Unexpected Peace

It helps to remain open. You never know what’s going to come along.

And when it comes, you must have left room for the miraculous, or you won’t recognize it.

It’s not all about love affairs, although this particular story was. It can be about jobs, or houses, or friendships, or new paths in our lives.

I think it helps to have a full life — and to appreciate what you have!

The practice of gratitude leaves openings; it allows you to see wonderful things when they happen along.

But being able to see isn’t enough. You have to be able to act, to dare.

Things don’t always work out well. But failure is simply information about better ways to try again. Hearts were meant to be risked (although let’s be clear, there’s nothing wrong with some calculations in those risks.)

But when they do work, the rewards are enormous. Love ensues. Joy does its happy dance. Peace gets its hopes raised. And people work together for both, which increases the odds tremendously, that someday there might be Peace. Both Peace or Magic require hard work and hopeful hearts.

Heirloom Peace

So often you say the word heirloom and you think big meaningful things (unless of course it’s summer and you think tomatoes or peppers!).

But the things i treasure the most are the little things. The tiny spatula, the two tined fork. Who cares if i never cook bacon, i’m ready should some fit come over me.

Tools and utensils, kitchen and householdm that were tools and utensils at my grandparents’ houses, at my parents’ house, at my sisters’ house, at my niece’s house, at a couple friends’ houses, that are now mine.

I put pepper on my eggs and I remember them. Sometimes it’s one by one, as with the pepper shaker. But sometimes that shakes loose a whole host of memories. And there they are sprinkled like the pepper on the surfaces of my life.

I have had a lot of loss, but I also have a lot of love to remember. And that’s a lucky, lovely thing. And I have silly things like grinders and bacon forks to spark the memories. Love. Peace. And oh, it’s a beautiful autumn morning…

Something Beautiful, Something Peace

“I will set my bow in the sky as a promise…” Of all the biblical pieces that have stuck, this is one. Every time I see one, I’m happy.

So to see this one, on this day…when my heart was feeling so many things — so many things that in fact I blew past my exit and took the long drive to the next exit. It was only as I was turned around, coming home, that I saw the promise.

And it was gorgeous, hidden there behind the curtain of rain.

Such a gift of beauty. And I often think of rainbows as summer pleasures part of the joy of thundershowers. Yet not an hour before, we’d had snow.

But you take Beauty and heart’s ease where you find it. You find the holy, the sacred, in the ordinary. You count those blessings when they’re there to be counted.

Peace comes in so many little gifts. Let us celebrate. Let us Peace.

Sweet/Bittersweet Peace

It’s what happens in small towns. Your life changes, people die, but life goes on in the place you once thought of as home.

Twice now, I’ve had the privilege of being in the homes of the people who bought the homes my family owned.

Yesterday I stood looking for the doorbell at what was once my sister’s home. It turns out they’d taken it down because it malfunctioned. But the fact was I didn’t know where the doorbell was because of course I never had used it. That almost derailed my ability to go in that house — thanks for the reminder, reality.

But once inside, it was all warmth and sweetness. The house does look great. It’s fine that it’s familiar. Or it was yesterday.

I could tell them the story of Jack and Jane — a great love story — who married in what is now their dining room. We could sit around the table that they obviously sit around a lot. and she’s as silly a decorator for seasons as Deb was.

They talked very seriously to me about their plans to love the house… as if I had to be assured they would do right by it and i told them how deb and nan and i all planned to rock on that porch with sippy cups in our old age… and laughed that I’d be over. They laughed too.

And so they were married.

And it was bittersweet. But, it’s the season of bittersweet isn’t it? And it is bright and glossy orange. And sacred, it seems.

And the sweetness is still there. And there is a great deal of Peace in that. (And did you see that Frosty Moon last night? It was beautiful.

Crispy Fall Sabbath Peace

And here it is. That quick turn to coolness. No fooling ourselves any longer, the season has changed.

We’ll have a little sweet respite this week, but temperatures are living up to the (down to) the Frosty Moon name.

