************************************
How to use “Soulistry Soul-Questions” You may want to begin a Journal so your responses are all in one place. Write the quotation. Add the first question and write your response. Then follow that process for the remaining questions.
Take your time in writing your reply.
It helps to put the date after each Soul-Question response.
Let it go. Let it be. Acceptance. Not fear. Let it be.
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote the music/lyrics to the ‘Let It Go’ theme song in Disney’s ‘Frozen’ and said that anyone who’s carrying a secret shame that gets so heavy they can’t carry it anymore, is identifying with the idea of “shedding and starting anew.”
If carrying a secret shame that gets heavy If carrying a memory that gets heavy If carrying an anger that gets heavy If carrying a resentment that gets heavy If carrying a regret that gets heavy If carrying a fear that preoccupies and gets heavy If carrying a decision that gets heavy If carrying a burden of any kind that gets heavy Let it go.
Let it be Acceptance. Not fear.
Let it be.
And if it’s difficult – or impossible – to let it go to let it be may professional help be found to guide you to healing, health, wholeness and a place where you can truly Let It Be(e).
Sneaky Saturday! But then again, it seems that with each passing year, the days seem to pass more quickly.
Before I know it … a week has gone by … it’s a month later … another year has passed and the hair has more grey/white, the wrinkles seem to have increased, the tummy padding more evident and the body a bit more achy.
Yes, *Sneaky Saturday* you do sneak up. But I’m not complaining. Far from it! I’m just wondering … what kind of Saturday will you be … Sneaky – Silly – Sacred – Salient – Salubrious – Serendipitous – Stimulating – Serene – Sassy – Sanative – Sparkling – Sensational – Stellar – Sublime – Something else?
There is something about this little place, close by where I live, that draws me several times a year, bringing a sense of peace and joy.
Is it the water? the sunstreaks? the sky? the newly mowed grass? the ducks on the water? the quiet? the fresh air? the building? the nearby flowers? the combination?
That sense of peace and joy = contentment and while it’s not always easy to define or explain, I know it when I experience it.
This night, I pray for contentment for those who are troubled, those who are in pain, those who are grieving, those who are frightened, those who worry. May gentle contentment be with them this night.
The Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) begins tomorrow with Maundy Thursday. The Triduum is comprised of three days where symbols of death and life are dramatic and poignant reminders of the fragility of life and can be a unique opportunity for Anglicans/Episcopalians – for anyone – to join religious traditions around the world who continue to use some form of prayer beads as part of their prayer life.
Since the earliest of times, people have used pebbles, a string of knots, or beads on a cord to keep track of their prayers offered to God. Anglican Prayer Bead necklaces (33 beads were created in the mid 1980s to help bring people into contemplative / meditation prayer and more intentionally be in the presence of the Holy One. Touching the fingers on each bead, is intentional. It is intended to help keep one’s mind from wandering and the rhythm of the prayers helps lead one into stillness.
Some background for those unfamiliar with Anglican Prayer Bead Necklaces. There are “names” for the thirty-three (representing the number of years of Jesus’ earthly life) beads which comprise the Anglican Prayer Bead necklace: “Weeks” – twenty eight beads divided into four groups of seven … seven to represent the seven days of the week. “Cruciform” – four beads between each ‘week’ helping to form an invisible Cross. “Invitatory” – the bead between the cruciform bead and the cross/medallion which acts as a call to worship and an invitation to a time of focused prayer. Some people add a bead above the Invitatory bead (the “Resurrection” bead) as a reminder that Christ lives on.
Praying the Anglican Prayer Bead necklace is often done ~ in an unhurried pace, followed by a period of silence with time for reflection and listening. ~ by praying around the circle of beads three times (representing the Trinity) ~ by using whatever prayers you choose for the beads in the Weeks, the four beads making the Cruciform, the bead between the Cruciform bead and the medallion/Cross … or simply by holding the beads/necklace in your hands as you pray.
How to pray using the Prayer Beads ~ no particular ‘format’ but some suggestions: Isaiah 41: 10-13 (at the beginning – holding the Cross/medallion); Isaiah 40: 29-31 (Cruciform beads); Matthew 11:28 (Weeks beads); Psalm 27: 1,3 (at the Cross) ; Psalm 29:11; the Lord’s Prayer; the Prayer of St. Francis; the prayer of Dame Julian of Norwich.
