Peace Practice

Sometimes I think that we’re so enamored of “getting it right,” that we forget what leads up to that… the painstaking, boring, careful, oh, so necessary practicing that takes us there. It takes hours of practice (some say 2000) to be really accomplished at something. And not everything in our lives demands that level of accomplishment or that level of practice. But something does.

And it’s not always just our musical chops, although as someone who listens to a lot of live music, let me just say that practice is a great thing! and that actually your adoring public can usually tell if you haven’t bothered to begin your day with those scales or those paradiddles! Life and performance are simply smoother when we practice.

But other things take practice as well. Being kind, for instance. Speaking our heart. Noticing Beauty. Being present. Counting Blessings. Making Peace. These are all muscles we need to exercise again and again. It takes a while, but sooner or later, if we’re diligent, they become reflexive. We become accomplished. We’re making that Peace, smiling at those strangers, wearing our hearts on our sleeves. There we are: Peacemakers. Peacegardeners, Peacestewards… However you define yourself in relation to Peace. What? You say you don’t? Well, better figure out what your Peace role is and start practicing. 2000 of your Peacehours will make a big difference in the world.

Lilac Peace

Today’s musing was inspired by my friend Deb Slade’s fabulous picture of a Lilac: deep purple blossoms edged in white lace. So beautiful. and I oohed and ahed and realized that a couple days ago, she’d snapped a pic of some other piece of Nature’s Beauty and I’d oohed and ahed. Paying attention is so important. Being in the moment. Noticing! and Appreciating. Lilacs are here for a very short period of time and well worth swooning over. But each and everything has its brief moment of beauty… so pay attention. Wondering, will I be in the continental US when the locusts make their nosiy appearance. ewwwwwwww. i mean Cicada (noisy) Peace. ANYWAY, it’s great to have friends like Deb, who help us see the sights we don’t always stop to indulge.

Less Than Expert Peace

There is so much going on in the world at this moment. It’s really quite overwhelming. Huge natural disasters can barely find newsprint room next to tragedies of negligence and intention. How do we take it all in.

Particularly the intentional tragedy. We want to believe that we can understand why someone would do that. Perhaps if we understand we can assure ourselves that nothing would ever/could have ever lead/led us down a wrong road toward hate-filled activities. Not in us. Nope. Not in anyone we know. But of course it is. But we can’t understand it. We can barely believe that it doesn’t have to be more than two blundering brothers who planned this.

I don’t believe that I can understand all the things that happened here. I don’t think most of us can. I know that I don’t have access to an awful lot of information, and I know that my mind is not the one to sift through it. Those aren’t my gifts. So I’m working reeeeeeeeallly hard not to speculate. I do know how to pray. I have both an advanced degree and a fair amount of experience in this. (Perhaps this is why my alma mater insisted that an MDiv was a vocational degree.) And so I pray. For Boston. For that sad, demented young man and his brother’s soul. For the people of West, Texas. For those in China and those in Iran. And then, oh, my goodness, the places where there’s a world of hurt and violence.

I’m good at praying. And I believe that prayer is a lot more than asking “can Somebody (else) help these folks?” It’s about focusing to see where I can help and sending love. And it’s about doing those things that I know how to do, right here and right now. I can be kind. I can work to effect justice. I can speak for Peace. I can demand justice for the grievously wounded and the wounder. But I can’t be an expert about something I know nothing about. This isn’t a backing away from responsibility, I need to stay informed. I need to keep stretching, I know that. But I also need to find some allies, some people I trust who do know. Some people who trust me to know the things I do when they need to call on or lean on me. So, I’ll keep plodding along for Peace.

A Cool Spring Sabbath

On the one hand, it’s 27˚ this morning. Brrr. Have spent some frantic searching for clothes that are warm enough but still Springlike. Even I am tired of black for the moment!

On the other hand, the violets are out. I love violets. Love them. And the cool weather seems to be their friend. They riot across lawns, and because it’s cool, don’t wilt in the heat. They linger longer. And anything that keeps them filling my eyes and my nose with beauty gets a whoo-hoo from me!

The Sabbath… it’s a great day to take some time and go violet hunting. The payoff is both subtle and exquisite. Count your blessings as you count the violets. That’s a pleasant way to be present to a Sabbath afternoon and to store up memories so you have something to look for next year. Peace and quiet be with you. Enjoy!

Peace Where It’s Needed

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.

The Peace of Enough

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!

Peaceful Weather

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!

Peace of the Everywhere Extraordinary

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.

Stretching Peace

Right. So yesterday you say stay in the present and today you say stretch? Yep.

Oh, you wanted a bit more commentary? Stretching just means expanding the experience. Learning new ways to overcome your obstacles. Trying new ways to open your heart and extend your hands. Finding new ways to be delighted and thus attract wonderful people to your side (both physical and philosophical.)

You may know who you are, but you can’t necessarily imagine all you can be. Stretch. You are one of Creations extraordinary wonders. Make some fabulous memories to encourage you on the Peace journey!

Peace of the Present

It’s so easy to want to move forward more quickly than life is ready to. Our wants and our passions and our willingness to work hard say that change ought to come quickly, now, in fact. But change comes as it does.

Leaning too far forward only makes us tumble headlong into puddles. The present isn’t always comfortable, there are often things that need to be worked out, sticky things that take time. But the future has its own problems — and we take our own problems along to it. Sure it looks glittery and easy, but that’s only because we haven’t brought ourselves and our stuff into it.

And what’s hilarious, well in that awful sort of way, is that most of us hate change because it’s hard. So why would we be leaping into it? Ah, because we don’t think we’ll have our same problems in the future. But that only happens if we work out the problems now and leave them in the past. And if we don’t get that done, and just leapfrog over things, then we’re going to spend way too many hours recovering from our premature forays into the future. (ok, get to the good news, Ann!)

The good news is the present is the crucible for the change we want. We’re the people stirring the pot… and we’re also in it, becoming the changed, alchemized metal that will build a new world. But we have to be present to be changed… and we want to leave as many of our “issues” behind as we go into the present. It’s in the crucible that we’re purified. Life doing its work. It’s hard work, this present. It’s amazing that future we’re envisioning… But it’s the path between them that is our Peace work. Happy Trails!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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