Interplanetary Sugar Moon Peace

Driving home last evening around sunset, I realized what I wanted to write about. The sky was so beautiful; it reminded me of a tale I’d once read, I had to talk about the joy of looking up…

When I got home, and opened the computer, my Facebook page was filling up with the same image that had so captivated me. Making sure that I had my planet right, and that that was indeed Venus hanging out by the Moon, a little research pointed out Mars was part of that cocktail party.

Out I went to check. sure enough, if you looked closely, there he was.

And then the people posting the pictures noticed Mars as well, (he’s such a quiet and shy man for a War God… a man of strength and action, I guess; not showy at all): Oh, look, I never saw him until I took the picture!

I remembered a tale that celebrated the New Moon and the friendship between the Sun and the Moon. The author suggested that once the Moon had gone off to do travel in her own orbit, she and the Moon had only one day a month to see one another.

I’ve learned a lot about the moon since then. Now I know that, with the exception of one day, she always has her eye on her beloved Sol…

But there we were last night: the God of War and the Goddess of Beauty hanging with Her Serenity in her sly beauty. A more Peaceful night is hard to imagine. If those celestial beings can be at Peace, whether hanging together on a cold Winter’s evening or sailing majestically through their own orbits, couldn’t we work harder to do the same, i wonder? And instead of griping about the cold, couldn’t we instead give thanks for the stunning Beauty of the Winter sky?

Martin’s Peace Lunacy

Happy Birthday, Dr. King.

We have so much to be grateful for in your leadership.

Such daring. Such truth telling. There are those who say you were just a man; that’s the genius of your work.

Because if you were human, great things can be asked and expected of us — we who are also simply human.

Peace. Courage. Conviction. Devotion. Faith.

You changed the world, and challenge us, with your life and your death, to do the same. You changed the world with your insistence that each life is sacred.

We give thanks… Let us then begin to move toward Peace in whatever way is best for us!

A Year of LLVL Peace Comes to an End

Deb and I had the best of times. I hope you did as well. Here’s one last picture for a day that didn’t fall into the 52 weeks…

It’s been a delight to focus on the place I live and people I live with. A delight to spend the year with you.

And next year, although I’m not really prepared and feeling poorly, I get to spend the year working with my sweet friend Lorriane… and on the moon… big introductions may come next week… I’m not really up to it yet… but oh, boy! She has some beautiful shots for us.

Thank you. I hope 2014 was a good year for you. I hope 2015 will be even more fun and I hope that exploring the dark and the beautiful moon is exciting… Let’s get out there and look at the beauty of the night sky… maybe that’s another place to pay attention to our community… or maybe ourselves!

Family Talk Peace, llvl

Someone remarked the other day how tiresome it was that no one seemed to worry about the simple courtesies. He thought it seemed that there were fewer pleases and thank yous.

I’ve noticed that people seem less aware of where they are in space in relation to the rest of the world. But maybe I’m just a grumpy old person.

Simple kindness, being present, being grateful feel like lovely things for us to teach — and lovely things for us to remember. Because it’s probably not just the kid.

And I can’t say the thoughtlessness we overheard last night was new. And we certainly weren’t winning any prizes for minding our own business. And I admit that the three of us are all fairly talented at eavesdropping — but (and actually we can’t remember the man’s opening salvo) it’s probably not a good idea to school another adult in public for their existence. It wasn’t like telling a child to sit down we’re eating, it was more like, “this is how you’ve made a complete mess of your life,” in front of eight family members at the table and a restaurant full of folk.

I’m betting that if we all refrained from leading with our beloved’s weaknesses, particularly in public, we might all have much happier holidays. Whatever we celebrate. Just a little thought about working for Peace on Earth, Joy to the World.

Sabbath Appreciation of Peace

This has been a week with many opportunities to reflect on cooperation and support that develops as I (we) live la vida local.

I’ve had both meetings and tasks all week. Since I’m in a helping profession, this often means that the work I do is for other people. At every step of the way this week, someone was there to help me make my work better and easier. And more fun.

I’ve always had good friends. One of the things friends do is help one another out. But living in community is new to me — and very precious. I am amazed and grateful that this is my life. I’ll be thinking over my lovely life as I go to hear four or five of my friends sing holiday songs this afternoon…

Part of living la vida local in a small town is that much of the music and theater you get to enjoy is done by people you know. And that adds richness and sweetness to the experience — and far more expertise than one might initially expect…

So here’s to you and to a holiday Sunday filled with joy and appreciation. This isn’t how I though my life would look. But it sure is lovely! Thanks. Peace on Earth! and so much Joy!

Stretching Holiday Peace, llvl

Since I was an exchange student 45 years ago and discovered that Sweden celebrated Second Day Christmas, I’ve been greedy about holidays.

Since I’ve married, I’ve had Second Day lots of things because we always get together with his family on the day after the holiday… 2nd day hurrah! Leftovers and Family, what a blessing.

This week I got a third crack at Thanksgiving. No leftovers were involved, but there was a meet up at a local restaurant on a hill overlooking the river. It was grand. Nancy, our historian, had brought along name tags from earlier Turkey Days from everyone who wasn’t there. Those who couldn’t make it and those we fondly imagine eating together at the Thanksgiving buffet up in the sky.

