“I’m scared – afraid – terrified. J’ai peur.” These are words the world is hearing every day on the news, around the office, on social media, in our own heads.
For centuries throughout the world, there have been hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, fires, etc. that have struck fear in the hearts of people.
Cancer, Covid and other medical diagnoses have shaken and continue to shake people to the core.
The January 6th attack on the capitol of the U.S. terrified people who thought that civil unrest would be followed by civil war – or maybe WW111.
The unimaginable earthquakes killing over thousands of people are soul-wrenching and foreboding for those living on earthquake faults.
The Chinese balloon and unknown object that were shot down over the U.S., sparked frightening images of espionage and evoked the fear that nothing is private anymore.
Russia’s ongoing assault on the people of Ukraine, a daily reminder that if Ukraine falls, other countries will not be safe and neither will democracy.
The bombing of Iran by the US and Israel … the killing of the children/staff at the Iranian school … the killing of sailors in international waters … the death of US armed forces following orders in Iran …
And then there’s DJT, JDV, EM, the minions of Project 2025 and the daily decisions made and the horrifying consequences paid by others who have done nothing wrong except … looked different … spoke with an accent … were in the wrong place at the wrong time … somehow got onto a ‘list’ … didn’t vote the way DJT wanted them to vote …
Anxiety seems unrelating and fear is rising. Feelings of helplessness, abandonment, and lack of control overwhelm. Breathing becomes shallow. Hearts race. Minds won’t stop thinking.
Images seem everpresent: images of the children; the elderly; the disabled; the farewells; the frigid weather; the explosions; the baby buggies at the train station; the line-ups for food and water; the babies born in bomb shelters; the demolished hospitals / schools / churches; the bodies; the families running to escape the fires … the images haven’t stopped. Neither has the fear.
What to do in the midst of experiencing fear that is “gut-wrenching / can’t explain / keep-me-awake” type of fear that is being felt as the horror of evil surfaces and spreads? What to do if God seems absent? Is there anything we can do to allay the fear, or at least not have such fear so present all the time?
Perhaps there is … sometimes. And sometimes is often the only thing to hang on to.
Sometimes – admitting our fear to ourself, to another … helps. Admitting our fear can help move the darkness out and bring healing.
Sometimes – naming the evil … helps. There is power in naming the evil. The man known as Jesus did that … often. Sometimes – something as simple as saying, praying, thinking, whispering the word ‘peace’ as we gently, and slowly, literally inhale a second of peace into our body, mind and spirit – helps.
Sometimes – saying, praying, thinking, whispering the word ‘fear,’ as we literally exhale the consequences of that fear from our body … – helps.
Sometimes – reminding ourselves that though we may be experiencing God as absent, others are experiencing the presence of God in different ways: the selflessness of volunteers and community/social organizations; the plants/shrubs/flowers, the spontaneous laughter of a child; the medical and scientific miracles that continue to emerge and surface; the courage of reporters and journalists who speak the truth in spite of threats of job loss; the indefatigable decisions being made by Judges who are making rulings counter to what is expected by DJT; the peaceful protests …
Sometimes – creating something in the kitchen, garden, shop, studio, on the computer, in our Journal – helps.
Sometimes – repeating Dame Julian of Norwich’s words (“All shall be well. All shall be well. And all manner of thing shall be well”) can help and using our breath to say them: … as we inhale, say / think / whisper / pray / sing “all shall be well” … as we exhale, say / think / whisper / pray / sing “all shall be well”; inhale “and all manner of thing”; exhale “shall be well” – helps
Sometimes – remembering that somewhere in the world, every minute of every day, someone is meditating, inviting peace for other; sitting cross-legged and chanting; saying the Rosary; receiving Communion; reciting the Shema; praying the Daily Office; thinking / sending / praying / whispering good thoughts for the world; holding those experiencing fear in their heart, mind and spirit; thinking a comforting thought – helps
Each of these contribute to an energy force that is more powerful than negativity.
We can admit to saying/thinking “J’ai peur … I’m afraid” when we feel frightened, for when we release the fear in simply acknowledging its presence somehow, it doesn’t have the same power over us as it did before we admitted the fear within us.