Over the years, many Anglican Prayer Bead necklaces have made their way from my home to others. I have found that in the making of them, yet another opportunity presents itself for me to enter into a contemplative mode. If you’d like to make your own, here are some simple steps: ~ Tape the end of thin, bendable wire or dental floss, cord or bead-making string ~ Choose twenty-eight beads that are similar to one another ~ String seven of those beads onto the wire, dental floss, string, using ‘spacers’ (ultra small beads) between the Weeks beads (number you use is optional as they are not counted as part of the Prayer Beads ~ Choose four different (a big larger helps) beads for the Crucifer beads ~ String one of the Cruciform beads onto the wire, floss, string ~ Continue the bead pattern of Weeks (spacers-optional), Cruciform ~ Choose a separate bead (the Invitatory bead – and spacer if desired) ~ String the Invitatory bead ~ Add a Cross, medallion, final bead. ~ Close off the necklace with jewellery endings or knot the two ends together
May this Triduum be a holy and meaningful moment in your spiritual journey as you consider the integration of Anglican Prayer Beads in your spiritual practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An aside: separate reflections for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, (and when Easter arrives, for Easter Sunday and throughout the Season of Easter) will be available in the morning of their respective day. See the links below.
A little frivolity is needed in these oh-so-difficult times.
So how about …
… a whimsical tree … dancing lollipops … an enquiring bird … three sort-of-owls trying to discern what the blazes is going on in the world these days … and flowers, bright flowers of hope, popping out – from behind the tree – on top of the tree – on the side of the tree – inside the tree – emerging from the bottom of the trunk of the tree?
The flowers, the hope – always there – even though it might be difficult to see, experience, acknowledge some days.
the night is dark and brings fear as the coughing begins as breathing is difficult as the pain won’t subside as the nightmares won’t leave as negativity, political haranguing permeate social media disguising hope
the night is quiet eerily quiet as people wait for the next explosion as medications take effect as the darkness enfolds
we must breathe breathe for ourselves breathe for those who cannot breathe we must remember remember the quietness of God’s peace for ourselves remember the quietness of the Holy One’s love for others remember that when the night is dark in one place in the world the night is light in another place in the world remember that when the night seems hopeless in one place hope is somewhere prayeris always being offered somewhere communion is always being offered somewhere
may we hold the light for those who cannot breathe this night may we say a prayer for those who cannot sleep this night may we hold hope for those who cannot hope this night
there are signs of light for us we might be signs of light for others even though the night is dark
The prayer on this photo (taken at Yellow Point Lodge on Vancouver Island) is from the New Zealand Book of Prayer: “The night is dark. Let our fears and darkness of the world and of our lives, res.t this night in God. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of God’s peace enfold us all.”
There’s a lot going on in the world. A lot of tension … anxiety … stress … fear … doubting there is a God … pondering the “What’s it all about, Alphie?” question … asking other questions: “Does intuition exist? If I pay attention to messages that abound in various ways, will my inner awareness speak? will I hear the still, small Voice within? will hearing that ‘still, small Voice within’ help me determine what is ‘fact’ and what is ‘alternative fact’?
Is intuition real? Some put such a discussion in a religious realm of God’s guidance. Some put this in a physical realm of “trusting our gut.”
A particular incident had me wondering about all of this. Scheduled to be on a particular flight, I needed to be at the airport by 7:30 pm. But a different time (5:00 pm) kept surfacing in my mind over and over and over again throughout the day. I couldn’t understand it. But the thought wouldn’t leave, so even though I wasn’t looking forward to the two-plus hour extra stay at the airport before I needed to be at the airport, I paid attention and was at the check-in desk by 5:00 pm – the time that kept surfacing in my head.
When I handed my travel documents to the agent, her “Your flight was cancelled” statement confused me! I had had no notice of such a change … not a text, email or phone call. Then the agent said “There is one last flight to your destination today, but it leaves soon. I’ll see if I can get you on the flight and if I can, you’ll have to hurry because boarding is in forty minutes.” She did. I picked up my carry-on luggage and ran to the boarding gate.
Had I not listened or paid attention to that “get to the airport by 5:00 pm” gentle nudge within me, I would have had to spend a very long and uncomfortable night in the airport, waiting for a flight the next day. Instead, I listened to my intuition – the still, small Voice within (what I like to call my ‘spiritual muscle’), and I not only got to my destination that day, but even earlier than planned!
