Encourage Love during Advent Peace

To encourage the Love. Is there anything more important that we can do in this world?

And the sacred season of Advent is built for exactly this possibility. Of all the holidays I left behind as I became Post-Christian, Advent is the one that has most called to me across our differences. I have been unable to release the feeling — don’t you hear Leonard Bernstein’s “Something’s coming, something Good — I don’t know when…”

For that to happen, we have to make space in our lives, our hearts, our souls. We have to encourage it. I started writing about Peace in these musings a year ago. My sense that it is possible has only grown — and I haven’t even left Dodge! I know more people for whom this is a concern. I know more people who are not like me and we are forging conversations and even doing good work. Little Dreams are taking root, and growing.

It’s got to happen where we are — here where I am, there where you are. And as it spreads. As we relax into Love, we relax into Peace. We start naming it, we start letting it be important. We start doing things that are not, perhaps, on the surface about Peace, but which create Peace in their wake. Because we’re caring for people. We’re feeding them. We’re fighting pollution in their name. We’re standing up against ecological disaster. We’re each doing the things we do, and widening our scope a little. Perhaps even gentling our touch.

There’s something that each of us can do to encourage Love. One of the great things about it is that it’s habit forming. If we’re kind. If we’re generous. If we’re thoughtful or resourceful or determined. The Love makes the setbacks bearable. The Possibilities of Peace illuminate the journey. We have a place we’re bound. There is more Love, more Peace, more Grace. And I’ve found it in your company.

Oh who you are and the work you do are worthy of all the encouragement I can give you.

Village Peace

This poem took shape on a FB message talking about how to help a friend deal with a problem. I grew up in a small town. Oddly, I’m back here now, at my sister’s house enmeshed in the love of a small town as I hear from everywhere (The Democratic Committee sent my brother and me their condolences on Deb’s Death, telling us how wonderful she was.) It’s hard to slip through the cracks when people keep stepping up.

People do. and small towns can be vicious and tough. Nothing’s perfect. But they’re vicious when folk, oh, let’s just say we, here, eh?, aren’t conscious about the forming of community, when we’re lazy about it.

But when we work at it, whether we’re connecting hands and creating webs across continents or oceans or we’re making sure our neighbor’s house gets cleaned when someone falls and can’t manage, the web catches us when we can’t stand upright on our own.

This village-making is one of the building blocks of Peace, i believe. It’s tricky, because part of the nature of villages is that they’re closed. And we’re calling for open villages. Connecting our hands across boundaries to offer the support that’s needed. Not turning away from those who are different, challenging, unlike us.

Let us be webweavers, my friends. Conscious webweavers. Because we can weave ourselves together with vitriol. But that? doesn’t really cut it. It cuts out folks, isolates them. That can’t be what we choose… and yet it is a choice, a choice for laziness and disinterest. But we must choose connection.

I always think this. But I’m feeling it so strongly now. Now in the places where connections have been made and in the places where they just don’t exist. I must be careful where i rest my broken heart. Yet support emerges, webs make themselves beautifully visible in the most unlikely places. And from this place of brokenness, new webs will be woven.

The world is so broken. If we weave the little webs, we can attach the big ones to that. The most amazing thing about those spiders is that they weave entire worlds in a very short time and go back and reweave when the human ones break them. So let’s all do like the spiders do: weave, weave, weave! Let’s keep making this world sweeter. We do the work. We realize dreams we never knew we had. Peace. Peace Dreams.

Gold vs Peace

It always seems so romantic when you say Gold Rush. You never think about how crazed and desperate people must have been to sell everything on the off chance that you might strike it rich in a world alien and distant from yours. There were about 75 million Americans at that time. About 1 in every 750 people picked up stakes and left for Alaska.

When you get there and realize what they went through to get there… each miner had to bring a ton of equipment with them and haul it up the mountain passes. Not a ton as in a lot, but a ton as in a ton. Everyone was cheating them, horses, particularly the ones they were sold, were not equipped to make this trek and they had no idea what enduring this kind of weather meant. There wasn’t enough to eat. People got sick. People went insane, People died. They have no idea how many.

Once again, in the mindless pursuit of one group’s better life, it was deemed acceptable to force the nomadic, indigenous population onto a reservation where many died from the new diseases introduced by miners. My history books didn’t mention that and neither did the tours. Even the Wikipedia site only has a one line mention of the Hän people.

We took a bus ride that climbed from Skagway through the White Pass and the train trip back down. It was beautiful on a beautiful summer’s day. We looked at all the geological wonders, but talked only sporadically about the hunt for gold and all it cost the miners and the Native people of Alaska.

The promise of easy riches… it’s never what it seems. And it always costs far more than we imagine for far more people. Most people never recouped their $1,200 investment (In today’s dollars, that would be $33,456). Shopkeepers and Swindlers got rich.

Maybe it’s time to consider what the real prizes are in this world and work for something that lasts; what kind of world do we want to envision and dream of? Let us consider balance. Let us work for Peace.

