ConsciousCreation

There is so much going on at this time! I started the day with a scratchy throat and a runny nose and thought, ‘Oh, no! don’t need that!’ Had to reschedule a lunch date to make sure that, if ‘it’ were spreadable, I didn’t spread it! Then, breakfast for me and the puppies…As I was sipping my coffee and watching the squirrels play and the dragonflies dart around outside, I noticed just how dirty the glass in the patio doors was. I also felt called to write something today since I had not written anything since Friday…and then just continued to sip my coffee and watch the squirrels and dragonflies. After all, it’s a holiday, right. A day off – a time for a little self care!!!

Finally,, I just had to clean the glass in the doors! And then I had to sweep the patio and water the plants. And then the kitchen needed cleaning and the dogs needed more chicken cooked. All of sudden it was dinner time…we eat early at our house!

And now, we’ve all been fed. The sun is setting and I remembered that feeling of wanting to write something today. But, what to write about? There’s a lot going on right now – challenges and changes everywhere. Earthquake in Afghanistan, major forest fires in the Northwest, flooding in Houston, children attacked and killed in a Minnespolis church, unknown shooters killing 7 and injuring more in Chicago, 600 Guatemalan minors in the US under the protection of the US government caught in a political battle about sending them back to Guatemala unaccompanied and without due process, COVID cases increasing in certain parts of the country. And that’s just this weekend’s news! Depressing, isn’t it!

How do we navigate through all this? How do we find the beauty, the peace, the truth? How do I?

On Friday, I spent quality time with a new mother and her precious baby boy. His smile was pure joy. He even shared some deep thoughts with me in his own way! He made my heart sing. And his mom glows with love and joy which made it all the more beautiful. That memory still fills me today! That evening, my son called, as he often does when he’s got an hour or so on the road. He shared his day and his voice had an energy of enthusiastic challenge that I hadn’t heard in awhile. And that made my heart sing. He shared Aedan’s latest adventures – That’s my 10 year old grandson – learning to enjoy rock wall climbing, excelling in parkour and jiu-jitsu, and starting the 4th grade! That, my friends, is beautiful and filled this Noni with joy!

On Sunday, the energy at Unity of the Valley was powerful. Bruce and his music, Mark and his light heart, Peggy and Pat holding prayer space, Scott and Victor doing the sound and streaming, the folks who brought open hearts for the service and .food for potluck afterwards…Peace and blessing all around.

And today, the glass in the doors are clean, the puppies are happy, and the Nats won the ballgame.

So how does all of that relate to the questions asked earlier: How do we/I navigate through all this? How do we/I find the beauty, the peace, the truth?

The wise ones say it’s all about where you put your focus and what you choose to hold on to. I believe that. The energy of thoughts and feelings that I choose to carry will manifest around me. I will see the world through that lens and probably respond in kind. AND I believe that it’s a little more complicated than I often make it, this focus thing. There are times when choosing to always see ‘the positive’ is really an unconscious choice not to see and acknowledge those things that are destructive and harmful to the those around me. Why would I do that? Why would I close my eyes to the pain and injustice? Why would I ‘stick my head in the sand’, stop getting the news, avoid political conversations, etc.?

Maybe because it hurts; maybe it’s because I don’t have the big answers to ‘fix’ it and don’t see how my small actions would be effective. Maybe the ‘problem’ doesn’t directly affect me. Maybe I’m concerned that I’m only hearing/considering one perspective of the situation and we know there’s always two sides, right?. Maybe I don’t want do create a ‘storm.’ There are so many reasons why.

For me, the hard part is standing in the midst of the chaos, the tension, the violence, the name-calling, the fear, the doubt, without owning it or dismissing it – just seeing it and staying open to knowing what is mine to be and do in that moment. Fr Richard Rohr, in his book Yes…And, reminds us that it is important that we call out the suffering and wrongdoing and at the same time not fighting it. Rather, it is for us to stand in support of truth and justice, relief of suffering through compassion, care for all living things. The example he gives for this is the life and teachings of Jesus. “I am in the world, but not of it.” For me, this means that I must first see what is going on in the world around me without filters, labels, or judgment as much as possible and then stand in, and be, the vision of love, compassion, truth, and justice, taking such action as is mine to take to bring that vision into reality. No small task, I grant you, and yet even the small thoughts, actions, and prayers have power – and I do believe that is why we here!

Peace and blessings.

T