Yes, I admit … “J’ai peur … I’m afraid.” But I refuse to let fear stifle my ability to speak out/speak up … I refuse to let fear paralyze me into social isolation … I refuse to let fear stop me from continuing to be informed, knowledgeable about the truth of what is happening … and I refuse to let fear tell me that there is no future.
Welcome Wednesday. You are a gentle reminder to “make time to smell the roses.”
“Make” time not just “take” time but make time to … work at our relationships with cherished family and friends … play and create … be intentional about our health: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual … wonder and ponder and be in awe … be aware of the negative effect social media is doing to our body, mind and spirit and disengage from it more than engage with it.
In other words, may we make time this day, this Wednesday to “smell the roses” … of activities that offer joy … of people who encourage hope … of thoughts that bring positive memories … of things that are keeping us alive and active like our breath, vision, hearing, mobility, pumping heart, and other organs and …
Welcome Wednesday. May we find ways to give thanks for this day.
I’m getting “up there” in the chronological age listing. Naww, let’s face it, I’m “up there!” Some of my friends are up here too – or are close by ,and they’re anxious. They’re anticipating all sorts of unpleasant things that are ahead, especially in matters of health, finances and overall well-being – from wrinkles to mobility/hearing/vision/dental/limb issues/loss of friends and more. I hear them say things like “I’m almost 70 or 75 or 80 or …” As if a particular age were a hurdle to “get over.”
The additional matter of the world feeling uncertain, (economically, politically, socially (feeling ‘heavy’ as some of my friends put it), it’s true. Responsibilities multiply. Losses accumulate. Personal disappointments surface. Business setbacks become reality. Family tensions, spiritual doubts can arise. Yet I’ve come to believe that aging gives something powerful: CONTEXT. As seniors, we recognize patterns; we remember other storms that passed. Context.
Aging has much to give. It can … teach self-acceptance: the urgency to prove oneself can soften into the focus on living truthfully … provide steadiness in decisions: shaped less by impulse and more by long-view judgment … expand a sense of compassion: as we understand that everyone is navigating their own unseen struggles … offer opportunities for self-reflection, humility and trust: showing growth in faith / spiritual life.
To be sure, aging doesn’t remove difficulty. Instead, it can strengthen our capacity to hold difficulty without being undone by it. In so doing, we realize that strength is patient and grows.
It’s true – there are seasons when change hits us in the face, feels unwelcome and is painful: when roles evolve, health shifts, long-held plans have to be revised. But change can also invite re-invention … opportunities to consider ‘possibilities’ as we learn to be intentional about holding on to what matters, and shedding what no longer seems to matter. And that includes downsizing material possessions.
Aging is, in a nutshell, an opportunity to continue ‘becoming.’ It’s not always easy. But it is meaningful. And surely ‘meaning’ (more than youth) is what sustains a life well-lived?
My late husband was a calligrapher and penned our favourite saying … “Age is a matter of mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” <Mark Twain>. Hans was a lot older than I, but that didn’t stop him (or me), from playing. It’s true, as George Bernard Shaw wrote “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” As much as I love Twain’s words, I love Eleanor Roosevelt’s words on this subject even more: “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature but beautiful old people are works of art.”
I like the thought that I’m a work of art – you’re a work of art – each of us, privileged to live into our senior years – are works of art! So I continue … facing the issues ahead, personally and politically … and believing, as CS Lewis said, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” One of my goals is to continue writing these ‘Soulistry: Artistry of the Soul’ reflections. Not having Hans by my side anymore, there is no one close by to share such reflections, so I write – “journal” in my blog.
What goal / dream are you setting? How are you a work of art? What ways are you dealing with what life hands you, with an attitude, a spirituality of playfulness? May we all remember that “Aging is not to mourn what is lost, but to celebrate what remains.”(unknown author)
It’s not a good day for many in the world. And especially not for those in Ukraine. Four years ago today, Russia invaded Ukraine.
On this, the fourth anniversary of that terrible event, tangling in colour helps distract me from the sterile black/white images in my mind of menacing trucks rolling down city streets, people hovering in bombed-out hospitals, children growing up terrified, and democracy on a fragile thread in that and far too many countries.
As we move about each day – as we drive, shop, create, attend our meetings, appointments, go to work/school/worship, may we think of the people of Ukraine and other places in the world where that same scenario is commonplace.