The Peace of New Beginnings

Such an incredible, bittersweet moment. My darling goddaughter is crossing the college stage today. That’s all sweet and wonderful. She had a good experience in college. She has a dream internship. If only her mother were here to watch. Yes, I know, watching from heaven, but still… I want her here. One of those days when Maggie will be so sorely missed, by all of us, and especially by that sweet young woman who will always be my girlie.

I have (of course I do!) so much advice for her and for anyone else who might be listening. But mostly, my dear, I want you to cultivate the knack of happiness and a great big hunger for a better world for everyone. Life is so grand. Sure, there are hard times, but drink it in, do your part, and revel. It’s fleeting, this life thing, you don’t want to put off being filled with the wonder of it all. you don’t want to, as some wise person said: postpone joy. And dream very large dreams… and then make them come true.

I’m off to get ready. You’re already ready! Make the most of it. I’ll be watching and loving you with open (but supporting) hands and an open and loving heart. You’re ready. I almost am. and… You’re off!

I love you. I love you all. I have such great anticipation to see what you’ll accomplish and who you’ll become.

and oh! Stay in touch. Visit your auntie!

Invading Peace and Beauty

Hmmm. I realized only as I was sending out my enraptured piece about the tiny, beautiful, blue grape hyacinth this year, and its stealthy overtaking of a local field, that I was waxing poetically about one more invasive species. I feel fairly strongly about invasive species and how thoughtless and harmful we are to introduce them.

Now, we can certainly excuse a farm wife from 200 years ago, because people didn’t know then what we know now. And I don’t know that this little blue creeper has done any harm. But many beautiful transplants have taken over whole continents and crowded out the local plants. And let’s not even talk about rabbits. (I never realized quite how furious this invasive species thing made me until I found myself in a rather heated conversation with a vegan who was sad about a rabbit slaughter in New Zealand. In all the years that rabbits have been NZ and Australia, nothing has evolved as a predator. So they go on doing what bunnies love to do — eating and reproducing — and devastating the countryside.)

So here I was writing a paean to another. sigh. It’s so hard to put all the pieces together. And a field of blue is hard not to admire, even to gasp in awe at. On the West Coast, blue and purple are frequent wildflower colors… here they are rare. hmmm. That might have been a tip off… But still, here is this field that looks like an impressionistic painting. This is a field my parents drove up on River Hill to look at every year. They took their parents. Dad took his sister. Deb and I do the same and drag along those we love, spreading the tradition. I have taken Steve when the hyacinths are in bloom. The hyacinths constitute an Evans Hajj, a family rite of holy obligation and joy. Admire. Wonder. Give thanks. Remember the Farm Wife.

And I wondered… could we make this work for us in some way. Is it possible that Peace is an invasive species? No one really expects Peace to break out. Can we be subversive and teach children to love? Can we plant Peace in out of the way nooks and corners and watch it slowly take over? The people who say it isn’t possible are far more numerous than those who work actively against Peace. So what if we were to convince them, bit by bit, Peace by Peace.

And then we could begin to make a quiet pilgrimage, year after year, to encourage its spread and to laud its growth. We could take more Peace with us. We could take our Peaceful friends. Eventually we could take our friends who have not been believers and let the gasp in admiration and conviction. Soon they would bring their friends. And then we who believe in Peace would so many more than those who work for their own gains… and we could quietly, stubbornly invade even their hardened hearts. Just a dream you say? Well, Disney told us: A dream is a wish your heart makes… This is a wide-awake dream, not a fast asleep one, but a wish of my heart nonetheless…

A Trusting Peace

Peace seems like such an ephemeral thing. I guess “they” like to to keep it that way so that we don’t think it’s attainable. But Peace is also a very grounded activity. You move Peace from heart to heart. It can catch fire, but it needs to build slowly from a very tiny fire.

When what you and I believe begins to work between us, people take notice. We build trust, in one another and in our shared work. We invite others to join us and slowly we reach that magical tipping point.

I believe that big Peace is built by trusting one another with our Dreams and our Processes. Step by step, and then leap by leap. But, small steps first. Peace is possible, I believe that in the depths of my soul. And we’re the people. I believe that to. So, small steps forward. Onward, into Trust and Peace!

The Peace of Winter’s End

While everyone’s jumping around hollering because the sun’s shifting, I am reluctant to let go of Winter’s beauty and its blessed slow pace. I am a jumping around kinda person, so I like being offered Winter’s opportunity for reflection. I like slowing down. I like focusing on my dreams and not just on action.

But will-he, nill-he, things are changing in the natural world’s cycle and carrying us right along with them. So we must consider what pieces of our Peace Dreams we’re going to start developing. You know me, I don’t garden, but I know gardens. They’ve been pouring over seed catalogs and ordering in their favs, designing the layouts of which vegetables and flowers will nestle side by side.

