Peace and Paradise, disturbed, llvl

Asch. We are who we are. And life is as we know it. Sometimes that’s amazing. Sometimes it’s less so.

Yesterday was filled with both. Lorraine’s sister and her daughter came to visit. Hooray. We packed down a watermelon and a gooseberry/black current pie/raspberry (oooh, my!) and took the ferry boat from the Picasso sculpture (yes i sorta took a picture, some time I’ll figure out how to put my reeeeeeally mediocre pics on Facebook… oh, thank goodness for Deb Slade and her art shots!) over to the island.

Once we got to the rocks on the other side of the island, it was amazing. You could dive off the rocks into the lake and bob and float and laugh and we did! Apparently there are rules: two dips in the lake and then you can drink your coffee or tea. No drinking tea if your eyelashes aren’t damp!

It was just lovely. You can’t believe the amount of stuff we hauled out there to enjoy ourselves: chairs, towels, sunblock, thermoses, forks plates, knives, cutting boards, serving spoons. All for a trek through the woods. But make no mistake. Once again, it was Paradise!

But the niggling little problem about paradise is that I don’t walk well in the woods, particularly woods that are up and down with stones and roots. And roots covered over with springy, springy moss, which is beautiful and flowering. I’m not sure what triggered it, I had it fairly well controlled going out, but coming back to the boat, I realized I was having a panic attack. It was full blown before it broke my concentration, fast heart, fast shallow breathing, threatening tears. Once I realized, I could ask Lorraine to go more slowly, and to be patient. It wasn’t so much help I needed as time. It’s frustrating, because it’s really beautiful in the woods… intellectually I know that. But if you’ve ever had panic attacks, you know it just takes a lot of concentration and slow exhalations to calm them. And understanding friends. I had all that, but whew. Unreasoning fear, from out of nowhere.

Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale. one foot, two foot. (ah, why didn’t Dr. Seuss write a book about dealing with panic attacks? It’s exactly what you need… silly, mindless repetition.

But we got to the boat on time and the ferry was waiting. Wonderful old wooden boat to take us back to the mainland, laughing all the way. But sheesh, wanna know if like having all my insecurities on display, in front of beloved friends (and who better?), no, not so much. Hard work. Great Payoff…

And yet, it was Paradise. There was Peace. There was nothing more beautiful than, not only the rocks, but the journey out and in. I think I’ll try it again. (Poor them! Lucky me!)

Peace Wabbits. Well, Hares, llvl

You forget how big hares are, when they’re just a word you’re using. But as we were sitting there watching the evening slowly, slowly die, one of them came crashing through the underbrush to take a look at us before loping down the path to the road.

“Hmph,” you could practically see him think as he had to detour around the car. What are they doing here again?

And then twenty yards from the deck where we sat watching, the sun slowly gave up its struggle to shine through the woods. Then it was dusk and it was pretty easy to imagine that you might see the animals that truly do live there. But this day there were no elk or deer, just the ghost memories of them.

It made you consider as we sat in this little Paradise, what the animals might be thinking if they were the sort to do that. How they might fret and grumble about what humans are doing to their world. And it must be said, that in this place, at this cabin, very little, life is lived according to Nature, there’s very little other than our quiet presence to disturb it…

But so many things are threatened. And it seems that people need to push at the edges. There’s an osprey off on an island, and they’ve reserved that island to him. but if you don’t think people need to park their fishing boat right at the very boundary of the forbidden…

Now when life is so slow, it’s easier to hear Mother Earth inhale and exhale; easier to see her beauty; easier to worry about the ways we degrade her.

I wonder why I live so far from Nature when I’m back at my home? And those hares? They’re HUGE! You had to think about Monty Python.

The Peace of Deep Friendship, llvl

There is no greater joy, I think, than to have fast friends. People who know us. I love making new friends. But oh, those friends who understand where we’ve come from and how we got to where we are today.

I love those instantaneous “oh, I like you” relationships. But I really love those friendships that you grow into and grow in. The ones that just keep spiraling deeper. The ones that aren’t dependent on constantly shared lives but which sweeten on shared understandings.

Being here in these friendships is like swimming in beloved waters. You simply soak them in, gratitude for being alive fills each moment. It’s as if your ability to be present is sharply magnified and you are who you are.

Such friendships call you to account and give you space to reflect.

Such friendships remind you when you miss the mark but offer you the opportunity to try again.