Let us think ‘hope’. Let us pray ‘peace’. Let us send thoughts of ‘protection’ to them. May freedom be theirs. May their reality change soon and may the people of Ukraine know that the world has not forgotten them.
Colour and Hope! I send them colour – and hope – this, and all, days. We need colour and hope in this world as reminders that rainbows still cross skies – somewhere. Reminders that children still dance and sing – somewhere. Reminders that freedom still exists – somewhere.
SLAVA UKRAINI!
********************** (An aside: this piece of ‘colour and hope’ was done on something called ‘scratch paper’. I don’t find it easy to work with, but love the surprising and unexpected colours that emerge and thought it the perfect medium for this reflection! That’s my hope and prayer for the people of Ukraine … that there will be surprising and unexpected victories for them that will remind them that there are people of every colour around the world who are praying, supporting, surrounding them with thoughts of love and protection.
For those familiar with Zentangle®, this is an attempt at a HQ fragment called ‘Obawa’.
Hello, Sunday! A new day begins. A new week begins.
And with these new beginnings, a wish … a prayer … a hope. May hatred, violence, fear, terrorism, self-seeking opportunism and seeking power for personal control or gain take flight this day from the worlds of politics religion, countries, communities, homes, media and each of us.
Hello, Sunday! A new day begins. A new week begins with a wish … a prayer … a hope.
May goodness .. love, hope, self-control, truth, kindness, patience, gentleness, thoughtfulness, joy and peace be released in little ways, in big ways and in-between-ways.
Hello Sunday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The tiny lights nestled around the daffodils, Witch Hazel branches and stone angel statue on my mantle hopefully light the way to hope and healing for all experiencing darkness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If only it were possible to see democracy surviving. Even “just a little bit.” But, the loss of democracy is on the rise in the United States, around the world, and even here in my beloved Canada.
The phrase “It wouldn’t happen here” has been spoken by people who voted for someone who told them what he would do. And when he began to do it, they came up with excuses. And then more things happened that they didn’t think would happen. And they made excuses.
And now?? When climate change and the threat of nuclear war are added to the rising hatred, violence, terrorism, it’s not surprising that people are asking “Is any place safe these days?”
And the answer to that question? Schools are not. Universities are not. Hospitals are not. Marathons are not. Sport events are not. Homes are not. Public events are not. Streets are not. Religious buildings are not. Government buildings are not. Shopping centres / malls are not.
Fear grows more and more as personal lives are dramatically impacted. Intolerance spreads as “someone” must be the reason for prices going up, jobs being lost, hatred increases. And the “us” and “them” language develops its own life.
When that happens, we forget that joy abounds … weddings happen … lives are celebrated … babies are born … lives are extended because of medical intervention … children laugh and play … elders share their wisdom and experience … musicians, photographers, dancers, painters, thespians, calligraphers, potters, weavers, chefs, gardeners, carpenters, fabric artists, knitters, landscape artists, writers and many others continue to awaken the creative spirit, touch the soul and inspire the mind.
When fear and negativity rise to the surface, decisions made by leaders focus our attention on the death knell of life. If only it were possible to see democracy surviving. Even “just a little bit.”
My spirit grieves for the lives that have been lost, the ongoing erosion of democracy, the ways selfishness keeps us from changing our habits to protect this planet for future generations.
What can be done? We can choose to see our world entering the death of the tomb. Or we can choose to see our world entering the birth of the womb.
I don’t want to give up. I won’t say the world is doomed. I believe in possibility. Perhaps a baby is being born this day or a child is already born who may conceive of a way to bring compassion out of this chaos, who may find a way to save this planet from climate devastation, who may find a way to motivate people to a world of kindness, compassion, love, community and hope.
May we not give away our ability to choose to face each tomorrow with hopeful expectation/anticipation … even if it is only “just a little bit.”
I remember … every year. 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.
I had just turned twenty, three months earlier. It was my first teaching position. I was teaching 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 or 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 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 that every year, “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 would not 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.” Certainly no one’s favourite words, but they represent a truth of which we all need to be reminded from time to time. Sadly, September 11th did that. January 6th, did that. Every time there is a school/community/church shooting, an environmental tragedy, a loved one dies, people realize their own mortality.
