Departing in Peace

As we ended the cruising portion of the Alaska trip, I was a bit startled by the affection I felt for some of the people there. There was no sense that I might see them again, although some I’d be delighted to. There was simply a sense of having shared something spectacular. Something momentous. And everyone was aware, both of the beauty and of the privilege. And of the Peace. There’s something very calming and as I’ve said, elemental about steaming through that landscape. It’s not often that you get to be in Nature so vast that it overpowers the presence of cruise ships. Earth, Air, Water, in that place seemed empty of its inhabitants and its few observers.

The cruise ship had been large enough that you never had to interact with people, unless you chose to. You were not likely to meet folks again, unless you worked at it. But everyone gasped in wonder at Nature’s Beauty and shared that with whoever was standing by, whether you spoke their language or not.

The UUs sing: Go now in Peace, Go now in Peace, May the Spirit of Love surround you, everywhere, everywhere, you may go…That Peace, that Beauty and that Spirit of Love was something we had beheld together. What a marvelous experience. And for me, it was sweeter because I was with my sisty, Deb. Life really IS this wonderful. I give thanks for all I have seen and done.

Melting Peace

The glaciers sculpted not only Glacier Bay but the terrain around it. Its abundant beauty is a gift from those frozen artisans. The Tlinglet people made their homes in this Bay because the tools for a good life were abundant. Certainly their way of life is threatened by glaciers that are melting more and more quickly due to global climate change. But all our lives are endangered by the loss of Polar Ice and glaciers.

What will we do? How will we respond? Perhaps we need to see the beauty to be stirred to action. It’s interesting that tourism, which is always responsible for some environmental degradation, is taking it upon themselves to educate. Each tour boat has a Tlinglet Native and a governmental Naturalist on board describing the history, the present and the possible futures for this astonishing area. Let us learn. Let us work toward Peace. Let’s halt the glacier’s rapid disintegration…

Quiet, Sabbath Peace

We started and ended our sail on Sunday… Both days had very busy mornings, but very relaxed afternoons…

But the trip was both an exercise and an embrace of the notion of a Sabbath. Partially because Deb isn’t completely recovered from last year’s treatment, partially, despite the fact that we’re both extroverts, neither one of us are joiners. Sometimes I think it’s because both of us find it difficult to do what extroverts MUST do in a crowd, listen to every single conversation. BOOM is the sound of an extrovert’s head exploding!

So we did very little. We certainly talked to people at meals. But we spent a lot of time sitting on one deck or another, inside or outside — depending on the weather or our need — just gazing at Nature’s Beauty and enjoying the Peace and Quiet. It was enough to make a soul sing… and it did. and from the looks of rapture on the faces of many people, mine was not the only one.

And so i wish you that, today, on this summer afternoon, a place to sit and gaze at Beauty. A place to still your mind and then heart and soul. Peace. Blessed be.

Foggy Peace

Sometimes, you’re just overwhelmed with beauty, filled to the very brim. What a blessing in those times to be given a day to just stop and exhale… and to do it in the company of loved ones… what a gift… Time to simply be present and to make memories that will last a lifetime. Really. Who would believe that fog was so generous? and that the living of life as a prayer is sometimes just stopping and sitting still…

Life is so abundant, and I am so lucky… counting my blessings and giving gratitude for the bounties of Nature and Love.

Wild Peace

It was the pared away, elemental nature of Alaska that kept seizing at my heart. Such stark Beauty! And the ship really had done a good job making sure that there were places that you could view that Beauty without being overwhelmed with all the people and activities. In the bar on the 9th floor there were recliners facing a wall of windows to which you could retreat.

But then there was that lovely thermal room just one deck down. I was plenty happy to stew in that mineral hot pot and devour the scenery Nature had on display. But occasionally, even I would get too warm and sneak out on that tiny deck. There you were, alone in the world and all that wind. It’s as close as I may ever come to flying. I was struck while standing there that this is how it must feel for the gods to review their handiwork or for the angels to play in a place where they weren’t about to be ensnared in the telephone lines of civilization.

There was something that encouraged and engaged my fanciful nature… but all the fantasies were ones of power, built from the awe the landscape engendered… this is strong and powerful country, not made for cupids or putti…

That moment on the balcony was a reminder that when you’re offered the opportunity to see the world the way the gods do, open your eyes and breathe it in!

Peace and the Eagles

I don’t know about you, but I think of eagles as majestic birds of prey. They are that. They are also scavengers of the worst sort. Just as do their pesky, distant cousins, they will snatch food right off picnic tables. Unlike their pesky, distant cousins, they’re HUGE. So pay attention to your fish and chips!

But there they were, swooping and soaring and nesting all along the waters around Juneau. We saw hundreds of them, which was surprising, because i always thought of them as territorial. On that day the skies were clear and deep blue and the waters were still. To see the eagles stoop on a fish and fly away with full talons was amazing. It’s said that eagle’s sight is so keen that they can travel three miles from their nests and still have one eye on their mate and the eaglets. So that phrase eagle eye means something.

I was certainly in agreement with them about the salmon. Oh, it was good. The cruise ship made sure Alaska’s bounty was always offered. I was happy to indulge.

But the eagles (and the salmon) were just one more piece of Alaska’s abundant beauty. I found it next to impossible to look away from Nature’s display. I’ve never been anywhere that I was as consistently awed and amazed. (But I’ll be glad to keep looking!) There was something about that stark, elemental Beauty that I found incredibly Peaceful. I haven’t quite sorted out all my reactions… but will persevere…

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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