Peace with the Past, LLVL

I’ve been batting clean-up at home. It’s been coming in waves. I do some things, get back on my feet and sink into my life. Which is busy and demanding and beloved. But tiring.

So when I get a moment again, I get rested and then I can consider what I want to do next to normalize what feels vastly un-normal. I am now the keeper of so much family goodness. But not all of it has yet found its way into final homes on my walls or in closets or…

But Saturday was one of those days to attack a pile. I had the time, I was in a good place. As did many of Deb’s friends, I brought home a bunch of clothes. Deb was much taller than I (to my eternal chagrin). So wearing her pants demands intervention. There I was intervening. zip, zip, zip. fix. fix. fix. complete assignment. moving through the pile and BAM. oh, right. these were Deb’s favorites. She wore them all the time. My sister. My sweet, sweet, no-longer-here sister.

So I had a decision to make. I could let them drag me down, tuck them on a shelf and never wear them again. I could throw them out. And forget recycling. Somethings the trash is the answer. And if I couldn’t wear them I didn’t want to see them on somebody else who bought them at the church yard sale. Or, I could take strength from wearing her favorite pants — put on the whole armor of Deb, if you’ll excuse the bad remake of a Bible verse. So, I chose. I’d wear them in pride. I’d step up and step out. They’re teal, after all. New memories to be made. New ways to count blessings.

So crisis averted i plowed on. Remember I put out a plea for coats for a friend. The woman who leads the yard sale obliged. As I was tucking them into the car I realized. They were Deb’s. I was going to have to learn this lesson. Let go. And really, deb would have been thrilled to know her stuff was headed to SD to keep people warm. And I reclaimed that very warm sweater I’d given away because really, it never gets that cold here. So there we are. Getting brave. Making Peace. Wearing the pants in the family.

Quiet Sabbath Peace, LLVL

The living la vida local part of sabbath for me is being present to where I am, being right here. It’s also about being deliberate and making space for sabbath, the calm, the quiet observation of it, in my life right here.

I’m trying to balance the quiet calm and moments of reflection with the digging out from under, steadily whittling away at what nags at me. I did some of that yesterday. I’ll do some more today.

I’m not always good at making space to really see the Beauty in where I am. I’m so lucky. My house is filled with beauty some of it inherited from my friends and family. Some of it chosen by the keen eye for line and color I inherited from my parents.

And often I let the clutter of my life and my mind obscure the Peace and the Beauty. Perhaps the sabbath is about re-membering, putting back together the Beauty of my life. That means allowing the dead to dance and the future to sparkle. It means being present, sinking into its peace and quiet. Peace and Quiet. Blessed Sabbath. Love. Peace. Beauty. and maybe popcorn. You decide. As for me, I always like popcorn and a good cup of tea… and Quiet. I like the quiet of the sabbath as well.

Talking about Peace, LLVL

One of the biggest barriers to Peace is isolation. How can we make Peace if we don’t know one another? or even acknowledge one another?

Locally, for me, that’s a fairly easy problem to address. I need to start saying hello to people on the street. I can own it. Become the mayor in the spiritual sense of it. (hmmm, maybe we should all be mayors of where we live, noticing what’s going on, doing what we can to address it.)

Maybe it’s more difficult in a large city, where people are forced to make their living on their wits and some folks take advantage of openness. But if there’s nothing they can take, because it’s being given away, maybe we won’t be so vulnerable. I knew a woman when i lived in NY, who always had a smile. She made Peace at the doors to shops, holding the doors for everyone, smiling at them, exchanging a kind word, even with the grumps of the universe.

But acknowledging someone’s humanity to their face predisposes them to less crankiness and who knows what…

maybe Peace. or the start of Peace. Maybe hellos are just the first light caress, blessing, of Love which leads to Peace. My little town is quaint with lovely architecture. It’s often recognized as one of the most beautiful towns… but what if it were beautiful because it was friendly, because people said hello and talked about what mattered, and what didn’t?

Baby, It’s Peace Out There, LLVL

or it could be. If we decided to make it so.

We not only need to dress for the weather (because it IS cold out there.), we also need to begin working for climate change. There have been other winters with cold weather no doubt about it, but when you put our chilly temps next to Australia’s boiling ones, you have to look pretty hard in the other direction to ignore that the world is changing. The news as always is this: We are the Ones we’ve been waiting for. (dammit.)

And Mother Earth needs us. Nature just responds to the cues it gets. We’re sending the wrong cues. Bottom line the Government, Big Business, the people in power are not going disrupt their plans unless we make it very clear what’s needed. I don’t know what that means; I don’t know what that looks like; but it’s not something we can just forget when it finally gets warm. Or warmer. Peace is our calling — it doesn’t break out on its own.