That’s what Ash Wednesday does. It is a sober reminder that we are not immortal. We are mortal. Ash Wednesday is a reminder that it is impossible to handle our problems and live our lives without help from anyone else. Paradoxically, that is precisely the point at which we can become new people.
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, and 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, by-Whatever-Name, to use the rest of our mortal life to the very best of our ability.
Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Season of Lent, the 40-day penitential period before the celebration of Easter. The imposition of ashes, an ancient Jewish tradition, 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 when people would find a way receive the imposition of ashes.
Some churches are supplying ashes for individuals/families so that they can sprinkle the ashes into the palm of their own or a family member’s hand and apply it themselves. Some are encouraging the use of a cotton Qtip which could be dipped into the ashes and the ashes placed on the forehead that way … giving members dirt, seed and water instead of ashes, acknowledging that from the dust of the world, new hope springs … encouraging people to mark their hearts with the sign of a heart or the Cross as an outward and visible sign that of the intention is to turn hearts over to God/Higher Power and experience unconditional love and forgiveness in a new way.
Whatever way each of us chooses to observe Ash Wednesday, may we enter into the ritual with reverence and humility and with gratitude. Ash Wednesday is, for me, a gift … a precious opportunity to acknowledge my humanity, my vulnerability, my mortality. May this Ash Wednesday be a moment of grace for our world.
In many parts of the world, tomorrow marks the beginning of a six-week period called the Season of Lent … a time of introspection – of “slowing down and taking stock.”
The Season of Lent is not signalling an end to the war in Ukraine or a recognition that very bad decisions, impacting the lives of countless lives are being made. But it can be an opportunity of metanoia. For those who observe the Season of Lent, many follow the practice of “giving something up” for Lent (meat, candy, chocolate, liquor etc), I’ve never liked that perspective. Instead, I choose to “put on” instead … put on love.
But why only for those who observe the Season of Lent? Why not everyone?
These are difficult times. It’s not unusual for people to be frightened, scared, terrified. It’s not unusual that negativity quickly spreads.
Over the years, many words have been used as metaphors for love. My metaphor for love this year is ‘baby stroller’. Yes, it’s a surprising metaphor, but this photo of a train station in Poland shows baby strollers left by Polish moms for Ukrainian moms escaping the war in Ukraine with babies in their arms. The Polish moms “gave -up” the convenience of the stroller for their own child and “put on” love – for people they didn’t even know.
For the Forty Days and Nights of the Season of Lent, I won’t be ignoring the reality of the political chaos. But when I speak-up-and-out about injustice, cruelty, evil, I’ll find a way to “even-the-playing-field”, in some way. Metanoia!
“Meraki.” [may-rah-kee] May today be a ‘MERAKI’ day. 🙂
Modern Greeks often use the word ‘meraki’ to describe “doing something with soul” … aka – when you put something of yourself into whatever you’re doing.
Meraki is about creative, loving, soul-awakening acts. Whether preparing a meal … caring for a garden … creating something artistic … caring for someone who is ill, lonely, grieving, in pain … arranging a room … tangling … praying for a situation/person … whatever. If it’s done with soul, with passion, with love, then it’s ‘meraki’.
An ancient Chinese proverb offers a gentle reminder of ‘meraki’: “If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
This weekend in some parts of the world, some are sharing ‘light in the soul’ … ‘meraki’ … in acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, loving gestures/actions as they mark Valentine’s Day. Expressing ‘meraki’, they are letting another know that they are ‘hearted’ – loved’.
Sadly, while of this is happening, some are alone, receiving none of the above. They are lonely, isolated because of illness, weather, grief, hurt feelings, poverty, self-hatred, fear. Oh the fear caused by politics, evil leaders, equally-evil minions.
This Valentine’s day of commercial love is anything but a day of soul, of joy, of love. Where is the meraki in the commercialism? If you are one of those people, my hope is, if only for a moment, you will consider yourself “hearted,” and loved, and receive my little ‘TULILUV’ tangled tile image at the top of this reflection.