If I have a creation myth, it is about being called into relationship with the Divine. Nothing more sacred than friendship… Oh, we give thanks, for this precious day…

I’ve been singing that a lot recently. Sweet Deep Peace in the rising and falling of conversations with friends.

Island Paradise Peace, llvl

I don’t think there’s any way around this. I think the Swedes are better at being still and in the moment than we are. It could be just me, but many of us, even on vacation are good at just sitting, delighting in the moment. The countryside is beautiful, but there’s beauty everywhere. I’d match my Central Susquehanna’s beauty against beauty anywhere.

One of the things I’ve recognized since I’ve been here is that I occasionally grab Paradise when I meet it. I sat and the stream with Emily and watched the world go by. I floated on the river on my Brother- and Sister-in-law’s boat when my friends came.

And maybe it was just because I’m here that people have taken more time to sit and admire the harbor or the forests, but I don’t think so. They’re on vacation. They’re out in Nature enjoying it. Not necessarily doing something, just being there. Passing around the slightly flavored water and sipping it slowly.

One afternoon, while visiting a sister and her beau, whose daughter and granddaughter were visiting as well, we all piled in the boat and boated around the island. Margita and the 6 year old pulled mackerel lines behind, once we got out on the ocean side of the island. Sophie, the daughter cut their heads off. Björn grilled the fish and we ate them for dinner 3 hours later. Paradise. The sight and taste of the sea. Sweet companionship. A quick stop for a dessert cheese which provided late-afternoon ice creams to tide us over to dinner.

And then the next morning, getting up and packing and then making the time to go down and slip into the sea, there just to bob around like so much flotsam, or is it jetsam, I always forget.

Paradise is here. It’s meant to be enjoyed. It’s meant to be shared. Peace, sweet Peace is in the still, sweet moments in between… (and it’s also, if you get the chance, to be found on islands off the coast of wherever you are. Or in the forests, or the mountains, or the deserts. Just sit and look at Mother Earth. Nature is there to be appreciated. Families are there to be made. Blessings are to be counted. Connections are waiting to slip into place!

Joy, Joy, Peace, Peace, llvl

I believe it’s important to live into Beauty and Love when given the opportunity. And I believe it’s important to make the opportunities. What a delight to be living that out. Almost moment by moment. It’s so rare for me to be here, that I’m working very hard to experience every moment. I’m working — or not working — to know Peace from the inside.

I’m not silly enough to think that I must know personal Peace to work for global Peace. But I am smart enough to revel in what’s here. To notice. To rejoice. Those are important, don’t you think? I’m so privileged to be living back into these friendships and this beautiful country.

To be in the sea is such a delight for me… It’s full of memories and pleasure and so much joy. It buoys my heart as well as my body. And to share that with friends, friends who belong in different lives… the joy deepens!

There we were, dashing about cleaning up the house and making and assembling cakes. Four people; four cakes. New marketing idea for USA: cake bottoms! I was charged with the meringue whipped cream fruit cake. stacking, I can do it! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

And now, it’s time to pack away these beautiful thoughts and move on to the next, oh, my goodness, wonderful island. My soul continues to expand.

And at the same time, I think of the places and the people whose lives are not filled with expansion. I hold my friend Sonia in my heart, whose family still lives in Palestine and who is building a house there. Whatever the problems, bombs are not the answer, not, not, not. We must do better…

And those of us who live in Peace must pay attention and be grateful. We’ve got to help Love to conquer Fear. We are the ones the world has been waiting for… Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me. and you. Peaceful Prayers be with you, my friends.

Sabbath Seal Peace, llvl

Well, it doesn’t get much more local than yesterday. It was hard not to be present to every seemingly perfect moment. The day before was the day of seeing the seals. They were hilarious. Look, the neighbors dropped by! And there they were in a big-eyed smiling circle, just hanging out…

Marg, my first Swedish sister, who lived at my house when my brother was an exchange student, took me out for our daily constitutional, hup, hup. We ended that with a plop into the sea. It’s gorgeous on the coast, but there’s not a lot of shade because it gets scoured by winter storms. So the water felt wonderfully refreshing. Silly Swedes were saying, oh, how warm (70˚!)… i was gasping a bit, but really… it was so clean and clear AND it was warm enough to discourage man o war jellyfish from the day before. yikes.

