The Funnel Cake of Peace

There are two women I know and love in this Valley. We get our picture taken a lot because we’re women from different traditions trying to gather the Valley together around things that matter.

And, we sometimes gather people together around things that don’t matter. Yesterday was one of those days. It was our fourth (or so) mostly annual Interfaith Coalition No Pork Picnic at a wonderful small family owned amusement park (Number One in the nation, we add proudly).

Yesterday Rabbi Nina wrote, Eradicating Peace, one funnel cake at a time. To which I added, putting the fun back in funnel cake. And so the picture from this gathering that we’ll send to the paper will have more than the three of us and we’ll all be holding a plate of funnel cake.

We didn’t have as many people as we’d hoped we might, since we’d had to reschedule for last week’s thunderstorms. But those who came stayed and played. (I just found out one family stayed through dinner!)

I’m not a huge amusement park fan. Once I’ve ridden the skloosh (a fast plow into a huge puddle of water!) and gotten soaking wet, i’m done for the day. Pullllease can I go home.

But there we all were, eating funnel cake and laughing. Life is very sweet — funnel cake is a good reminder. Interfaith community changes the world and it can always use a bit of sweetness and laughter. So here’s to you and here’s to us, lifting that Funnel Cake to Peace!

The Soft Peace of Later Early Mornings

In about a month, I’m going to have to steel myself for early morning risings. If I want to continue my journey toward health and strength, I’m going to have to get up early to swim. In the middle of the Winter, that’s going to mean before dawn. I’ll get to ease into it however… the Earth is gentle with us that way… but inexorable!

It’s really rather exciting to map the Sun times and the Moon times and know a bit about where we are in this world. And so lovely to have Deb Slade and Trish Stroble documenting our journey around the Sun. Since Deb often shoots from a similar place we can see how — I was about to say the Sun moves, but it’s really the Earth, isn’t it, as it tilts and spins…

But, whatever the hour, here comes the Sun with the soft and beautiful Sunrise (almost an hour later than its earliest rising around the Summer Solstice). Go have a wonderful day. Peace.

Peace that Looks Like Home

Riding in the backseat of our parents’ station wagon, there were miles of electric and telephone wires that went by the window. I counted. I zoned out on their regularity. I made up silly games about them.

I’m sure at some point in the not too distant future that great cartoon about the little birds perched on the telephone line who were snotty to the big bird, who eventually got even by landing in the middle, will be an anachronism, and people will be asking? huh?

Yet yesterday, when I made a wrong turn on a logging road in a mountain, there was nothing but trees until finally at one point, there were electrical lines… People were connected! Connection is a good thing.

Landlines are going the way of the dodo… but it’ll be a while in this rural part of the country before those electrical lines get buried… and the rhythm they keep as you zoom them by will entrance at least another generation of back seat riders.

So, perhaps it’s a silly old thing, but it’s a comforting silly old thing… And there’s Peace in the silly. And Peace in electricity, available for the taking — or now in the days of the solar panel, the giving back.

Roller Derby Peace?

I have to admit, I don’t get roller derbies. I’ve had a fairly limited access to it — it may have occasionally been on tv when i was a kid, but believe me when i tell you, it was not a Betty and Sam kinda activity.

I’m pretty clumsy, so I was never particularly drawn to roller skating. I had some. I went to a couple parties. My mom and my sister were dyn-o-mite skaters… but me? not so much! So roller derby takes some thinking into. And yet, people I know are becoming fierce skaters. Go Skate Women Go!

But, it dawned on me as I was looking at Heather’s pic, that Life and Peace can be a lot like skating. You start with the small doable projects and get good at them, and then you speed up.

There’s a pretty good parallel for how life functions. Start slow, get your skills up, and skate like hell for Life and for Peace. (and squeal and laugh and have a good time while doing it!)

Together, We can Peace

I don’t understand why Peace isn’t an active verb. If we Love, we should Peace. I believe this.

I believe that this neighborhood Peaced. They looked at the ugliness and decided the way through it was together.

