The Peace of Spring

Well, the calendar is finally embracing it. Sooner or later the weather will. A friend had a picture of some forsythia that she’d forced in a jar. There are tell tale signs all over. We act as if it’s about the warmth, but it’s really about the light. And there it is, poised over the equator, practicing standing absolutely still.

Soon the sun will be on the move and we can lean into Spring. If we’re talking about dreams of Peace (and aren’t we always!), it’s time to think about getting our Peace show on the road. There are so many options, but for me, I guess it’s the steady creation of community. Time to stretch out my hand and see who grabs hold.

But I encourage you to enjoy the moment. Practice balancing those eggs. Be in the moment, even if the moment is another one of those in-between places. There’s enough going on right here, no need to overbalance… not when the earth is hollering: Balance!

The Peace of La Politesse

I’m not the only person saying this, by a long shot. But we’re not spending enough time in one another’s company. And when we don’t, we tend to forget that there’s a real person at the other end of our communication.

Easy social give and take is anything but easy. Like all arts, while some people are naturally gifted, the rest of us have to practice. I watch people who start or finish a conversation with a soft touch, the right amount of hello and good bye, sweet admiration and firm boundary. It’s really quite lovely. Some long ago Frenchman, (i had his quote on my wall for years, you’d think I’d remember his name) was heard to say that Politeness was like the air in tires, not strictly necessary, but it made the ride a lot smoother. My friend Peg Streep just wrote an article about incivility and drama on the internet. Technology adds so much, I’m in contact with so many more people, reading so many differing points of view… but it is not intimate… and yet we can’t afford to speak with one another in any other way.

One of the pieces of the Steubenville rape case that haunts me is the fact that of all those children none were moved, if not to stop something scary themselves, to sneak away and call the police. That shows a lack of relationship to one self and one another. And a lack of respect. We keep asking questions that start with how long will it take for us to? Well, it’d better start now.

What do you think? what can we do? What does civility look like in a digital age. How do we continue to make the personal, human connections? How do we put the civil back in civilization?

The Peace Stall

In every step of the work we do, there will be times when progress is, at best, invisible. We may move forward and back over one marker of progress, we may even lose some ground. At that point there is nothing to do but sit on the mat and breathe. You may want to check to make sure that the progress you’ve made is secure and well-grounded. And eventually you may need to take more aggressive action. But often you need to let your work catch up. Sometimes you need to let the environment catch up. You always need to find that balance between waiting and ignoring; but really waiting has its place.

It’s frustrating. But the weather does try to remind us that nothing happens in a hurry. Right now we’re noticing that Spring doesn’t happen in a day. One warm weekend, everybody’s running around screaming, “Spring’s here, Spring’s here.” They pack away their winter clothes and then wonder why they’re nursing colds and freezing. (Um, perhaps because the mercury isn’t going to make it over the freezing mark today.) But it will come. And if we’ve been doing our homework on our Peace project, it will come along as well.

Turn your attention away. Clean a closet. Meditate. Read something delicious. And then and only then, get back to work. The frustration is simply a good sign to do something else for a while.

The Ides of Peace

Many high-schoolers learned in English class to “beware the Ides of March!” which turns out to have been Julius Caesar’s, shall we say, date with destiny. I took full advantage of the internet to review what Ides really meant, and it was simply the midpoint in a month in which the weeks were not celebrated. There you go, facts with your coffee and tea.

Well, for me this was not a day to bury someone but to praise him, to keep messin’ wit’ Shakespeare. No irony for me, just straightforward gratitude. I think we often forget — or am I the only one — that we’re not on this Peace road alone. We’re not always savvy workers, sometimes we drive ourselves to exhaustion. When we feel weary from the hard work, we need to look around. We may even need to do that a bit creatively. People may not be engaged in exactly the same work we are, but they’ll be engaged in their work — which leans toward Peace. They may be having successes on the journey, which will remind us to be grateful and and empower us to keep going. I believe one of the best fuels is counting our blessings and successes. When we see how far we’ve come, it’s easier to understand why we’re tired and why this particular setback isn’t all that huge.

So, listen for the cheerful whistle! It will give you strength for the journey. (and you probably won’t hear it, if you’re not listening.) New advice after all those years (Julius Caesar died in 44 BCE — it might be time to change the day’s rep!), let’s embrace the Ides of March and those whose work inspires us. Maybe we’ll celebrate the Ides of Peace every month!

The Peace of a New Pope

May it be a Peace-filled reign. He’s kind and gentle they tell us, and oh, may that be so. He’s taken, for the first time, the name of a saint who cared for both the people and the animals, and that is a blessing. He’s a Jesuit, so he has been taught to think broadly, deeply creatively. May he lead with Justice and Mercy all his days.