And it’s time. Life is moving on as it does, as its meant to.

Today’s Sabbath activity recommendation? Go see those leaves!

Me, I’m going to make myself some food I can gum for now and to take along to a meeting. After which I’ll go do a wedding in my sister’s old house for the young couple who lives there. If that’s not observing the change of the season, I don’t know what is.

Blessed Sabbath to you. Blessed Peace.

Beautiful Fall Peace

Autumn: warm days, cool nights. Color: blue skies, startling red, orange, gold leaves.

This part of fall, when the pumpkin fields are full, when the leaves turn, before the rains come is so invigorating and wonderful.

Time to take advantage of this sacred season! (hint, they’re all sacred!)

I realized this morning as I was waking, how little I knew about my parents’ honeymoon, how little I thought to ask about them and their early days. Children are self centered little monsters aren’t we? and Parents are probably not as forthcoming as they might be. Great time to wonder, eh? Long after the parents are gone without even my sister to call and say, huh. i didn’t know about this. Life. you never know what you’re going to want to know.

But looking back, i think, well no wonder Fall was a big deal at our house. First, it’s beautiful and my artist Mom and appreciative Dad would have loved the color. But second, it reminded them of a very sweet time in their life.

But however you came to appreciate Autumn, I wish you the Peace of beautiful days and a glorious Frosty Moon in a black and starry sky.

To Enroll or Not to Enroll

Dear Bartender and Priestess,

When I first graduated high school, I spent a little over a year in college and then — can you guess? — I met a boy, fell in love, dropped out of college, got married, and started having babies. I always sort of imagined going back to school, but I put it pretty firmly on the back burner and never really pursued it when I was younger. Continue reading →

Peace, Remembering, Hope

Well, this isn’t the best of news, but it seems even the researchers don’t know what the final outcomes will be.

At the very least, they have discovered that trauma can be carried in our DNA. Is there more that that carries?

Is that sense of knowing, that recognition, that we sometimes have part of our DNA?

It’s certainly thought of as part of Chinese Medicine.

I remember. I am part of what once was. I am not passing down DNA… this may be the first time I have ever been somewhat regretful about that…

And yet, I will be an ancestor…

It’s all so fascinating.

Peace of the Tiny Little Things

Luckily, yesterday was far less traumatic than the last time. (which only makes me believe harder that my dentist used a string, a wrench and a door in the removal of that molar. No seriously, folks. that was owie!)

But my brain was firing on fewer than all cylinders most of the day, so it was a pleasure to come home to a new book by a favorite time whiler-awayer… And since I usually write her a review, so I didn’t even have to pay her for it. I’m happy to read and review Audrey Faye‘s books. They’re sweet, edgy, and amusing. And just the right length for a look away from life. Oh, and she writes series of books with bunches of friends that you get to know and care for. Always a fave with me. I read lots of different kinds of books, but I always have a few that simply take me away from what i’m doing now. so hurrah.

Actually, I’ve corrected enough spelling mistakes in today’s post that I’m clearly not yet firing on all cylinders! Maybe I’ll have to reread the book! And wander down to the book store to see if they have the Tim Wise’s new book, “Under the Affluence,” which I next need to read.

But when your brain is marshmallow, stick with the fluff. You do what you do when you can…

Peace is often very small and sweet, which means it’s not entirely insignificant. Peace. wherever you find it today, my friends.

Collaborative Peace

It’s not that it’s such a big deal that two small communities should try to work together and share resources and energy. Or maybe it shouldn’t be such a big deal but it is.

Today I met with representatives from another congregation from a very different tradition. It was lovely to dream just a little and to work at what the boundaries might be that would keep us good neighbors and maybe make us a lot better neighbors, not only to each other but to our larger community.

We each harbor sweet dreams of Peace. Today, we harbored them together. That was pretty great.

Let’s find more people to do that with, shall we? Peace. Sweet Peace. We need to find you.

I see a new Moon arising — and no, it’s not trouble I see on its way, it’s Hope.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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