Has Mama’s thermostat broken? Does that mean cool summer or warm. Either. Both. Who knows. Probably.

Lots of things in this world, weather, hunger, war that need our support. Is life different now, harsher? Are we just better able to see it. Am I just old enough to be horrified? Or have we just gotten better information with a quicker spread… hard to say. But here we are.

And yes, in addition to everything else, you have to wear your warm clothes. It’s too darned cold for a fleece. And there’s work to be done. Time to step up; better wear your no-skid boots.

Old and Young Peace, LLVL

When I wrote this piece, I was thinking about me. About who I am and what I do and how I do it differently now than I did things before.

As I posted this to lists last night I realized that some might take this piece as disparaging of the younger folk on the list. I remember that I dealt with death and drama even then.

What’s different now is the eye I bring to it and the lack of drama that now accompanies even the most shocking things. I know a lot more about life’s continuum these days. I don’t always like it any better, oh, my sweet sister, my sweet friends… oh, the need for Peace. I’m a much more ardent fighter these days, but a somewhat more savvy one, and I take a lot more time to laugh along the way.

Sometimes I find it shocking that folk ask me questions about their lives. Me? They’re asking me? And then I realize… right, I’ve made a lot of revolutions around this sun. And I’ve packed a lot of stuff in my life. After all, I had those crazy 20s and 30s (for which Dear Lord, I am truly thankful.).

What caught me later about this list, even as I was laughing at it (and at some of the choices, many of which I had never heard before), was that I now work like a 62 year old. The number of revolutions matter if you’ve made good use of them.

Peace, sweet Peace, it likes a steady hand as well as the young undiffused passion. Grief winters quietly in my soul this day, it still storms, but with no sense of the injustice I earlier felt.

And local? When I was in my 20s, I wanted local to be the whole world. It was. I traveled, traveled, traveled. I stuffed everything I could into my mind, heart. (Both the soul and body had exciting times as well! hey I was 20!) I haven’t relinquished my love of travel, but I have discovered my love of local. These hills, this river, these neighbors, these seasons. And when I go away I often go to places where I know those landscapes and friends well enough for them to be these friends, these hills. And that’s precious… And in today’s world the these and the those don’t have to be all that distant from one another…

So, I think I’ll take my age, thank you… strange realities and all. I’ll wish you deep enjoyment of where you are. And go back to dealing with life and searching for Peace and making space for Peace in ways that owe a lot to paying attention to the things that remain constant and the things that change as the season and cycles continue.

And maybe I’ll give up listicles — although I’ll probably always giggle like a girl! Old Warrior Women fight smarter… and partner with young energy!

This Peace or That One? LLVL

It’s hard to know sometimes where to go to work. There’s so much work to be done.

Peace is a multi-faceted creature. It is gentle, but firm It is silent, but outspoken. It is beautiful, but stark. It deals with power and hunger and justice at all levels. It is hopeful, but it is inexorable in its demands.

We can go to work and pull any little tendril that needs tending and start there. Some people can contemplate the tangle of possibilities in its entirety. I love to listen and watch those people think, but I’m more a nudger toward the tendril kinda person myself.

What is your relationship to Peace? What work do you do for it? How does it change your life?

I love this picture taken by my friend Deb. It captures a moment of indecision, a moment in-between. If you’re going to be present to life, you’ve got to notice and appreciate those moments. In the case of the weather it will go where the weather goes — the temperature will go up or down. You are invited to watch in amazement (and of course make sure you’re doing your part to care for the earth). In other moments of in-betweenness, you are needed, you are invited to step up and take responsibility. So, watch for the beauty, and step up when it’s your turn. Start local, it’s where Peace grows and starts to propagate. It’s where you grow best, as well. So, this one or that one? Why, yes, or course!

Guest Speaker Peace, LLVL

When you’re living where you are, it’s important to embrace those who come to visit bring wisdom and a different point of view.

It’s easy to love everything here and it’s important. We have fetishized the other side of the fence and its great superiority. There’s much that’s here that’s wonderful. But there’s much that isn’t and outsiders can sometimes shed not only a little light but give a couple clues about how to address the problems.

They can also remind us that there’s life outside our bubble and that problems outside need our attention, or that we’re contributing to the problems outside by our inattention.

The good thing is, pretty much wherever your vida local is, there’s a place for added insight. (and when all else fails, there are books, magazines, blogs and videos.) It’s sometimes hard to balance where you direct your attention, but this isn’t about getting it right, it’s about getting it.

Went to hear Tim Wise talk about White Privilege. I’ve been reading so much and in so many places, i guess it’s time to preach it. I’ve got a couple weeks, so it’ll have to stew.