And yet, i think of the things he does not favor, and has spoken actively against: married priests, woman priests, gay marriage and homosexuality, liberation theology. In all of these things he lags behind many of the people’s understanding of God’s Love. May he be transformed by his office into a leader and healer of the Church and the world. Both are sorely in need.

Peace be with you, Francis I. Our prayers and hopes are with you.

The Peace of Funeral Food

While I knew I had more poetry to write about this subject, I thought, can I really write a blog post about it? Well, of course I can. augmented, of course by the good work of dear friends. Doug Donley sent me Kate Campbell’s song, Funeral Food.

But I think Funeral Food is an odd mix of what we make best and cherish and become known for, what heals us, and what foods we want folks to associate with us later. Wakes and Shiva are about making memories and building traditions. That way you’ll know what to do when you’re the one in charge.

Funeral food
It’s so good
For the soul
Funeral food
Fills you up
Down to your toes
Funeral food
Funeral food

Ironic Peace

There’s nothing like having written about presence and needing to send it out when you’re feeling muddled and as if you’re about four feet behind yourself. I guess I have to deal with the fact that I really don’t do well with wheat and sugar. I’ve not been eating them since the beginning of February. It’s not a big allergy or disease, but I’m clearer and lighter in so many ways when I eat protein, fruits and vegetables. But this was a weekend of parties and funerals, and it seemed more important to eat what was available and what everyone else was eating. Except I now feel as if i’m walking into walls. And this morning I could not get my eyes open. zzzzzzzzzzzzz. And of course we can’t underestimate the emotional costs of two family funerals. Showing up is a wonderful thing, but it is costly.

We forget that it’s harder to be present than to not be present. It’s just that the payoff is extraordinary. Living wide open is a practice and as with any sport or practice, some days you play too hard and you have to recoup. So here’s to being present even if it leaves you feeling a bit Muggle-esque! Gotta build those muscles up… and oh by the way, lay off the sugar and wheat!

Warm Spring Peace

Yesterday, while leaving a friend’s house, I put my hand around the edge of the door and encountered something surprising and marvelous. The brass lock on the door was warm. It was warm from the sun. It was so surprising after the winter that I pulled my hand back hastily and had to search a bit to figure out the explanation.

Although not a snowy winter, it’s been a cold one. It was lovely to go outside and bask for just a bit and to exclaim over flowers making their way out of hibernation. That’s our assignment as well. Time to let the changing seasons coax those Peace dreams out of stasis. Let’s blossom. Because the other thing the sun will do is illuminate the places desperately in need of Love and Healing. Beauty can help. Let’s do what we can to bring Beauty to this world.

Sabbath of Showing Up

Sometimes it really is that simple. We just need to be there and listen, to practice the simple art of presence. Often the best thing we can say is “tell me about it.” Allow yourself to hear and feel what’s being said. Put your hand over your heart. Nod encouragingly. Say very little. Offer a cup of tea or a bite to eat. Sit there, even when it’s hard. Leave when they’re finished not when you are. Come back and check on them later. Be kind. It’s a lot and not a lot all at the same time.

Today, on this mixed up beginning of daylight savings time, show up for yourself, and don’t move till you’re finished being there.

Backroad Peace

The monoliths of the Four Directions offer such clarity. Here you are, this is what’s going on here: Perception and understanding, Passion and Drive, Dreaming and Envisioning, and Grounding and History. To stand in one Corner is to know exactly where you are.

But in one sense, it’s also to be hemmed in. One of the fascinating things about writing the musings and then reflecting on them is the picture that begins to emerge of my own behavior. (Self reflection? Peace needs self reflection?????) I, unlike many, actually like superhighways. Why? because I can’t get lost. I’m always late; they’re speedy. And, to fess up, I’m not secure when the lines aren’t straight. But spiritually speaking, it’s in the getting lost that growth happens, that interest deepens, that you encounter new ideas, people, even perhaps pieces of the Divine.

Ah, that old goal/process thing. I’m all about the goal. I understand process and I can facilitate it. But I’m all about the shortcuts. I always flunk that test that says read all the rules before you begin to write. And then when I’ve completed the test I get to the end that says, put down your paper and sit quietly. Well, not that I sit quietly very well, either! But I’m going to have to stick my toes in the water of the small streams. Because I’m convinced, while principles of Peace may be encoded in the Four Directions, the working of it, between actual individuals happens in the places in between. And I’m beginning to believe that Peace will only happen when we the people demand it!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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