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Staying Faithful to Peace in the Midst of Horror

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The gassing of Syrian citizens yesterday by either national or foreign forces is as heinous as it gets.

To see people being tended, listed only as an identifying number on their heads, because there were too many people helps us understand the devastation. No one should ever be a number — yet in such a situation what can you do?

There are many questions about what we can do to help. And actually, we don’t know much at the moment that could be helpful. But at the very least, we must bear witness.

There is horror. Not to talk about it is to normalize it. To shrink from it is to allow the world to believe we will tolerate such things. We’re waking up. We have to stay, as they’re saying now, “woke.”

Too many died senseless horrible deaths. May those responsible find their sanity and repent. May we all work to ensure that whole-scale slaughter stops. We cannot give Peace a chance if we do not admit that there is war and evil afoot. Peace, no peace. Which will we choose?

Assembling the Tools of Peace

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Peace is waged in many ways. War is as well, so we must be endlessly inventive in standing against it, in stopping it.

I just read that either the Syrians or the Russians unleashed a chemical weapon against the Syrian people.

The evil is overwhelming. I have no idea how we respond, I only know we must.

We must prepare. Because evil and those who do it do not hesitate.

We must give Peace a chance. We must long for Peace. We must be it. Even now, when we don’t know how.

Procrastinate for Peace or Get Busy?

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Spring is one of those times, isn’t it? Either you’re filled with energy and absolutely ready to tear into things, it’s cold and damp and you’d rather do nothing at all productive, or it’s lovely and you can’t consider doing anything other than enjoying the moment. Procrastination, done right, can be a completely endeavor. It’s gotten a bad rap, i think… Sometimes it’s just important to look around and be amazed. Spring is a time for wonderment! Just look at what’s pushing up through that soil and out the ends of buds. Notice! Appreciate! (big words for darn, just stop and stare!) And maybe, just a bit, imitate!

And allergies aside, because for some of us they’re fierce this time of year, this is a moment to come back to life. Everything around you is doing it, why wouldn’t you?

Today’s world is crazed and sometimes very ugly. As we reawaken, let us do so with Peace at the center of our thinking and living. We are the ones. We are. And everyone deserves Peace. That will only happen if some of us start the process.

So whether you’re cozying up with the last of the tea in the pot or out in the garden getting it ready for planting… make Peace your constant companion.

Cool Spring Weather, Great Books of Peace

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The past couple days have been cold and rainy. Today, because April, like her sister March is capricious, is going to be sunny and warm.

I, of course, had just written about the grey and damp.

So, some may want to pull the leaves off their plants today. Others may find it not quite that warm and choose to stay in and read.

And some wild souls may make time for both!

If you read, read at least a little that makes you expand what you know about Peace. Cool April days (and nights) are good for that. And don’t worry. It will be cold and damp and grey again if you just do the leaves today!

April Fool, April Peace

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There’s a lot of use of the word fools these days, but all of them are derogatory.

The Fool is a clever character. He speaks, always to Truth. In some Native traditions, he is known as Coyote. In Courts in Europe, he was known as the Jester. There is longstanding mythology in the Christian tradition of the Christ Consciousness as the Fool. the one who dares the impossible and the unthinkable good. The one who walks for Peace.

As with many things, it’s a much better notion than practice. Jesters were often abused. Coyotes have been chained. We too often look at with April Fools’ Day as an opportunity to make someone else uncomfortable and to laugh at their expense… hopefully kindly… ? What if next year we set a goal to prank for Peace? hmmm

But the underlying personality of the Fool is one we might pay attention to. He’s a Peacemaker. There are many styles… which one is yours.

March Falls; April Peace

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Unbelievably it’s the last day of March. How did that happen? It’s been fun spending the month with Carol Parenzan, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper, and looking at our beautiful water.

I don’t know when she took this picture, but in my mind it was recently, so the spray is frosty. All those cold ions escaping and opening and relaxing our minds…

Here, March is going out like a stormy lion, a spring stormy lion rather than a wintery one, but it’s been very March all month: blowy, cold, damp, occasionally snowy. Sun. No Sun. Changing.

And tonight March storms turn into April showers, right? And March Peace morphs to April Peace. Thanks for March! Here’s to April.

River Health, River Peace

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Mussels! in the Susquehanna River. Not only are they a sign of health, they’re a vehicle of health. I’ve learned from our Riverkeeper that they’re the kidneys of the River.

And they are in danger, because the American eel carries them and deposits them, but none of the fish ladders and eel ladders that were promised have been built! And so the mussels don’t get where they need to go. They’re far less able to expand and do their mighty job for our River’s health.

Peace is a multi-layered and complicated thing. We need to be about it!

Roiling River Peace

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When you live beside a river, it goes up and down. My brother- and sister-in-law have had to design their house because the original owners built to close to the river. Most of the time it’s a lovely place to live… and some of the time it’s a carry the furniture upstairs and call the moving van for the heavy bits. In the Spring you watch the water for floods and hope the snow, if you’ve had it won’t melt too fast.

That’s the river.

It’s sort of politics, too, isn’t it.

We have to make the Peace as we can. And we have to prepare ourselves to act. And then we have to act.

Clouds and Ripples and Peace

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Drop a dream into water and let it ripple out into Peace.

Every time I look at this picture, I realize how much more wonderful it is than I first thought; how much stronger.

I didn’t see the cloud in the center of the ripple at first. But to let that cloud, that piece of dreams, a piece of Peace, ripple out into the world… Beauty!

What if we allowed the softness of the world to touch our lives? What if we allowed ourselves to be the softness of the world?

Clouds, ripples, Peace… this shows the connection… Let us be the clouds of dreams, let us be the ripples of Peace.

 

The Greening of Peace

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Even as we’re fretting about how chilly and damp it is, the sun is moving North. We’re in the midst of a period when the changes in sunlight hours are the greatest. 2:40 minutes a day of gain.

It helps our plants and flowers to understand that now, now, now is the time. And up they come. It seems so dreary, but then, all of a sudden there are flowers poking their heads up out of the sod. Look at me, they flutter… look at how beautiful I am.

Time to wander down the street to photographer Deb Slade’s house and see what sort of Spring beauty is on display.

Keep your eye out for Beauty. When you spy it, let someone know. An invitation to share the experience of Beauty is an invitation to Peace. Let us offer Peace to a world that sorely needs it.