Whether it’s wisdom or beauty, it’s not a bad idea to see what’s on offer and indulge! Peace comes from within and from without. Let’s open up and be present to the Possibilities.

Patience and Peace, LLVL

If there’s anything Winter’s got to teach us, it’s Patience. Slow down. You’re going to anyway, you might as well accept it and go with the flow.

This “things take more time than I’m willing to admit” thing is a good lesson for me. I’m not altogether sure I can allow Winter to leak this into my brain, but it’s helpful. Things take more time in the winter.

You’ve got to dress more warmly and figuring out what’s going to keep you warm takes time. Your car is going to need attention, a bit of time to warm up and more time to scrape off the ice barnacles.

If you’re not prepared you’re going to be late. (or in ann’s case, later… sigh). Living in la vida local also means living in the moment, being self-reflective enough to understand what happens and how long it takes, and then planning for it.

Peace isn’t a hurried process, and you don’t know what important detail you will rush by when you’re slamming about trying to accomplish your end goals with no passing thoughts to the steps that get you there. not gonna work. Peace be with you, and the Patience to enjoy the journey. If your life is to be a prayer, then you’ll want to pay some attention to each part of it, won’t you…

Gather ’round Peace Sabbath, LLVL

There’s something about people gathered round a table. Friday night it was old friends and some new. People who live here, people who don’t. Listening to great music. Laughing. Catching up. Singing along. Hugs on the break. It was fuel for the day and the tables ahead of me.

Yesterday we said goodbye to a lovely woman. Her sister and her kids were funny and clear, lost and, oh, so very proud of their sister/mother. People sang. People wept. People laughed. People paid tribute. It’s what you’d want to know people would do for you. It’s what you want to do for people we love.

And then we sat around tables again. She was loved, this woman. People cooked because she cooked. Her brother in law, lives in California, comes from India, also cooks. He made potatoes in California, packed them in their suitcase and flew to be here. Fed us. Love people, said her bumper sticker, feed them tasty food.

Today is a day of reflection. My Sabbath. After church, I’ll gather at a table with new friends. A quiet opening, so needed after the big closings of the past two weeks. We’ll laugh, get to know one another a little. And later, my usual Sunday night date with a friend.

Gather ’round. It’s where community is born, ideas are conceived, stories are shared and laughter grows. Sometimes the seeds of Peace are sown there. And sometimes, if you’re very lucky, some wonderful people will have pulled together great music to listen to. La vida local: Here’s to living it. Oh, right, first, i’ll go brush the fluffy white stuff off my car.

Rhythmic, Orderly Peace, LLVL

It feels as life is a bit out of control right now. Too much illness. Too much death. My heart is bruised and other hearts need to be tended.

I’ve been working at the swimming. Because water does it for Evans girls. I’ve written and written about that… Although, sigh, if I’m not consistent enough, and I’m really just getting back, my body’s a little whiny. Move? ha! Oilcan! Oilcan!

But my other go to is order and structure. I’m not an orderly person by nature. And when there are consistent time constraints, order is even more elusive. I’ve sought help. In the past with therapists… tell me, doctor, how do I put and keep structure in my life? Those conversations helped some. It’s actually not that i don’t have a good organizational sense, it’s just not my go to. Far greater help was a person who helps me clean and sort. Oh, sweet Sarajane, what a treasure you are. I revel in the order you bring, I search for more and then… miracle of miracles, you come back. And when other things aren’t working easily, there’s space in my life. So yesterday, when things were spiraling, a quick dose of dump, sort and fold reorganized my closet shelves and made my bedroom welcoming.

That helps.

And then I went to church where a group of people were preparing for today’s memorial potluck. Sweet companionship. Setting up tables. Pulling out my wedding table cloths (almost 6 years old, still giving pleasure). Folding the hymn sheets to go in the programs. Chatting. About Jean. About the church. About nothing in particular. Laughing. And just being company when everyone’s hearts are a tad sore. A place for me to be comforted as well as to comfort. Mourning has a rhythm all its own. You sometimes have to sit down and listen very closely to find it.

And then to end the day, the arrival of sweet friends and the opportunity to sit in community and listen to great music. Darling Drummer was in another town playing for dancing, so the comfort of knowing he was happy and making others happy. And the joy that there are plenty of other people around to keep the music going. And this, my friends, is how you fill up, how you strengthen yourself for the work to be done.

Peace is often in the community. Living la vida local helps you be a part of the community. You know your neighbors. And they know you. Yesterday, there was a simple showing up, stepping up. Today, there’s a service and a potluck. Tomorrow, there’s a place to heal, watched over by friends.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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