MAY you experience the love that went into its creation. MAY this Valentine’s Day be a little brighter than it might otherwise have been, and bring a gentle flicker of light in your soul. MAY the wise Chinese proverb come to fruition, so that there will be MERAKI … “light” in each soul … “beauty” in each person … “harmony” in each home … “order” in each nation …“peace in our hearts, countries, world.” AND MAY we “be each other’s strength”: https://soulistry.com/lets-be-each-others-strength
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P.S. If you’re into tangling and would like to have the step-out of my TuliLuv tangle (upper right corner of the heart in the image ), just let me know. Happy to share. 🙂
I keep hearing the cry … “what is hope?” and the cry … “where is hope?”
Lives – bodies, minds, spirits – will be assaulted by threats, violence, racism, sexism, broken promises, and more lies. As families are separated, the economy worsens and darkness plummets in areas of education, health, environment, personal safety and more.
Augustine died in 430. It was a time when many Romans fled for their lives to North Africa because of violence and corruption in high offices. It was a time when hope seemed to be elusive – and invisible. Terrible times.
Sound familiar? In the fifth century, he wrote these words: “Hope has two daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage … ‘anger’ at the way things are … and ‘courage’ to see that they do not remain the way they are.”
These days, many are experiencing elusive hope … invisible hope. Augustine knew that the only way through terrible times was for hope to emerge. His words guided the people at that time. Could they guide people at this time? Could we be called to hope, in spite of it all?
What if we allowed the anger at the “way things are” to surface by expressing our feelings in journalling, focusing on our breathing, artwork and sharing those feelings in conversations with trusted family, friends, colleagues, professionals?
What if we responded with courage … – by putting one foot in front of the other? – by remembering to breathe? – by inhaling Ruach? – by making time to “be” (remembering that we are human ‘be-ings’ not human ‘do-ings’)? – by sharing our fear, stress, concerns with caring people and welcoming opportunities to live … one moment at a time.
Hope has two daughters. Anger. Courage.
May we give ourselves time space to experience what we are feeling. May we give ourselves time and space to name what we are feeling as ‘anger.’ And may we be open to being siblings of Courage and Hope. In spite of it all.
“Soulistry” is a neologism combining two words: ‘soul’ and ‘artistry’ … soul-space – connecting creativity and spirituality. Sent from the traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia. ***********************************************
After reading far too many of the Epstein files, after reading far too much garbage about our Prime Minister (who not only is doing the very best he can, but is giving hope to many Canadians), after reading the “Monsters in Plain Sight” piece by Charlie Angus, this morning, my body, mind and spirit recoiled – even more than it has been doing lately.
I knew I needed to get outdoors. I knew I had to experience something soul-soothing. After a short car ride, I went for a little walk close to my home.
It was misty in the background before me. In the foreground, the barren tree stood tall and erect and the evergreen tree stood proud, seemingly “in charge.” The reflection in the water of the little island gently had me reflect on “upside-down” … like our world these days … like the “upside-down” disorientation deep within me as I read those articles.
The reflection only took a few moments of stillness, of observation of what was before me, around me, within me.
And then it came to me – I was experiencing “upside-down peace.” Upside-down peace that says that … even when it feels as if the world is upside-down … even if it only lasts a moment, peace is still possible.
As I stood looking at the view before me this morning, my soul inhaled the beauty my mind grasped the messages my heart became still for a moment. and in that moment, I knew peace.
Hope – where is it these days? For Kylene, Stuart and their children, the word ‘hope’ seemed like an empty phrase. But sometimes, a little hope, whispered, spoken, cried, shouted, becomes reality. These days, the news seems to get worse by the day. “Where is hope these days?” I asked the question this morning and one word came to me: Lewis.
Lewis, a neighbour’s family ginger cat, had gone missing. I whispered a wee prayer and hoped Lewis would be found. But he wasn’t. A ginger cat started showing up in the back yard. It was skittish and ran away within seconds. But was terribly thin and clearly hungry. One day, after feeding it, I was able to bring it indoors. “Oh please, let it be Lewis,” I whispered. I contacted the family and within minutes, the Dad, Stuart, came over.
As Stuart checked the cat, it was clear that it wasn’t Lewis and that this ginger cat was very ill. So off we went to Duncan Animal Hospital, one of our local vets who kindly cared for it and then turned it over to our local Cat Rescue for adoption. Good ending for that cat, but Lewis was still missing.
That was all before Christmas and I kept praying that Lewis would be found and the family would have a special Christmas gift this year. But that didn’t happen.
