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Peace Where It’s Needed

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I’ve been writing in sadness and frustration about kids, in particular, viewing things through their screens, and distancing themselves from the reality of what’s happening. What I’m watching now seems to be the antithesis of that: People hear about a tragedy and they say: Oh, that’s just like my… or Oh, what if that were to happen to me?… or well it’s not as bad as…

I know that the whole world isn’t thinking what’s being expressed on FB… but gee golly, too many of us are… it’s so human to want to know things and control the insane with information or distance, but the insanity of such acts as Boston… acts of war and terror, whoever the perpetrator is… can be worked against before and after, and in the moment, there is nothing to do from afar but witness, pray, and grieve.

Each individual trauma is trauma to the traumatized. It doesn’t comfort them to be told that other people are suffering. It perhaps comfort those of us making those comparisons to other things because it distances us from that person’s immediate, individual pain.

I do blame tech for this: we have difficulty telling what is possible and what is probable any more. Simply because something could happen doesn’t mean it’s likely to. I heard a cop say the other day, we have to separate the improbable possibilities from the probable. We have just this life to live. No sense wasting it on living in fear of what is unlikely to happen. Even the things that are likely to happen we can only prepare for and then go about celebrating life. And is our being afraid, I wonder, just another way to not feel? And quite frankly, most of us, not all, but most of us, have not been in those situations. We have TV to instruct us, and it’s pretty stupid. So, let’s be prepared, but relaxed…

While it’s true that what happened in Boston happens every day in war torn countries, that doesn’t mitigate the pain and shock. We’re so insulated here, it’s unimaginable to consider living with such threats on a daily basis. Too many people in the world are not insulated and live through this horror. We must hold them close to our hearts and get to work on their behalf. This is insanity. At the same time, the horror of Boston is not to be swept under the rug. Because these individuals, doing nothing more innocuous than run a race and go to cheer runners on, lived it. And we must bear witness to the horror.

It’s all very complicated and painful, isn’t it? And yet, it’s to that very pain that we’re asked to be present, and then get back to the very hard, and very necessary, work of Peace. You and I — we’re all that Peace has in her pocket. And as a journalist said yesterday, probably the most defiant thing we could do is train for a marathon. or go to a ball game. wow… I think I’ll just let that thought fester for a while. Could I do that? I don’t know.

PeaceApril18

Clinging to Peace

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In the midst of Spring’s hope and promise is the cold reality of the volatility of the natural world and the hatred some people live with and impose upon the world.

It is challenging not to lump everything together into an overwhelming whole. It is important not to confuse our fears with other people’s realities. It is vital we keep doing the work we are capable of doing. There is Hope. There is Peace. There is Spring. We just have to rake the leaves away from all of them so the world can see and believe. It is slow and painstaking work. But it is the work to which we are called. All of us. Because we’re here in the midst of Life. What can we do but work for peace?

PeaceApril17

The Peace of Enough

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There is always more, we know that. More comfort, more Love, more Peace…

But every once in a while, you notice someone’s reveling in the enough-ness of Life. It’s good to stop and think in those moments about what’s enough in your life and whether you appreciate those things.

Right now, the grass is very sweet and tender in the fields. Every single animal I saw was having a good time, eating what was there. Occasionally someone would look around for a bit, and then go right back to the grass buffet.

Today, I’ll write, I’ll swim, I’ll meet with my women’s clergy group, a good friend, go with my husband to a doctor’s appointment, write some more, clean a little and then go listen to great music before falling contentedly into bed. Whether I choose to let it be enough is really up to me. May I remember to value each moment in my privileged happy life. And each time I remember to do that… life gets sweeter. What a great thing! Be present, count your blessings, enjoy. Happy, glorious day of enoughness!

PeaceApril15

A Leafy Sabbath

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Here in the East, Spring is exploding. The landscape changes hour by hour. Another cool but sunny day here intent on coaxing Spring up to speed. Take a break and pay attention. I’m going to try and take a break and take a nap… Spring’s carrying on very well without me. Peace will manage today as well!

PeaceApril14

Peace on the Cusp

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Well, I was up bright and early this morning. Well, actually, I was up early. The weather was a bit grumpy and so was I. But the weather… is bringing rain, wonderful rain. So Spring will feel so much springier at the end of this… And how can I resist… and why would I? I’m really hoping to convince folk that it takes far more energy to be grumpy than it does to just sit back and notice what happens… and appreciate it for what it is.

Although we can really see the cusp at this point of the year… a couple at the coffee place where I was meeting my wedding couple showed up: him in shorts and flipflops, her in a long sheepskin coat with hood. It’s that kind of day.