I need to fasten this ability to stop daily life and be present to the moment in my brain. it’s good to do this now and again. look at this. look at that. look at this. oh, taste this. summer, summer, summer. sea, wind, water, sun. and love! 45 whole years of it.

Tomorrow I move on, and I’m both sad and excited. This time is so worth the work and the wait and the resources required. I tried to think yesterday… didn’t work to well. Love will keep growing if you just pay attention. Connections will be woven.

Today is Sunday and there’s a cake party underway. two cakes being baked. I’ve been assigned to assemble the meringue torte… under strict instructions. but what the heck. meringue, raspberries, blueberries, whipped cream. for that, I’ll follow anyone’s direction, do it just the way they want.

Yesterday was a tired day. couldn’t remember how to walk or speak swedish or do anything, so i stuck to doing the dishes and folding up the wash.

We finished the evening sitting on the patio until it finally got dark at about 11:30 (sun went down at about 10:10!). Two of Marg’s friends dropped by and there was a lot of laughter and tales of days gone by. Life is for the Living. the Sabbath is for the noticing. (I’ll be noticing the four cakes!) and for the reflecting as I pack down my suitcase for the next time… Heaven has been spotted many times. The bad news is that there are 4 inch slugs in Paradise. and i stepped on one… urgh. Peace. Gratitude. Beauty. Wonder. Love. ahhhhhhhhhh. Keeping the sacred in the sabbatical.

A Little Lightning Bug Peace, llvl

Perfect June nights… This region is known for them. Driving through the darkness, watching fireflies cavort in the cornfields — it’s just the most Peace-giving thing. Courtship for lightning bugs is a lovely thing to watch. Blink on. Blink off.

It’s hard to describe how happy they make me. How that simple dance reassures me.

May you find the sweet, sacred Peace that your vida local offers. And may you give yourself the time to simply be present to it.

Hands Across Peace, llvl

We hear lots about the time suck of social media. And, it must be admitted, for a person who’s not particularly fond of cats, I’ve watched an awful lot of “cute kitty videos.”

I try very hard to post positive things and to stay out of the drama. I’m not always successful.

But I love that this tool allows us to reach across space and sometimes time and connect. This month, my brother’s childhood bestie is retiring from 41 years of ministry. Well, this version. He’s starting something else soon. And i get to watch. Watching him helps me remember my parents and his. Creek swimming creeps into my mind. Church Picnics. ah. It’s an odd but effective way of being present, even in a small way. I’ll take it.

Today a new/old friend is moving into my little village. We went to grade school together and then on to different schools and lives, which intersected only occasionally. But one FB friend, added as my high school class began to get connected, connected me. She lived in Oakland, I was going to be there, and there we were, one long lunch later, new friends with history.

I keep faith with a friend from college, with whom I wouldn’t if it had to be telephones and letters, but Faye keeps me thinking and helps keep me constant in a prayerful look at our world. She lives her her faith out differently than I do, and I trust and rely on her observation and counsel. We’re sisters in the struggle and companions on the journey. I’m better for her and for all these friends.

There are times that that zigzag between one world and the next is the odd wonder of cyber-worlds that intersect what passes for our real world in our little vida local. That can, if you choose, be about drama, but it can also be about Peace. So Welcome, Karen, and good job and good luck, Blair. In my sister’s past, when she was in first grade and did well, her teacher offered her the hand of good fellowship. I offer it to you. I take heart and encouragement from the work you do. Blessings, and Blessed be. Peace be upon us all.

Peace River Puzzle, llvl

When you live in this Valley, the River’s part of every story. And every story, no matter how universal, is local. We have to live where we are, make Peace where we are.

When I think of the Peace River I also think of the song, “Peace (Love, Hope) is flowing like a river, flowing out of you and me, flowing out into the desert, setting all the captives free…”

So, I want always to be near that river. To tenderly hold it when I can contain it, to release it when it is so much bigger than I am. To float on it when I’m able. and to be part of it when it will allow me. Peace River. La Vida Local. A committed Life. Peace.

Halcyon Peace

Once in a while it happens, bountiful, perfect days. When you get them, stop whatever you’re doing and appreciate. Be present to all that’s wonderful. Celebrate even. It doesn’t happen but a few times a season. When they happen it’s time to count your blessings and make some memories.

Life is fleeting and so are summer afternoons at the pool. Heaven on earth… Peace, my friends. This day’s for you!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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