Sacred Grammar Peace, llvl

I’m one of those people who writes her way to what she thinks. Hard for my friends who think things out on the inside. I love blogs and sermons for that reason. Write ’em and redact! (less fun when I’m talking, i know! oopsie!). But I often find things in my writing that I didn’t know was in there. Last week it was Peace advisories. This week it was Sacred Capitalization. (wait for tomorrow to see what comes next! bet yourself something fun if you win!)

I don’t know how significant this is to anyone else, but for me it’s a way of preferencing the words. Use more of the sacred words which have that tiny caress and fewer of the non-sacred. Talk about what I want to grow toward and spend less time thinking about what I want to grow away from.

so Peace. Love. Happiness. What are your Sacred words. What feels holy in your mouth?

Partly Cloudy Peace, llvl

So a couple days ago, if you’re following this blog, while discussing the notion of having your own personal Board of Advisors who support and contribute to your Peace Work, I wrote the words Peace Advisory. It tickled my fancy, this notion that there might be a Peace Forecast that looked at the nature of Peace today and also looked at the possibility of Peace’s breaking out in your area.

What would happen if that were to happen? What would need to happen if that were to happen? How many people would have to be involved? To start a movement that began to focus on Peace as a goal. It’s a complicated thing, this Peace. Bob Marley sang (Bob!) “No justice, no Peace.” It’s easy to think of Peace as the “peace, love and happiness” thing, but more challenging to envision it as a reality that permeates daily life. We’re all for peace, love and happiness. But are we in favor of, willing to work for Peace that demands sacrifice.

When in liturgy, you hear the words “Peace that passes understanding” it’s often describing the Divine. This encourages us to accept this Peace into our lives. But I’m not sure it’s here to tell us that we can’t understand or shouldn’t.

Peace is complex. But hey. That’s why we have these big brains. What better thing to expend our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical energy on…

And for Peace, like Spring, to be bustin’ out all over, we need to to get to work. If we don’t the Peace Advisory is always going to be only partly cloudy. We’re the world’s hope for the Sun’s breaking through. We’re the world’s hope for Peace. We all are. But it doesn’t take a village, it takes a world. We are that world. Let’s go.

That Keep-Trying Spring Peace, llvl

When you’re in the depths of winter, you think about Spring and you think you know what it means. (Substitute any seasons here. I think longing clouds your vision.) I know I don’t remember the allergens (achoo!), but I don’t think you remember Spring’s long and sustained beauty. There are too many wonderful flowers blooming, too many trees bursting with color; the scent of all the unfolding dances on the breeze — oh right the breezes and the gales.

There’s a rail trail in our area and a girlfriend and I strolled down it at dusk, talking about life and its challenges. It’s hard to decide whether the setting was simply antithetical to our conversation or a balm! Life is very hard and life is very beautiful. There we were, all in one splash. The trail cuts through people’s back yards, farmers fields and wooded copses. It does that all in rapid succession, lest you think i walked for miles and miles and miles. Violets, bulbs, trees, new plantings, birds and barking dogs soothed conversations of loss and challenging presents and subsequent futures.

As we were walking for clarity and health, the earth was offering Beauty. Maybe the conundrum of Spring that I was poking at earlier is that it is so ephemeral and short-lived, in such an exuberant and sustained way. That’s good to remember when life is confusing. Peace comes in many guises, doesn’t it, and it keeps opening new ways to walk. Filled up with beauty and gratitude and searching for Peace in the midst of the chaos. We’ll make it the weather and the rest of us… Our lives depend on it.

Peace Advisory, llvl

I couldn’t resist. It came into my head and out my mouth. I wrote about our own personal advisory boards. I didn’t think about this until later.

I keep saying this… you should have a listing of the people who counsel you and in what areas. We need our own Wisdom keepers.

That said. what it would be like if we had a daily Peace Advisory… I’d have to say today, globally it looks a little glum. But maybe, in this village, or in yours, it could be cheerier as we begin to do work that brings folks together.

“All we are saying, is give Peace a chance.”

I’ll be singing Pete Seeger songs with my friend Larry. I’ll be asking the question, who’s writing the anthems for Peace? and who’s singing them? as we answer that, the Advisory gets more optimistic…

Today’s Peace Advisory: Warming Trends?

Speaking Out Peace, llvl

For whom do you speak? What rouses your passion? Whose plight stirs your soul? What gets you going enough that you get going?

I hope you have an answer. If your answer isn’t clear yet, I hope you are inspired to reflect and poke around a bit.

Having a constituency to speak for, to act for, to dream for changes your life. It’s often not what you plan; it’s what you notice.