And then one morning, I received a wonderful email …“Our ginger cat, was found in Arbutus Ridge!” Thanks to Lewis’ tattoo he’d received from Cowichan Cat Rescue prior to his adoption, he was identified, and the rest, as they say, is history! Happy history!
No one knows how Lewis made it from here to where it was found -14 km away! It is a story that will remain with Lewis. But oh how I’d love to still be teaching Junior and Middle School students so I could tell the students about Lewis and invite them to write a short story about Lewis’ Adventures from when he went missing to when he was found. I’m sure Lewis had plenty of adventures!
Hope. Have you noticed that at times, hope feels like the ‘elusive pimpernel’: sought everywhere, glimpsed briefly, and then gone again. We search for hope … in prayers … in news … in outcomes … in promises … and often come up empty-handed. When headlines overwhelm and prayers feel unanswered, hope can seem fragile – even foolish. Hope does not ask us to deny reality. It asks only that we keep ‘showing up’, keep caring, keep believing that loss is not the final word.
Hope has a way of surviving in disguise, moving quietly through ordinary kindness, persistence, love, peaceful protests. And for those who don’t have hope, then lean on the hope of those of us who do.
Lewis came home. And for a moment, the ‘elusive pimpernel’ of hope let itself be seen.
In a world that so often feels broken, may Lewis remind us that sometimes, quietly, unexpectedly, what is lost, can still be found … even hope.
Today is a day that must be remembered. It is the international Holocaust Remembrance Day and we must …
We must remember the horrors that happened when good people did not believe what was happening.
We must remember the hatred and lust for power which resulted in intimidation, intolerance, corruption, horrifying violence against Jews, Roma, homosexuals, political activists, the disabled (physically and mentally).
Exact numbers of those who died in concentration camps in the Holocaust are unknown, but it is estimated that six million Jews, 15,000 homosexuals, unknown political prisoners, the disabled, and about 1.5 million out of an estimated 2 million Roma were murdered in the Gypsy Holocaust -(Porajmos). Records of one concentration camp (Auschwitz) show unbelievable facts: 1.1 million died … 960,000 Jews (865,000 of whom were gassed on arrival), 74,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 prisoners of war, and up to 15,000 other Europeans.
Many try to forget the reality of what happened in Europe to these people, including clergy who also died while doing their best to support and protect the vulnerable. Many denied the reality of the Holocaust then. Many deny the reality of the Holocaust now.
And many are not seeing distinct similarities between what happened then and what is happening now in the United States with ordinary citizens who are being assaulted, kidnapped, murdered by members of ICE and in Iran with protesters and …
We must remember the words of Martin Niemöller “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”
What gave rise to the Holocaust then – anger, hatred, fear – is happening now. And it is growing.
If Niemöller’s words are not taken seriously … if history is not remembered … if action is not taken … if people do not speak up there will be no one left to speak. Democracy will no longer be the reality.
WE MUST REMEMBER Remember that “It didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with ‘us vs them’. It started with intolerance and hate speech, and when people stopped caring, became desensitized and turned a blind eye.” <Auschwitz Memorial>
WE MUST REMEMBER and become educated about the atrocities of the past … educate today’s children so they know the truth. We must do our part in speaking up and speaking out.
WE MUST REMEMBER. Not to remember will have dire consequences.
I don’t live in the United States. I have family there – have dear friends there – was born there – have neighbours / siblings / strangers I care about, there.
What has been going on in that country, particularly lately in Minneapolis with protestors lawfully resisting, ICE agents illegally assaulting and once again, murdering, my emotions are like so many others, raw, reactive, and more, as I try to reflect and recognize that hope still exists, that goodness will overcome.
A black pen found its way into my hand and squiggles and waves and patterns and words began to surface tonight. Living alone, there is no one here with whom I can process it all because I live alone. I found that it felt good to say the words out loud, write the words, spit the words – and realize that tiny fragments of hope and rootedness and faith are there too. They’re few, but they’re there. And I am grateful to see that they are – they exist – they’re there.