A few amazing things happened. One, they supported a couple who had been made to feel like “others,” not part of the group. Two, they came together as neighbors. Three, they moved, probably some of them beyond their comfort zone, to do so.

It’s a little story, probably a common one. In a world where we love bad news, here is sweet and uplifting news. Here is possibility. Here is change. Here is Peace. Hurrah!

Frothy Flower Is as Strong as Peace

Water lilies. They’re so beautiful. But they’re also determined. They can take over a pond or lake if you’re not watching.

They’re also very protective of their environment… They prevent algae from growing. They provide shade and shelter for the fish. They’ll eat the heavy metals right out of ponds and streams.

There are people trying to get municipal plants to use these to clean water. Not surprisingly, the people who build water plants are not interested in employing buy them once they work forever plants for a fraction of construction costs… And yet, they’ve been proven very effective.

Strong, generous, beautiful, frilly little water lilies for Peace.

Dive into Tomato Peace Now!

Yesterday, the weather changed. All of that language about when will this heat and humidity ever end, and this morning, it’s gone.

On the one hand. It’s a great thing. Seasons change; as we progress into Fall, the weather patterns change. Kids are going back to school; it’s much more fun when it’s not 90˚! On the other hand, the pool closes, and its so hard for me to let the season go. And the cool evening temperatures mean the garden bounty begins to lessen.

Conclusions? Swim outside now! Eat those tomatoes now! Enjoy the watermelon now!

Because Summer Peace belongs to summer. Activities and foods change as we move toward Fall. There are wonderful things ahead of us.

But oh, my swimming and my tomatoes. (and my corn on the cob! and melons! and!)

Peace can’t be taken for granted in the future. It must be recommitted to every day. Here’s to swimming and tomatoes and corn today. That’s the Peace of the day. Tomorrow will be a different Peace and require new commitments.

We’ll make those then. But today, again, I’ll eat a ‘mater sammich, and melon, and peaches and corn. I’ll swim and enjoy the Peace of today. Tomorrow; we’ll see what Peace tastes like and feels like.

Rivers of Peace — Peace for the Rivers

My new friend Carol is the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper. Her job is to be the voice of the River. At last, we’re admitting that this planet is a living entity and the soil and the water need to be tenderly cared for. Hurrah.

Carol and I were at lunch the other day, and she lent me a book Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols. It’s amazing. It has a long subtitle, which I can’t remember but It talks about how our brains and therefore bodies and emotions react to water. Of course I love it!

So, Carol leaves me thinking a lot about our Rivers (and I’m preparing for our community’s ingathering service which is all about water). That was when I realized that I’ve spent at least half my life by the Susquehanna. So there I was thinking about rivers, how they change me, what my responsibilities to them are, and someone forwarded a post about saving Langston Hughes house in Harlem. If you don’t know his rivers poem, look for the full poem here.

I’ve known rivers:

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins

My soul has grown deep like the rivers. …

It’s a wonderful poem. Rivers are wonderful things. If they’re going to continue to change our lives, we’re going to have to continue — or maybe start — to care for them.

There is Peace in the rivers for us. Is there Peace in us for the rivers?

The Peace of a Summer Evening

We’ve had some incredibly hot evenings, but these past couple have been incredible.

Perfect temperatures; beautiful full Moon. Adding to the glory, I’m sure is the realization that this won’t go on forever. So we have to grab it now and revel!

It’s important not to miss the clues the Mother Earth gives us. Last night’s clue? Was certainly Peace.

And This morning looks like the start of a great day! Enjoy it. Peace be with you!

Bring the Peace

Even when life is confusing, we have to bring the Peace.

And right now, life is confusing. There are so many things going on that tear at our hearts. They go on and on and on.

This is when we need to step up, even when our instinct is to step back. When things are ridiculous, it’s easy to get discouraged. But that’s not what’s asked of us. Lay the foundation. Extend the hand of friendship. Dig into the Peace and spread it around. There’s only going to be a world of Peace if we take care of our little corner.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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