Where Do I See Myself?

Much of this touches my heart.

"...growing a garden of hopeful, little seeds

and tending to then daily because courage 

takes work and work is an honor. "

I would say commitment instead of work

although I certainly know that commitment takes work.

"understanding how rare and cherished the ordinary day can be."

This is where sanity and thick, tangible goodness lives, I believe.

"...standing up for the underdog."

Many people empathize with the underdog.

It takes great courage to stand up for them

when cruelty gets aimed their way.

healing more than I complain and 

listening more than I judge.

Oh boy, this is spot on in grand proportion. 

I do not see myself under God's wing and 

respect the author's right to do so, as I recognize

this is one of those, listen more than judge situations.

 

Beneath The Polite Green Lawn

This entire piece took my breath away.

https://www.wildwoodwriter.com/

". . .a telegram of want, the others answer

sending sugar like a sacrament

a quiet mercy moving in the dark."

"They kneel, they weave, they practice a grammar of holding."

"The wounded one is steadied by invisible hands"

"...below, in the damp cathedral of earth,

the roots remain devoted, they braid

around stone, around bone, 

around the cold relics of

things once breathing."

"They drink from what has died

and turn it into green testimony."

"The forest is not a collection of trees,

it is a single body. . ."

This is how I want to read scripture.

 

In A Time Of

We all know this, still, being reminded is uplifting.

It reassuring to hear it articulated so succinctly,

and with such confident encouragement.

 

Redefining Success

"celebrates that she finally knows that

 tending to her own flame is the whole point--"

To care for yourself is vital...

it requires you to remove the layers

of pleasing others and discovering

what feeds your flame. Then,

your glow will automatically warm others.

"she plugged her ears to the world's noise 

and carved a path to her insides instead."

No small feat in a world tightly woven together,

but well worth the effort to knowing who you truly are.

"because it grew her flame bigger, brighter,  braver."

What makes your flame bigger, brighter and braver?

It's worthwhile to contemplate.

"she sees that the world is begging for new definitions."

A deliciously new way of seeing things...

not as endings, but new beginnings.

Redefine the failed systems into ones

that contribute to freedom, fairness and fortitude.

"that the unreal must be burned to the ground...

To focus on what is real...true...eternal...

Until reading this, it had not occurred to me

that burning petroleum products

may have a silver lining...which does NOT

mean I agree with the debauchery.

It simply adjusts the dial to where 

positive outcomes become visible.

May we each tend our flame 

making them bigger, brighter and braver

redefining success in the process.

Namaste

 

Microdosing Beauty

"As I look and listen, the lies in my mind dissolve and

I am left here with these few words, sunlight warming away

whatever lies are left."

The lies in my mind about how we are caught up in awful with no way out.

 Lie. 

The lies in my mind like no action I commit matters in the big picture.

Lie.

The lies in my mind telling me I'm responsible  and accountable and

what I'm doing is not enough and I must do more, do more, do more.

Lie.

The lies in my mind saying goodness and decency fall short 

in a world run by big money and dishonest, self-serving leaders.

Lie. Lie. Lie.

"Microdosing beauty. Yes, this is the way back to the real."

May we stay with the real and let it lead us step by step

toward truth and genuine justice for all.  

And may it happen quickly.

Namaste

 

Side by Side by Side by Side

". . .in this vast, cold, expanding world, we have been given

the capacity to trust."

This is no small thing.  Trusting is not for sissies...

it asks for care and discernment as you leave childhood,

where you are indeed fortunate when given

 a healthy foundation for trusting.

May we strengthen and tighten 

our capacity to trust each other

in our local, personal relationships and  communities 

in order to offset the loss of it in the more public places.

Life is not a video game and neither is trust.

It's heart to heart and skin to skin.

Namaste

"we feel it. . .the gift of loving each other, dark though it may be."

 

The World Crumbles

"And still we keep it together."

What, exactly, are we keeping together?

Our sanity? Our Democracy? Our human dignity?

Our empathy?  Our compassion for others and our planet?

All of the above?

"The weight settles, and still, we keep breathing."

A dreadful weight it is.  Yet, our breathing continues.

We do everything we can to halt the rich men's war games,

and still, they continue, and still, we keep breathing.

"The pain growls, and still, we find ways 

to quiet the ache. Open arms, 

hands reaching  for each other. . .

I'll help you carry the day."

We may find ways to quiet the ache.

I believe we are learning to carry it,

woven into the fabric of our days.

Together...with and for each other...

Minneapolis showed us, as are

countless communities across America.

We refuse to give up on Democracy,

We refuse to give up on life, liberty and justice FOR ALL.

Namaste'