But you and I, whether in sheepskin or shorts, must opt for the good… The more of us who do, the more who will join us and the greater the odds we’ll reach the tipping point. So, c’mon, rain aside, early morning easing into the day… let’s go change the world. What’s your doin’ good thing today? I’d love to know! Back to (Peace) work!

(wish me luck and that I reap the benefits of my hard work at my recital tonight! Think of me at 7pm with notes floating out of my throat. Try not to laugh imagining me as a 19 year old Asian girl… but hey bigger and far better women than I have tried to convince you of the same thing!)

PeaceApril12

Threats against Peace

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There are war noises going on all over the world. There is real war going on too. I don’t know what to do about war. I don’t think strategically so I really don’t know what the country should do next. I’m not in on the desperate behind the scenes diplomatic wrangling.

Because I’m in the midst of thinking about domestic violence and how it starts and what makes it stop, I don’t know what I think about standing down, standing aside. When there’s threat (is there threat?) what do the threatened do?

And how do i make a difference? and where? Right now I have maybe three places I can put energy to try and defuse problems of violence and enmity. I think, write, and pray about peace and peacemaking every day. I’m working on Love Flows and supporting a community that was devastated, trying to be a good, supportive neighbor. In my mind, more than on paper yet, I’m beginning to think about a banishing ritual for Domestic Violence. I don’t know what that means yet, it’s all swirly and nascent. But I do know, I’m not ready to weigh in on the politics of war. All I can do is work to eliminate the frictions. What can you do? Is there something we can do together?

PeaceApril11

Peaceful Weather

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I met an old friend at breakfast the other day. He was laughing and told me he’d lost the bet with himself that he’d made about how long it would take for people to start complaining about the weather again. He said he’d underestimated… the first person on the first warm day was unhappy.

Weather and Nature are cyclical and changeable. It will rarely be exactly what’s expected. But pretty much plants are going to come out and we’re going to still be allergic to… whatever it is we’re allergic to. We’re going to have droughts and deluges… and more and more with the global warming. It will be cold one day and hot the next because April does that.

I’d really like to encourage us to look at the weather as information on what to wear and what activities to plan for the day and leave our horrible, terrible disappointment with the world’s carrying on weather-wise at home. Because it is going to be what it will be. Hot days are only foreshadowing… look at the weather report… or Denver where it was 70 one day and 16 the next with two feet of snow! It wastes your precious Peace time to fret about the weather. Each day is just one more day served up on a platter for our delectation. And even iif happened to find yesterday to be, as my friend Tom B. said, “dessert” but you didn’t, we still had a day to live through.

And as far as the weather goes, if we’re not happy, we’d better rather than just waiting a while for it to change, get involved in whatever way is right for us in the the struggle to reverse or contain global warming. We have tools at our disposal. But in the meantime, be present, carry on, and have a great day. It’s wasteful not to. Just like everything else, somewhere someone is longing for the very weather you have… Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s weather… i’m sure it’s in that book somewhere!

PeaceApril10

Peace of the Everywhere Extraordinary

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I was at the funeral of an extraordinary woman yesterday. She was a doctor, an incredible trailblazer, out leading the way for women and having a wonderful time along the way. Until she got dementia, and even there, her partner and her partner’s sister, gave her care that we wish all people could receive.

I knew her only with her dementia. But at her funeral there were pictures of her life as a strong and vital woman. In her casket, she looked like the woman in her pictures and no longer like the woman living far back in her mind and body. So for me, for once the presence of a body at a funeral was very reassuring. She lived to a ripe old age. Before her disease claimed her, she delivered babies and babies and babies and cared for women who needed her help. (while flying planes, and hiking trails!)

I was brought up short in my, don’t I live in the most extraordinary place thoughts by the realization that everywhere and always, there are extraordinary people in our midst. Wherever we live, someone’s doing great work. And we can know them and be inspired by them; maybe even mentored by them into our own extraordinary selves. People like Dorothy Grace Wilson remind us that there’s no reason not to be the best you can be. And if you’ve done that that will linger in people’s hearts and souls… Apparently when Dr. Wilson was far into her illness, if you plopped a baby in her lap, she’d count its fingers and toes, check the shape of its head and the length of its limbs. “That’ll do,” she’d say. “That’ll do.”

Find a mirror and take a little stock yourself of the strength of your heart and power of your smile and the curiosity of your mind. Look yourself in the eye and proclaim, “That’ll do!” Then get on your way doing what you’re best at. Lead the world. No reason why you shouldn’t be the extraordinary person down the street. Peace grows from the hard work of being present and doing your work.

PeaceApril9