Category: Peace

Bring Love to Desperate Times

In these times that seem so desperate, I reflect upon the life of my Grandmother, Josephine Paparella, who came to this country at the age of sixteen searching for a better life. She married a hometown sweetheart, Anthony Mignanelli and began a family in Pennsylvania. Within months after bearing their eighth child her husband was killed, leaving her alone to raise the children through the Depression. She grew the family’s food and baked bread in an outdoor oven selling it to make ends meet. She did this with the support of family and community, but she also did it against mounting pressures of a society fearing immigrants and a government who thought it best to take her children away.

She fought to keep her children and she won. Much of this I learned after she had passed.

What I knew of her was that she loved me. What I know is that she did not express remorse for her lot in life. She cared if I was warm and fed. She cared about her children, the garden and her neighbors. What I know is that she taught me about  determination and will through her actions.  What I know is that she did her best. I have heard that she used an Italian expression very often. It loosely translated to this: “If everyone were to leave their troubles in the middle of a room, you would pick your own troubles and carry on.”

She carried on. She endured. And I carry her legacy proudly.

These are desperate times, but the solutions remain in front of us. Love. Carry your burdens with dignity and hope. Work to make it better, not just for yourself, but also for everyone. We have fallen prey to the worst the human spirit offers. Now it is our turn to rise to the best. I remembered my Grandmother today as I awoke to a new reality before me. The floods and constant rain have made it a desperate time here. It is much the same or worse in many places throughout the world. I refuse to be desperate. As long as I have a heart full of love, as long as I give myself to appreciation for this life and for the Good that continues to find me, I am at peace.

Armed with peace, we will be able to make a way out of no way. Arm yourself with peace, my friends, and roll up your sleeves. There is work ahead. Remember those who came before you and work for those yet unborn. Let love win.

This is My Heaven

Generally I give people due respect when they offer suggestions, advice or direction even if I don’t agree. Sometimes I will give a counter consideration, if it is needed or if I feel misunderstood.

Recently I had the opportunity to share my thoughts with someone I had never met. She walked up to me, handed me a slip of paper and said, “Please read this, it will help you get to heaven”. She continued on for a few moments with phrases I had heard before. But this time something was different. I listened to her. Maybe I felt her sincerity. As I listened to her certainty, I realized I had a certainty, too.

Swept in the spirit of the moment, I said, “I’ve listened to you, now can I have a turn?” And she said, “Yes”. And I said, “The way I see it I am in heaven. This is my heaven”, I said pointing to my heart and then extending my arms to encompass everything. “When I die if there is a heaven as good or better than this, then bring it on, but now, as I live, I am in heaven. And you know, a wise man once said, “The kingdom of heaven is within.”

“Oh”, she said, “well I don’t know what man would have said that”. And I said, “According to Luke*, it was Jesus”. She replied, “Well I don’t know about that…”

And I realized that I did.

I couldn’t have said those words to her had I not felt them. And truth told I don’t always feel them. But in that moment I did. And those moments are growing. Finding heaven within is a worthy pursuit.

 

This aired on WDRT August 9. “Consider This” airs at 5:30pm CST each Thursday.

You can listen to it being read on Soundcloud

For the quote you can read Luke 17:21

Give It a Chance

Maybe I am not as cynical about the Trump- Kim agreements on nuclear disarmament because I listened to the early morning press conference that immediately followed their meeting. Pundits and politicians on both the left and the right are suspiciously eyeing the agreement, looking for loopholes and creating doubt. If the agreements were not about the de-escalation of nuclear weapons and a step towards peace, their alarming comments would almost be funny.

Let’s consider the stakes: the reunion of nearly 65,000 individuals to family members living on either side of the border; the return of the remains of our soldiers who died during that horrific war; and the possibility of “de-nuking” the Korean peninsula…it seems to me we owe this moment, if not applause, at least a silent hope that peace will prevail.

In one of the longest press conferences ever, I listened, as an elated Trump sounded rather surprised at the outcome of the meeting. It was in stark contrast to Kim’s few words, but not in content as a buoyant Kim told reporters, “ The world will see major changes.”

After months of wrangling and insulting one another, whatever brought on the handshake, the terms of respect and the intention to work together is not mine to question.

Sure, there were moments when I thought, “Get a room”, but if this is how they will find a way to peace then bring it on.

There are very few at the top who make these decisions, and a very few below them whispering or shouting in their ears, but the vast majority of us breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of peaceful resolution and troops coming home.

As with the famous words of John Lennon, let us please find a way to, “Give peace a chance”.

 

 

photo: Graffiti on the Lennon Wall, Prague, Czech Republic.
Source: Wikipedia and Licensed through Creative Commons.

This piece aired on WDRT’s “Consider This”, June 14. You can hear it here.

OPT IN

opt  äpt/  verb   make a choice from a range of possibilities

And so it goes, we have choice from a range of possibilities. Perhaps not on the outside, perhaps our choices are limited there. But we have a choice where it counts to us the most – on the inside.