So I will hold on to the reality that is deep within me this night. I will hold on to that reality – that hope – for the people of the United States, the people of Iran, the people of Greenland, the people of Ukraine, the people of Palestine, the people of Canada, the people of other parts around the world who are fighting for justice and democracy, for without even a smidgeon of hope, evil wins. It cannot.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, pick up a journal and write your thoughts – squiggle a wiggly line and add some words – talk into a recording device. Let those deep emotions surface for a short moment so they can be acknowledged and no longer have such a strong hold on you.
Drawing this, whatever-it-is, tonight has not been as good as having someone to talk with about it all, but it’s been helpful. It’s one way to get what is deep within me, out, If only for a little bit. And isn’t that part of what resistance is all about? Put the little bits together and change can happen … our own emotional well-being as we try to deal with it all, and the situation itself.
May sleep come this night … to all who live in fear … to those who dread the approaching storms … to all who were present or have watched the videos of today’s murder of a 37 year old American who was defending a young woman tackled to the ground by ICE … and to all who grieve, remembering particularly the family of Alex Jeffrey Pretti. Rest in peace, Alex. May you rest in peace.
A YEAR AGO TODAY I posted this … and today, one year later, it’s not just the United States that faces all of this, but the world.
On this first of the second 1460 days, it is still true. Tragically true. American friends. Canadian friends. Venezuelan friends. Iranian friends. Greenland friends. Friends ….
may courage be yours may courage be ours may courage infill, surround, reign one day at a time
***************
(originally posted January 20, 2025)
on this first day of 1460 days decisions became law retaliation stood firm guardians of liberty were stifled] rights have been destroyed
courage may you have courage for yourselves, for LGBTQIA2S+ for those facing deportation for clergy who will offer sanctuary for those who fear loss of medical coverage, social security, the constitution
A YEAR AGO TODAY I posted this … and today, one year later, it’s not just the United States that faces all of this, but the world … with all of what was posted a year ago today when DJT took office for the second time on day one of his presidency of the United States.
On this first of the second 1460 days, it is still true. Tragically true. And more so.
American friends. Canadian friends. Venezuelan friends. Iranian friends. Greenland friends.
Friends …. may courage be yours may courage be ours may courage infill, surround, reign one day at a time
***************
(originally posted January 20, 2025)
on the first day of 1460 days decisions became law retaliation stood firm guardians of liberty were stifled rights have been destroyed
courage may you have courage for yourselves, for LGBTQIA2S+ for those facing deportation for clergy who will offer sanctuary for those who fear loss of medical coverage, social security, the constitution
It’s another day of cold darkness with teary-rain weather in many places. It’s another day of darkness and teary-memories as many remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, the third Monday in the month of January. But instead of his murder being a sign that things must change, racial slurs, hatred of “the other”, and violence continue.
And God weeps.
Weeping God, how you must ache for your people who face uncertain futures.
How you must ache for those who enter into conversations and political debate with open hearts and minds only to find threats, harassment, and fear leading the discussions and governing decisions.
How you must ache for those whose love of power, love of money and love of self, supersedes commitment to honesty, mercy, compassion, justice and integrity.
Some cry … “How long O Lord, how long? Some whisper … “Let this cup be taken from us.” Some try to remember … the presence of the Holy One even “in the valley of the shadow of death.”
Many feel a kaleidoscopic tumbling of emotions and know not what to do, how to pray, what to say. And as they weep, the Creator weeps.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day once said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
May you continue to rest in peace Martin Luther King Jr, and may your life, witness, and words be a signpost of hope that a day will come when love will drive out hate. Let’s continue to show love … in waves of peaceful protest, steadfast focus on democratic principles, and actions of love – big and small – in our communities, families, and ourselves. Let’s be the light and love that will drive out the darkness.
A friend in Greenland ended her email today with these words: “God help us!” A reply from the United States to a FB post today, ended with these words: “God help us!”
I’ve heard that same cry from friends in the United States … Canada … Ukraine … Palestine … Israel … Uganda .. the Philippines and other parts of the world where I’ve been blessed by friendships that have evolved and flourished over time.
Today, more and more people are fearful — frightened that their country will be absorbed / conquered / bombed by another country … fearing that they might not return home from work, school, the hospital, the grocery store, church/synagogue/temple … terrified that their children will be abandoned/abducted because of ICE agents. More and more people are beginning to be afraid to leave their homes, fearful of even opening the front door.
