Just a Peaceful Summer Evening

This week there have been wonderful sunsets. I’ve met a couple of them either sitting on a deck or driving home through the long slow sunset into dusk. The evening temperatures have been comfortable after hot, hot, hot days. It was great to sit out on my porch late into the evening.

What a gift.

When you’re offered sweet Peace and lovely evenings, there’s nothing to do but enjoy them. There’s no postponing the joy. It’s here and now and won’t be around later. Life is fleeting. Don’t let it slip buy without your enjoying it!

Me? I’m off to do that very thing. Garden Party, you know! Summer Peace of the day and the evening to you! Every day Peace, Everyday Peace.

Portraits of Peace

It’s easy to anthropomorphize our pets and animals in general. We’re not so far from one another. But what does Peace look like on our human faces? What does the quest for Peace look like as we consider it?

We should take a glance in the mirror and ask ourselves that — and then perhaps we should wear that face — often.

We should be those who wear the face of Peace. And then we should become the hands and hearts of Peace.

and now back to emulating the cat of Peace…

Parking Lots for Peace

When I saw the picture of the parking lot, I started thinking about my sister’s homecoming and how joyous that was… but then I remembered how many people over the decades have taken their sons and now daughters to parking lots and watched them climb on buses to go to serve their country rather than disembarking from camp or vacation.

And then prayed like heaven, because certainly not like hell — perhaps through hell — that their children would come back to them.

It’s interesting to me how the metaphor can deepen as I’m writing. I had my 14 lines about my celebration… At some point in the midst of writing, it turned and offered me another glimpse. It’s always surprising… Perhaps I’m not an experienced enough poetry wrangler, and I should be better at staying with the vision. Or perhaps that’s just the nature of poetry and the nature of Peace.

Both can be pretty, but both are so much more than that. They are always potentially more raw, more honest than pretty. So it seems, at least to me, are parking lots.

Holding the pen is an interesting privilege. I hope I always wield it for Peace.

Paddle Hard for Peace

What a great picture of swans. I didn’t know they hung out in such great bunches in the region my friend lives. Fun.

They’re always used as a picture of serenity.

But that serenity comes at a price. They paddle like crazy to make that stately headway — we just can’t see it.

It’s a pretty good metaphor for Peace isn’t it? Maintain calm and paddle on.

Lots of paddling to be done. Lots of headway to be made in the waters of Peace.

And, really, why did I never wonder about swimming swans in the winter? I guess I was too busy trying to remember the next verse…

But… Paddle like hell for Peace.

May Peace Be the Mirror of my Soul

There are so many things I love about water. I love it in all its guises. Everyone, from rain to oceans brings something magical to the world.

Still water offers many gifts. One sweet one is its ability to mirror.

Right now the world seems full to the brim with mayhem. Violence cropping up all over and hate right here at home.

I’ve been saying for days that I feel flat-footed in front of what’s swirling around. While you have to take the time to reorient, you don’t get (or I refuse to give myself permission) to wander around in that daze too long.

Peace is needed. I worry about the shadow side of the world, which is what seems to be emerging, but I realize that I need to mirror Peace. You say hate, I say Peace… Peace will wear down the hate. I just need to stay connected to Love…

The Love we share, in friendship… The Love that’s out there in the world.

I am the Mirror. I am the Peace. Let me practice that a while…

A Land of Peace

It’s astonishing how beautiful this country is. It’s vast and so varied in its landscape.

There is so much land that is undeveloped, huge tracts of beauty, each unlike the next. Did you know there are hills that look like fern leaves with their crevasses and greenery? I’d never noticed before.

All that beauty. All that bounty. And so much hate that roils.

I kept thinking, we owe the land more than this. We owe Love to this Beauty and we owe it to one another.

Can we take a Sabbath from the divisiveness? Can we dedicate some time to really hearing those on the margins? We could try a day, and if it works, contemplate a week of Understanding…

It’s a lot. It’s hot. Just try it for a day. Be your best self. Be a welcoming presence. Be the Peace and Understanding this world needs. Because this land is your land. This is your country.

Moon Walk; Peace Walk

Some 47 years ago, there were two guys jumping around on the moon.

It was quite a remarkable feat.

And all the more remarkable because there was a challenge to NASA as Russia was making great strides, and they set their goal and went for it.

Everybody did what they had to do to make it happen.

There’s quite a challenge now… we really need Peace. There’s such violence and hatred; we are the only difference that can be made — or at least the only difference we can impact. But we have each other to lean on…

We’re the only ones we can change. Our beautiful land with all the beautiful places and all the beautiful people must be cared for and set to rights.

There is no way to Peace, Peace is the way.

Isn’t it time for a new dance craze, the Peace Walk? (I suspect there is more kicking up of the heels than in the Moon Walk…

When Disappointment Mounts, It’s Time for Peace

I have to tell you, I’m flabbergasted by the hate. I feel flat-footed and as if I’ve lost my rhythm for this dance of life. It’s not that the ugliness hasn’t already been there, but there’s been a horrible conflation of both painful reality and its exacerbation.

The deliberate inciting of hate is appalling. But this is a moment of decision. It is just now, now as we are frightened, appalled, angry at the elevated threats towards People of Color, LGBTQ, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Women, People with disabilities, that we are called to be about the business of Peace.

Life can be incredibly disappointing on both the personal level and the global level. When that is true it’s our time.

We must choose Peace. We must push back with Peace. We’re the only ones who can. We must choose Peace, recognizing our disappointment and in some cases our fear. Peace isn’t only for the good times. It’s particularly for the hard times.

This week we celebrated the first walk on the moon. I keep thinking we had the know how and the cooperation to make that happen, surely we can do better with Peace.

Surely we can. Surely we must. Now when we’re frightened. Now when we’re mad. Peace is our power to bring. Let us Peace. A whole world of Peace. Every place we can. Please.

Sparkling Joy, Glittering Peace

There’s a lot of important things to be said about the real things in life.

But sometimes the frivolous is enjoyable.

Life isn’t always serious. And in times like this when life seems so very serious, it’s good to take a break.

I love sparkly things. Silly and shallow, why yes they are. Temporary and of the moment. That too.

And a nice break for silly, giggling Peace.

And afterwards back to working on deep Peace, big Peace, Peace, it needs us, every day and always.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

The Priestess Is In