We take whatever opportunities we have these days… because they are few and we are fewer than we were.

Gather your families… time passes and Peace looks different a few years down the road… Giving thanks for what I have and for who I had in my life. Trying to stay present in this miraculous moment.

Tempered Gratitude and Peace, llvl

It is good that there is a day in our lives when we say thank you. It’d be grand if we did this more frequently. And as so many of us say, there’s family, there are friends, there’s food (and some would add there’s football) what’s not to like about this holiday? I’m really looking forward to time with my nephew and his wife, visits to friends and a whole weekend that continues the celebration. Big bonus: I get to spend much of the weekend with my husband, which is not what we always get. I’m a happy and a lucky woman. While there are faces I miss at the table, I have family and friends I love and who love me in return. I have a job I have waited and prepared a lifetime to do, and I have you and a place to say what I think and feel and believe. Huge thanksgiving. Joy that races between quiet and explosive!

However, some people don’t have those luxuries. Even if they have food, they may not have family. Some are missing both comfort and sustenance. Somehow this day feels like another reminder of their loneliness. When we can, we should help here.

This year, I think it’s incumbent upon us to remember that the gratitude that is tied up in so many of our minds with a thankfulness for this country must be balanced by the realization how many people are excluded from the American Dream. And more than excluded, threatened. There’s been a lot of writing lately about how this current uproar in Ferguson is less about Blacks’ demanding visibility than it is about white outrage (again with the outrage) that society is changing and, in fact, there must be, even will be, parity. Black lives do matter. And so our gratitude must be tempered with awareness. And our gratitude must be the fuel for making a difference.

Our hearts must be both sorrowful and grateful. We’re plenty complex enough to hold that tension. Today let us feast. Tomorrow let us eat leftovers and consider how we might help. Celebration and action, longtime friends of Peace.

Fall, Sabbath, Peace, Beauty, llvl

We can’t know how many more of these days we’ll have, so I want to take advantage of this one. Welcome to my vida local… it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

One of the great joys of writing my musings and this blog is being seduced into discovering the beauty of the moment. It’s so beautiful here, so there are lots of those moments. Mountains, trees, fields and streams… pretty good building blocks for Beauty.

And Time and the lingering over it are pretty good building blocks for a Peaceful Fall Sabbath.

Next week it could be gray and cloudy. But it’s not today. Indulge yourself. Savor the day and the weather and whatever else comes your way. Yesterday it was folks standing around outside carving pumpkins (not me, no don’t be silly). To get there, we had to drive past fields where local Amish farmers were using teams of horses to pull the feed corn being harvested. Then you drove down into a valley filled with color and that small beautiful creek where only months ago I found myself sitting watching the world drift by. Today it was so still it looked like a lake, holding nothing but an occasional leaf and the reflections of the trees and the sky. Picture perfect…

Somewhere, someone said something like: “Delight is the only response the Creator desires from the created.” Today’s a good day to practice!

Peace Feast, llvl

Go out into the garden and see the bounty remaining even after that first frost. Oh, you’re like me? Try this: Go to the market and notice all those richly colored foods piled up around you. yum. Mother Earth is proudly trotting out her fall bounty. It’s up to us to enjoy.

It’s also a good prompt to share that enjoyment. Eating together is a lovely way to build Peace. Discovering what kind of spices you use on these fall delicacies gives me new ways to enjoy old favorites. (Just found out that my friend Ed likes nutmeg on roasted Brussels sprouts. I have another friend who eats it on broccoli — but she’s Dutch so of course she does! That Dutch East India Trading Company made its mark on its home country.)

And the foods are good for you and beautiful to see. What more could you want? Company, you could want company to enjoy the Feast. Get together, say a prayer of thanksgiving and enjoy the feast. It’s an interesting question to look at who you celebrate with. How many people that you invite into your home look like you? How many look very different from you? Have you considered your hospitality as part of your Peace efforts?

Part of the glory of living a vida local is to enjoy the seasons. Make Peace. Eat good food with a friend. And while you’re enjoying, feast your eyes on Deb Slade’s pic! MMMMM. Now that’s delicious.

Hope and Peace, llvl

It’s been a bit “sloggy” around here recently. Hard work with small minds safely filled with old stereotypes. And then, this…

As you all know, if you’re following me, my little town recently lost a rising star. A young man, musician, poet, nice guy, skateboarder, high school kid, died in a car crash. Our students and our parents have been reeling with the grief. It hits at so many levels. The high school band has been having a very hard time.

And again I say, and then this.

They played an away game. You know local football rivalries in small towns, we live for them (well many of us do!) and they’re fierce.

But this day the home team band stopped their performance and asked for a moment of silence in memory of Miles. They read a poem. They gave a tree to his family to plant in his honor. It is the sweetest, most generous thing I’ve ever heard. What a lovely ability to see beyond their life… What a gift of being seen for the away team. Let us give thanks!

There’s Hope, folks, and we need to fan that flame every chance we get. Because that’s where beauty lies. That’s where Peace lives.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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