Countries are asking for help … Reuters reports that Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Canada have begun deploying military personnel to Greenland at the invitation of Denmark. The deployed are fearful that this multinational movement, at this time “a symbolic and strategic show of unity following renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex / conquer the territory” will escalate and they may never return home.
“God help us” people write – and pray – whisper. That phrase begs the question – “Is there a God?” And. if there is, “Why isn’t all of the chaos and evil stopped?”
I believe there is a God – not human-like that lives in the sky and dangles strings like a puppeteer making good things happen, bad things go away, but a God/Entity/Creator/Source/By-Whatever-Name, that created the world and humanity, giving human beings free will – to make decisions, to make mistakes, to learn and grow and become the very best person they can be.
I also believe in the existence of evil that can fester through greed and a hunger for power. That belief is tempered by a belief that evil is not as strong as is Goodness which happens each and every day in some way, in some place, through some human being, to some one or ones, directly or indirectly.
I believe in God – a God that works through people … like those who are blogging, protesting, speaking up and out; those who are peacefully resisting, calling their political leaders, helping others get to polling stations; those in positions of leadership (political, economic, media, education, business, etc.) who exercise that leadership from positions of integrity; those helping strangers or neighbours or friends in simple ways, in quiet ways, in gentle ways; those deployed in fragile countries and situations and are doing their jobs in accordance with the vows they took.
I believe that God is at work – through each of us.
And, while as much as I wish the works that continue to show me that God exists through each of us, I also wish they would result in tangible positive outcomes now (!). But, I am mindful that evil exists and that barriers are in place because those in powerful positions seek more money and power – for themselves. And so it takes longer for “God” to be seen working.
I believe it is happening and that we will see the results – – some day – some way – some how.
Do you believe that? If not, can you set semantics and God-language aside, and join in the hope that is in the goodness in some people who are quietly, gently, and sometimes loudly, in-your-face yet still legally “helping” – to make a difference?
History tells me that even in the darkest of times, God exists … through us. I look forward to change happening through God/us and bringing peace in this troubled world.
Laughter — it is SOOOO good for the body and soul. Sadly, there’s not been a lot of that these days. Politics … anger … fear … seem to have taken over.
Our soul needs regular doses of laughter!
When my Dutch-born husband, Hans, was alive, there was a lot of laughter in our home. Hans was a Renaissance man – knowledgeable, well read, great conversationalist, creative, linguist, could fix anything that needed fixing in the house/yard, and more. And his great sense of humour, delightfully contagious laugh and smile still bring a smile to my face as I remember. Today, laughter bubbled out of me when I reread this response to something I posted on social media the year before he died …
I wrote: “India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar Uniform Charlie Alpha November Uniform November Delta Echo Romeo Sierra Tango Alpha November Delta Tango Hotel India Sierra, Charlie Oscar Papa Yankee Alpha November Delta Papa Alpha Sierra Tango Echo Tango Oscar Yankee Oscar Uniform Romeo Sierra Tango Alpha Tango Uniform Sierra. “
And he replied …“Alfa November Delta Whiskey Hotel Alfa Tango India Sierra Tango Hotel India Sierra Alfa Lima Lima Alfa Bravo Oscar Uniform Tango Whiskey Hotel Alfa Tango Alfa Mike India Tango Oscar Charlie Oscar Papa Yankee Alfa November Delta Papa Alfa Sierra Tango Echo.”
I laughed then. And I laughed this morning when I saw this photo, as I remembered our online conversation … and him.
How I wish I had a recording of his voice – and his laugh! But, I don’t. I can “hear” both his voice and laughter in my head and heart, but oh how wonderful it would be to have actual recordings.
So often we think of taking photos of our partner/spouse, children, parents, siblings – at various ages/stages in their lives. I treasure the photos I have. But their voices??? It never crossed my mind to record their voices.
Gratefully, I have voice recordings of my son, but recordings of the voices of my parents, siblings, Hans? Not one. And now, that they’ve all died, I will never hear their voice again.
So, a gentle encouragement to you — if you don’t have recordings of the voice of your loved one(s), get started now. Record them reading to you … let them know what you’re doing and record a conversation … ask them to record a joke or a song or … whatever!
And record their laughter! 🙂 Your soul will thank you.