I’ve experienced many other examples of that nudge over the years – that still, small Voice within, that sense of discomfort when considering one option and comfort when considering another option, that spiritual muscle, so that I cannot help but acknowledge the reality that intuition exists. It is a gift.
How can we invoke the voice of intuition – that “spiritual muscle”? How can we hear it more easily? For some, it’s easy. For others, it takes work. Over the years, I’ve learned four simple steps that have guided me:
1. Be still.
2. Listen.
3. Pay attention.
4. Give it time.
May we pay attention to what we seem to be hearing. And may we begin to trust our intuition, our spiritual muscle … a bit more every day.
When I first walked in front of this tree, I kept on walking. Then I turned back to see if what I thought I saw, I really did see.
I took its photo just to be certain. But there it was … a face within! Not carved by human design, but carved by Nature. And complete with hair, albeit green!
Once again, I was aware of the connectedness of all Creation.
To ignore our forests, our waterways or to ‘use’ them for financial gain in the short term rather than to treasure them for the long term is to ignore a precious gift we have been given.
May all who dwell on planet Earth, treat the sanctity of the created order with gentleness and loving respect. May we never forget the need for growth in forests to breathe clean air. May policy decision-makers be guided by need, rather than greed.
March 21st will be the International Day of Forests created by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly. May we always remember every day that just as the trees need us to survive, we need them to survive and thrive.
Friends have been diagnosed with cancer and they are dealing with the “c” news in a variety of ways.
Some are angry and are raging. Some are asking the “why me” question. Some are trying to understand the diagnosis because there is no genetic history in their family, because they have been active all their life and eaten healthy food and do what they can to keep stress as minimal as possible. Some are confused and bewildered. They don’t know what to do next. They feel helpless and some even feel hopeless.
The “c” diagnosis is a terror to hear, but when it meets people who face the terror and don’t bury their feelings, it discovers it is meeting a very strong Force – a unified force of good, positivity, hope and of love.
They are not alone.
That unified Force has many supporters, prayer warriors, hope-believers, energy-surrounders, love-givers around the world. You may know some of those people. There are others you may not. Some of those people may know you. Some of them may not. None of that matters because the energy and love of that Force is not dependent on “knowing” one another. Compassion is from the heart and we don’t need to “know” someone personally to feel compassion, express love, believe in hope.
If the “c” word has become part of your life, you know that there are days that are miserable and unless someone has walked in your exact path (which isn’t possible because every cancer is different as is every treatment), they can’t relate from an intellectual perspective. But they can relate from a heart-perspective.
Lean on the love and energy of that unified Force and feel the encouragement, love and hope coming your way.
Because, whether or not you can feel or sense it, it is there
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As usual, you are welcome to share.
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.
Three months earlier, I had turned twenty. This was my first teaching position. I was 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 nor 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 was 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, every year, that “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 wouldn’t 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” on what is known as Ash Wednesday – the first day of the Season of Lent.Those words are certainly no one’s favourite words, but they represent a truth of which is important to remember from time to time – our own mortality. Sadly, September 11th did that. Tragically, January 6th, did that. People realized their own mortality.
Ash Wednesday is a sober reminder that we are mortal – not immortal. 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, 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, to use the rest of our mortal life to the very best of our ability.
Interestingly, the imposition of ashes, is not just a Christian tradition. It was an ancient Jewish tradition and 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 before the Season of Easter.
Even during COVID, when churches were not open or people were reluctant to be among others during a pandemic, people found ways to receive the imposition of ashes. Churches became wonderfully creative!
Some supplied ashes for individuals/families so that they could sprinkle the ashes into the palm of their own or a family member’s hand and apply it themselves. Some encouraged the use of a cotton Qtip which could be dipped into the ashes and placed on the forehead that way. Other congregations gave members dirt, seed and water instead of ashes, acknowledging that from the dust of the world, new hope springs.
Other churches encouraged people to mark their hearts with the sign of a heart or the Cross as an outward and visible sign of their intention to turn their heart over to God and experience God’s unconditional love and forgiveness in a new way, saying the words “Dust I am and to dust I shall return.”
Many foreheads around the world are marking the beginning of the Season of Lent as people hear the words with those words.
I cannot stop thinking of the people in Ukraine, a year later, still living in terror as explosions deafen; food shortages become critical; the cold and snow gnaw at bodies; visible exhaustion on the faces of young and old alike; fear is a reality. Ukrainians are continuing to live the reality of Ash Wednesday’s reminder of human mortality, every day.