There’s our challenge — to make sure we have what we need to bring our Peace Dream to fruition… to help it bear fruit. Let’s show up and be present to the new season’s beauty, count our blessings and use them to spread over our Peace Gardens and perhaps we can continue to honor the Winter with some consistent periods of quiet, dark and reflection to sustain us for the time of jumping around. Peace, it looks so different at different times in the year, doesn’t it?

Peace Dream Slivers

Reading the newspaper is a huge part of my prayer life. At my best, when I read, I try to focus on the places in the world in need of peace and send them prayers of peace. There are some that I can then act on, and some I must simply keep praying on.

I work to stay centered on lifting up (or as we say in FB parlance) sharing only those things about which our prayers can move us forward. I am easily moved to outrage by stupid stuff, so I try to save my outrage for the stuff that matters. Violence against Women, for instance. You’ll see me be fairly outraged about the ongoing use of women and our bodies and our safety as a tool in war and our complete disregard of that reality. Yep. Outrage. But I try not to rile (too much) when a member of the larger clergy community (using that term oh-so-loosely) is a jerk. There are as many jerk ministers as there are jerk anythings; we’re just more dangerous because we have pulpits.

Well, now that I have that off my chest, perhaps I can get to where I was going when I wrote the title. Peace Slivers. Little pieces of Peace. Sometimes they’re a broken off bit of a larger dream, but sometimes they are tiny little dreams that can actually be carried out. Maybe by you, because it’s a tiny little change you could make in your life that would make you more peaceful, or even your corner of the world. Like smiling at strangers on the street. That can make everyone’s day sweeter. But maybe by someone else. And when I say someone else, I’m not thinking about those, “oh, hey, here’s this thing that I don’t want to do, but if I ruled the world, I would make everyone do it: kinda thing. No, I’m thinking about looking at a tiny little something and being struck by how much that thing is tailor made for someone you know. It may in fact be so tailor made that they already do it.

Nothing spreads peace faster than noticing someone for doing something wonderful and complimenting them on it. And sometimes you can help someone notice the impact they have… or the impact they could have. “Oh, you do this so wonderfully, have you ever considered adding this little thing to what you’re already doing?” or “Wow, have you ever thought about this being your work, you’re so good at it and it gives you such joy.”

But whatever we do with the scraps, it’s worth saving them up into a container. Then on a rainy day when we need a little Peace success, we can pull one out and work on it. Or perhaps we can go through our Peace scraps with a friend and see how this little idea of ours fits with that little idea of theirs and pretty soon we can start a Peace joint venture. We’re not here to save the world on our own. We’re just here to do our work. Our work is Peace. Peace is a communal effort… and communal efforts can be, should be fun. Peace slivers — they’re good for what ail you!

Peace of Punxutawney Phil

Well, Mr. Phil says Spring is right around the corner. My long-range forecaster doesn’t seem to reflect that… and I’m not sure exactly how I feel about Winter’s ending. Truth to tell, I like the cold, and I’m lucky to have the clothes to take care of that. So whether Phil’s right or the Farmer’s Almanac, with their slightly more snowy forecast is, we’ll see. One way or the other, the equinox is barreling toward us in the third week of March (March 20).

Mr. Phil and his mustachioed friend

But while prognostication is a fun past-time, there’s real work to be done in February. This is the time we haul our dreams out from wherever it is dreams are formulated forward into real life. Let us tether those fragments of Peace in our daily lives. The clear picture we had while dreaming can now be reassembled in our waking hours and we can start working on it.

Actually, I’m hoping that Phil isn’t right, that we’re not jumping directly into spring. We need each season so that we can accomplish the work for that season. It’s not time for birds and flowers. It’s time for the painstaking building of a platform for Peace.

Dreams made real. Let’s go!

The Peace of Waking Up

The month is changing, and with it the way we focus on Peace. Last month was about conceiving the Peace dream. This month is about waking up both to its possibilities and its responsibilities. Our job is allowing life to well up in us and to commit to the dream.

Traditionally this day was about the dedication of candles that would burn throughout the year. It is also about the dedication of a spiritual life that would give you and your community life during the year (and life) to come. How will you, your dream, and your life bring light to the world?

The changing light of this season causes animals to stir in their burrows. They may not be up for good… they may be like the rest of us when we awaken to early in the morning… a quick trip to the loo (or in their case out of their burrow) and a return to the nest for one last snuggle in. I welcome the changing light which will shake me from sleep just a bit earlier every morning. I’ve missed the early morning. (but not enough to climb out of bed in the dark!). One of the beauties of my work is that I do get to notice the day’s turnings and live by them… Now it’s changing, get up, I must be going!

If we waken slowly, however, rather than springing out of bed, we get to drag the remnants of our dream into the morning and thus begin our mornings with Peace. As the sap rises in the trees, it doesn’t one day know itself as a frozen knot and the next as a spouting fashion, it slowly unknots and begins to flow. May it be so with all of us. Good morning!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

Tag Archives: dreams