I’ve spent most of my life working on women’s work and gender and sexuality. That stirs me. It always will. But when the hunger statistics invaded my consciousness, that stopped me cold. This is it. This is the bottom line on the Maslow hierarchy of needs. You can’t get far in life without satisfying hunger and shelter and healthcare. So here we are. I have a team and we’ve got a mission. And that mission has a people. And so, without any personal experience of childhood hunger, I speak for them… and agitate. and lobby.

So what gets you going? What overwhelming Love in your heart compells you finally to speak up for Peace? It’s a great feeling to know that. And an even better one to be acting on it. Because you can make a difference.

Community Sabbath Peace, llvl

When I lived in a big city, on those rare occasions I had a weekend off, when I headed out to do something, I went far and rarely saw anyone I knew.

But here in my little town, when I go to walk the rail trail, I see my neighbors. I may know some of them well, with others, I may just be on nodding acquaintance. Same thing at the local ice cream stand. Every line is an option to catch up: “Hey, how are you. I haven’t seen you for a while (since the last time we stood in line for black raspberry ice cream.)

I confess, I like it. It’s not like I can’t get away. It’s just that rural living means the green encroaches on the town. And that’s a lovely thing.

So enjoy a slow day in your lovely community. That’s what sabbaths are for. What the heck, it’s on me! Make Peace by loving the land and getting to know your neighbors better.

Peaceful Colleagues, llvl

Essentially, I work, not alone, but on my own. But there are people with whom I share mostly similar job and people who have responsibilities at my place of employment. I meet regularly with a woman’s clergy group. We have overlap and support one another. The systems we work in are quite different but the work is similar. So we talk and support and suggest. It’s grand to have colleagues with similar experience.

And then there are people who do at church. All sorts of things. Buildings, money, book club… lots of things. Our jobs aren’t dependent on each other, but they are interdependent. Without these colleagues, there is no church.

And then Peacemaking. We all work at Peace from the place we are. Sometimes the bit of Peace at which you pick away is very, very different from the Peace you are working… But the heart of the flower is Peace. And there you are. Peace Colleagues.

They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere. And that is just lovely. You are most likely my colleague. Makes me happy. Makes me grateful.

Worthy Opponent Peace, llvl

Sometimes we’re thoughtless about things and get in our own way. During those moments, we just have to bless ourselves and move on, Lord love our hearts. (southern for what the heck?)

But other times our growth is a huge challenge but happens because we challenge ourselves. We learn. We stretch. We get better. We do better. Practice and discipline, such good things.

Movements in our lives that have been shaky and jerky all of a sudden, after consistent practice, flow smoothly. We find not only the beauty of the movement but the strength — our strength. That challenge accepted is movement forward, or even inward toward our hearts.

Our groundedness and our strength, our knowledge of where we are in space allow us to know where others are. They help us understand not only what’s being said but what needs are behind those statements. They help us be present to the moment. They help us be balanced in our response. They help us be aware of the connections we have to those around us. These things can give us the ability to give some people the space they need, invite others in closer, and notice who’s not included — all valuable things for living and for Peacemaking. A Warrior for Peace. That’s who I want to be. No. Present tense (since as Yoda reminds us, no try just do.) That’s who I am.

Co-conspirator Peace, llvl

Hey… Happy May Day. It’s going to be a gorgeous day here in the River Valley. Tisket a tasket it up! Lilies of the Valley are the Flower of the Day.

Take a moment to think about who you share your work with. Your Work. The stuff that makes your heart sing. The stuff that changes at least your world.

These are the people who ‘get’ you. Who understand. Who help you make a difference.

Love them. Get together with them. Change the world. Stop Hunger. Create Peace. You know the little stuff of life. And oh, give thanks daily that you have such partners to play with!

Mentoring Peace, llvl

Deb Slade posted this picture the other day, right about the time I received word that a good man had died. The picture seemed perfect, somehow, for the piece I wrote about him. I never knew Doug in his prime — but he was always prime, and wonderful. He was, as I said, a good man, a man who accepted the challenges that life offered and had a good time while doing it.

I’ll miss him. His family will miss him. A whole host of people he befriended and mentored will miss him. This community will miss his gentle, fierce, informed passion for justice.

So, I thought, why not take this opportunity to use this picture and think about others who had been mentors in my life… and ask you to reflect on yours.

I have been lucky to have quite a few of those people in my life. They’ve made me a far better person with their wisdom, laughter, and teaching. Sometimes just in the way they lived their lives.

One of the most important ways I can say thank you to those who helped me to grow is to do the same thing, to extend my hand, my heart and my wisdom to those coming along after me. It’s hard work. But it’s the work we’re called to. This is Peace-making across the generations.

Write a note to your mentors and say thank you. Write a note to your mentees and say git goin’! We’re lucky to have one another… Remembering that is a first step toward Peace.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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