Children who survive this assault by Russia on their country, will have bitter memories of childhood as their reality in their adult years – just as it was for those children who survived the Holodomor of 1932-22 and are now seniors in this present struggle.
The Holodmor – did you learn about the Holodomor (translation: ‘death by hunger’ – a famine engineered by the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin) in school? I didn’t. According to the 2010 findings of the Court of Appeal of Kyiv, there were losses due to famine around ten million people – and not just famine, but cannibalism for which, according to the Harriman Review, over 2500 people were convicted. As explosions hit, life is being lived in underground shelters, food and medication shortages escalate, and remembrances of the Ukrainian revolution, and terror grows that the Holodomor will once again be forced upon them by Russia.
The Holodomor made the desire for independence from Russia, a “need” … much more than a “want” … a life-long “need.” So it is not surprising that Ukrainians are fighting – again. Defending their country – standing firm for one another. Resilient in the face of terror and threat of reprisal, they are led by a courageous man, President Zelinskyy, his wife and his Cabinet members and the brave women and men who valiantly fight for and stand up for democracy.
In this country, Canada, there is a very large Ukrainian population as many Ukrainians arrived as refugees after the Holodomor so it is not surprising that Canada has stood with Ukraine for decades. On September 21, 2014, a statue entitled “Bitter Memories of Childhood” was unveiled outside the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to memorialize the Holodomor was erected and there are similar statues in other parts of Canada.
“Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return” is a reverberating reality in Ukraine and in the hearts of many around the world who ache for Ukrainians.
May no one ever take the precious gift of life for granted. May we uphold all who work and fight for freedom and democracy. If you observe the Season of Lent with the imposition of ashes, may gratitude be yours for the life you experience.
This prayer which I’ve adapted from the Alternate Lord’s Prayer found in A New Zealand Prayer Book might be of help as you think of Ukrainians today and in the coming days and of ourselves.
“Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be … in times of temptation and test, strengthen them and us; from trials too great to endure, spare them and us; from the grip of all that is evil, free them and us.” Amen. So be it. Amen.
Whatever way each of us chooses to observe Ash Wednesday, may we enter with reverence, humility and gratitude.
Why do we let others fill our lives with negativity which only serves to cause stress?
Why do we continue turn on the tv and see, over and over and over, eruptions of anger and hatred?
Why do we allow fear to reign and not make choices that would place us in the company of people whose energy is loving and gentle and kind?
I wish I had the answers. I do not. I don’t know ‘why’ we do those things, but this I do know: we are responsible for making choices … choices about our friends – our tv and movie viewing – and yes, there are times when we even make choices about our families.
The British poet William Wordsworth once wrote (which may have been a mantra to himself as he faced a blank piece of paper and was about to construct a poem) these words: “Fill your page with the breathings of your heart.”
Not everyone is a poet and so not all of us sit before a blank piece of paper waiting for words to tumble forth. But each of us is an artist – an architect – a writer … of our own life.
What do we need as an artist of our life to draw a life of harmony? What do we need as an architect of our life to design a life that would lower stresses caused by things out of our control? What do we need as a writer of our life to consider words to live by which would be encouraging of positive action, nurturing of our soul, energizing to our body?
Each of us gets to determine those answers.
Perhaps we might begin by considering this adaptation of Wordsworth’s words and substitute his word “page” with this word – “life” and consider each day, which things, which people, which ways we can “fill our life with the breathings of our heart.”
Perhaps each of us can consider our answers to these questions: * What are the “breathings of your heart”? * What can you do to bring one of those ‘breathings’ into reality in your life in the next seven days? * Who can help/encourage/support you as you bring one of the ‘breathings’ into reality in your life? * What is stopping you from starting a reflection of these questions into action today? * How will your life change for the better when you begin to “fill your life with the breathings of the heart”?
If – when – we fill our lives in such a way, how can our world not be better? safer? kinder?
We say it often.
We hear it often.
But do we really know what we’re saying
when we say “good morning”?
Yesterday may have had ‘broken pieces.’
Yesterday may have brought disappointment.
Yesterday may have planted fear deep inside
But today is not yesterday.
Today is a new day.
This morning is a new morning.
And it can be a ‘good’ morning
… if only for a split second.
As I swept the leaves covering the front entrance to the house, I noticed a little bit of ‘good’ growing in a very protected place by the front door … a strawberry flower!