There is only one who knows the range of emotion like waves of sound that courses through us. There is only one who can choose which note to listen to, which note to add to, which note to delete.

To welcome that understanding is the first option.

The second option is to enable the ability to choose. Choose.

Choose well.Choose as if your life depends on it…because it does.

Opt in to life. Opt in to hope. Opt in to clarity. Opt into beauty. Practice.

Because we can.

What Price Peace?

I wrote the following a few weeks back, it aired  on WDRT‘s Consider This. The winter games have begun and this moment of unification of the Koreas is being duly noted by most as a significant step towards peace. It is the first time a member of the royal family of North Korea has stepped foot on South Korean soil in over 67 years… Regretfully this step towards peace is being marred by the Vice President of the US continuing to rattle swords, refusing to sit at the table of the North Korean diplomats and adamantly calling for military exercises to begin with South Korea immediately after the conclusion of the Olympic games. Really, US? It seems we are no longer interested in peace. War is too profitable. People like to say having a big stick brings peace. But throughout my life when people presented a big stick, they never won my respect, nor my allegiance. In truth they found a worthy foe. The big stick went the way of the Neanderthal, let it rest. Let’s get on with peace.

Consider This 2/8/18

In case you haven’t heard – North and South Korea will be sharing the spotlight in the winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang. This isn’t a dream; it’s fact. The Korean women’s hockey team will be comprised of players from both North and South Korea and they will enter the games together under one unified flag. If you recall the vitriol of recent months you are either scratching your head in disbelief or eking out a scream of halleluiah.

Perhaps we are not far from seeing common sense and common ground outlasting the folly of war. Perhaps chest thumping is no longer winning favor among sensible people and war weary humans are seeking solutions that may be longer lasting and far less destructive.

The Olympic games were meant for this. A truce of war called for a celebration of what is possible. When the president of the United States spoke of annihilating the entire nation of North Korea, I am hunching the president of S. Korea Moon Jae-in realized his opportunity to bring peace was shortening. When elected he had declared his goal was to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem and solidify peace between the two nations.

Now, there are conservative nationals in South Korea who are against this unity. The South Korean president’s ratings have dropped markedly since his agreement to work with the North. And of course our own military and government are still rattling swords and preparing for the worst.

The path to peace is not for the weak of heart. But I am betting on this man, this son of North Korean refugees, and on the 60,000 South Koreans still on the list of families wishing to reconnect with loved ones in the North. And after 67 years, there are those in the North praying for the same.

I am betting on diplomacy born of a shared humanity. There is a growing recognition that North Korea needs to come out of isolation and engage with the international community. That makes total sense, to bring people into conversation, not to shun them.

For all the nay saying and dooms day enthusiasm, I am hoping the intention for peace will prevail. It seems at least for now we are off to a good start.

 

Picture: Wikimedia commons

Wishing You a Life of Loving

When people tell me things, I tend not to believe. Not because I don’t want to believe it is just that a lifetime of experiential learning has often taught me something different…

And now Louise is teaching me. Louise is the other half of Thelma. They were my first two sheep and if you know me you surely have heard the story. Nearly 15 years ago I put the four-month olds into the back of my SUV and said, “You must be Thelma and Louise, because this is your last ride.”

About three weeks ago Louise went down and could not get up without help. And if you know my sheep they are a hefty lot, so as she weakened, so did I. Cold setting in and knowing I would be gone for a week, I started to accept the words I had always been told, “When a sheep goes down, that’s it.”

While that may be true for some, it does not seem to be the case for Louise – at least not until she teaches me more about living.

thelma and louise

I took these pictures of Thelma and Louise in the summer, grateful that they had given me one more chance to photograph them together. You can see Thelma there saying to Louise, “There she goes again taking our pictures, enough already!” (They came to me with tails removed and when I realized how necessary their tails are I promised them that all of their children would keep their tails – and they do!)

I have laughed with them, cried and prayed with them. I have allowed them to teach their children and great, great grandchildren how to live with human beings, how to not be afraid and how to wrap us around their beautiful hoofs in order to get treats.

So when I realized a few weeks back that our time together was nearing it’s end. I cried bitterly while remembering what Annie had told me about death, “We cry for ourselves, not for them.” Once again I had to admit she was right.

Louise was teaching me what so many of my animals have taught me as they passed into that good night. She was teaching me about will, about how to flourish to the end, and how to draw upon each breath with the gusto of a newborn.

I doubted I would see her alive when I left one week ago for holiday time with family and friends and knowing I could not let them down by saying, “You see, Louise is dying and I need to be there with her…” I said my farewell to her, still hearing the words, “When a sheep goes down…” and I was determined to be joyful as I ventured on.

This morning brought the extreme cold of the past week in full force. It “felt like” – 28 degrees or so the weatherperson told us, and with some trepidation I returned to the barn. The animals were happy to see me, well cared for by my friend, and then I went to see Louise. She was still in the cubicle where my young Amish friends and I had placed her, surrounded by the bales of straw to keep her warm. Once again she raised her head to my call, eyes bright with wonder, and yes, I believe it is love that I saw there.