The birds had given an unexpected gift … a gentle reminder that every morning can offer an unexpected gift of goodness.
Thanks to the little lesson from the strawberry, I will smile and say “Good morning” to people I encounter this morning, whether I feel like it is a ‘good’ morning or not. As I smile and wish others “Good morning”, I will try to remember that each morning is the first day of the rest of their life, just as each morning is the first day of the rest of my life.
I want every day to be a day that holds to the promise of the strawberry growing unexpectedly in the front yard, bringing a “Good Morning!” wish to my soul. The unexpected gift is a reminder to share goodness with others in whatever ways I can, every day.
“Good Morning!” May this be a ‘good’ morning for you in some way. 🙂
Many people around the world are using the Advent Calendar in the coming weeks, to ‘countdown’ to Christmas. What about Ukrainians? An artist friend lives in Kyiv, Ukraine and posted the following this night. It is shared with a gentle prayer and hope that in our own preparation / ‘countdown’ to Christmas this Advent, we will not forget the people of Ukraine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Now there are many who are not in Ukraine have started writing about the Advent calendar – countdown to Christmas. We have our own countdown – light outages, planned and emergency. We plan our lives in such a way that we make the most of it in five hours. And then, in the dark, counting the minutes until the next opportunity to do something … along with electricity, the heating is turned off. Connection and Internet disappear for many. I have no hot water, along with electricity. Stores, banks, post office, those nearby do not work. But I don’t allow myself to whine. I think of our boys and girls in the trenches protecting us on the front lines. About the boys and girls who are captive. They have their own countdown.”
(Used with permission by the author who remains nameless for security reasons.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My friends, as the world prepares for and ‘counts down’ to Christmas, safe in our homes with electricity, heating, internet access, food, safety, freedom, may we remember those in Ukraine who join in the ‘countdown’ to Christmas in a different way. Slava Ukraini!
“Baby, it’s cold outside!” And it’s going to get colder – and colder – and the snow that began falling earlier today is still falling and apparently is going to continue throughout the night.
When it began, it was just frost – making lovely patterns on the wooden fence on the back deck. Then the tiny snowflakes began to fall – creating a winter wonderland. And then the fat, wet snow filled the sky and quickly covered everything in sight.
It’s cold outside. Gratefully, I am warm, inside this little home. But so many in this community are not.
My heart doesn’t understand … why our local community centre can’t be opened so that warm shelter can be provided for those on the street.
My mind understands … that “it’s complicated” because of issues of who’s going to pay for it; who is going to staff/volunteer the facility; sanitation; meals and more. And then there’s the concern about COVID (people are still in hospital, fighting for their lives), the flu and the respiratory virus that’s affecting many children (and lately, seniors), as well as questions, raise their controversial head: … will those who will use the facility be fully vaccinated? … will those who staff/volunteer be fully vaccinated? … will everyone wear a mask? … what if violence erupts – will there be police/RCMP present? … will medical staff be present? … what about insurance issues? … what about overall security/safety concerns? … and, who organizes such a plan – municipality? province? federal government?
Some are posting on social media that “churches should open their doors.” They would love to, but If they do, the same questions above need to be answered.
But there are no easy answers. The homeless this night will sleep curled up on a sidewalk, in a doorway, huddled under a tree, as the snow falls and the wind howls. And some won’t wake up in the morning.
No answers. Just deep pain in my heart, my soul, my mind.
FAREWELL, NOVEMBER Not ‘good-bye.’ We plan on seeing you again, this time, next year.
HELLO, DECEMBER Good to see you again. May each of us bring moments of grace-filled love this month expressed in … gentleness … respect … kindness … patience … goodness … and thoughtfulness to … and … with one another and ourselves.
In so doing, may this world be less chaotic less tense less troubled less stressed.
What has been happening in your country is beyond imagining … the hatred … the fear … the lies … the threats …
You may feel helpless.
You may feel frightened as you have never felt before.
You may not feel as if you have the strength or courage to face “the next.”
You may feel alone.
Please be assured that there are people around the world who are holding you all in the Light … are praying for you … are “with you” in spirit … are hoping, praying and encouraging you to vote in your mid-term elections in numbers your country has never seen before.
May you vote love, not hate.
May you vote with hope.
May you vote with commonsense.
May you vote.
Signed, one of your Canadian neighbours, with love, who aches with and prays for you all.