Still capable of raising herself on her front haunches, she let me know she was glad to see me and questioned me silently – where was her treat? Louise defiantly teaching me: it isn’t over just because a sheep goes down.

Now I am not for a moment suggesting that she will be up and at ‘em again, but her joie de vive is still infectious. Two of us struggled to move her and ensure her continued comfort. Briefly she stood after one week of being down. No, she did not stand without our help, yet in those sweet moments with her today she helped reaffirm the preciousness of life and rekindled in me the thrill of living.

This evening I whispered my promises to her and thanked her again and told her I would be back in the morning, whether she is here or not. It is her call. I left her with her dignity and she with mine. Grateful for all of our moments, certain my perception of life has once again been altered toward the Good, and knowing I will walk into this New Year ready to give my all.

It has been a year of loss as some of my best animal friends have passed on. Each has taught me a bit more about love and loving. Each I carry in my heart.

So to you dear friends and family, I wish for you a life of loving, tender hearts to carry joy amid the hardships, and a desire to flourish, not merely survive. Peace is possible in our hearts and in the world. We can do this. We can.

Much love to all from all of us here at Echo Valley.

 

The picture of the blooming orchid was taken today. It was my Mother’s plant and lives on, reminding me again…about love.

 

 

In This New Year

As we move into the New Year and before our glad tidings once again fall prey to divide and conquer, let’s take a moment to assess.

What have we learned?

For the past forty plus years we have swung between false visions of who we are as a people. The atrocities of the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights era were great Awakenings, yet we have surrendered the hopes and dreams of that time to sound bites of fear and stories that teach us to hate.

What could have been and should have been the beginnings of creating a new vision based on dignity, peace and prosperity have become a nightmare of innuendo and the tightening of power and control.

The storylines are dizzying and the “tell” of where we stand is alarmingly clear: the rise of suicide, the rampant use of recreational and pharmaceutical drugs, the willingness to destroy the earth and our insistence on war are all results of our negligence to foster peace.

You might say, “It is not my fault, I have stood up, I’ve voted, I’ve marched and signed petitions.” And I would say, “All good. But efforts are fruitless if the bitter cup of hate continues on.”

The blaming game has crippled us. The inability to trust one another has hindered our ability to galvanize a movement towards peace with any staying power. We fear those who are different and we are willing to dwell in the comfort of sameness.

I think it is time we reach for discomfort. I think it is time we assess and take stock of beliefs we harbor that diminish our humanity and another’s. And it is time to let them go.

There is little left that we have not tried. Except this: We have not secured our right to peace. We have not yet learned the power of it. We have ignored the need of it for ourselves and for each other.

In this New Year, we can stand together for what is right, just and human. Let the love of the sacred and the awe of the earth call us back to the source of peace and dignity within us. There we will find compassion and resilient love, and there we will find the courage to act.

Let us try what has not been yet been tried; let us act together with one voice towards peace. Rise up. Make it a good year.

 

 

 

This piece aired on WDRT’s “Consider This” Thursday December 28th.

Looking forward to everything this New Year brings. Love and Best Wishes to all

Tis the Season

I come to this time of year with a mixture of wonder and dread. Living close to the land one develops a deep appreciation for the earth shedding her skins and retiring to a long slumber.

The shortness of daylight and the brilliant stars lend themselves to this season often referred to as the time of winter stories. I like to think of it as a time to dream.

There are many cultures that have a deep appreciation for this time and while I appreciate the nuances I have delighted in my own personal discovery, created my own narratives and charted my own course. I have discovered the practical purpose of celebrating the season with lights and making sure there is green around me – it helps to remind that this seemingly bleak time will surely have an end and spring will again emerge triumphant.

But I have shied away from using this season as a time to shower loved ones with gifts. And I recoil from tired carols that herald a better time.

The temporary truces, the words of peace too soon forgotten are more than I can bear. And this is where the dread comes in. I always cry.

When the tender loving of the human spirit bursts forth for a moment from the hard shell of this uncivilized time – it tears me up.

I want to scream: “Get it? Peace is possible. Hold that thought”, but then I realize most are content with a few moments of sweetness. The thought about peace somehow erases the feeling of it, and as our thoughts go fleetingly by we are on to the next and the next…

But what if this year we don’t just wait for “It’s a Wonderful Life” to teach us what we already know? What if we discover the sacred and the sanctity of our time here and hold onto it for dear life – because that is in fact what it is.

For this brief moment we are given a dear life. Enjoy it my friends. Take it for all that it has to give – not materialistically, but where the memories and the feelings never die: in our hearts.

May peace hold us close, and may our tears be joyful drops of coming home.

 

 

This piece aired on WDRT‘s 2 minute segment, “Consider This”, which I have been fortunate to work on since June, 2017. You can hear it live or live-steamed every Thursday at 5:28pm CST or around that time…