What Next?

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

 William Ross Wallace

 The days of winter continue. The holidays are long over and daily life unfolds, one day much like another as the hours pass and the snow continues to fall. The beauty outside my window is peaceful and centering. The pine trees stand tall and quiet. I am quite content to stay indoors and admire the landscape. I am in good company with my books and my writing. 

Life before the pandemic is a past chapter, a slice of history that affected the world. The pandemic has further exposed a divided nation.  I was horrified last year as I watched the mob invade the capital. It was a fluke that I was watching television that morning. The feeling in my gut was like the one I had on 9/11 when the towers in New York were crumbling. Disbelief. Shock. Now voting laws are being manipulated in several states. The laws that restrict women's health choices are also being implemented. This is deeply troubling and I fear a slippery slope towards the demise of democracy as we know it. 

What are we creating for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Will my granddaughters have the same choices I did? That remains to be seen, and it's beginning to feel dystopian.

Mary Magdalen • JESUS THE SON OF MAN by Kahlil Gibran

Solitude

 “The association of loneliness with old age is a common one. The wise crone understands the power that can be attained in solitude. She knows that all-one-ness is the true meaning of being alone, and is actually what the word “alone” is made of. There is a point reached in solitude where we no longer feel isolated because we have found our connection with all beings in the universe. In fact, it can be lonelier among people who do not understand this principle, than off by oneself among the trees and stars. True contact with the self in the deepest sense brings contact with all existence. This can be a wonderous experience, bringing great creativity and insight. The crone teaches us to withdraw from the world to find peace and sustenance for our return journey into the struggles of living.”

From

Ariadne’s Thread 

by Shekhinah Mountainwater

Page 95

Gift

 "A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it. And yet it appears. Your only role is to be open-eyed and present."

from Braiding Sweetgrass by by Robin Wall Kimerer

 

The Crossroad

     Today is my 71st  birthday.  Many are the memories and I have a rich life, abundant in the blessing of my family and close friends.  These are the treasures of my heart that I embrace in these times of trouble in our country and on our planet, Mother Earth. I believe what we as a nation are experiencing right now is the fight for our constitution, our democracy, and the life of our Mother Earth.

    It is disturbing to think my grandchildren may grow up without a democratic system, that they may grow up under a fascist regime.  At this point, there are no guarantees of the outcome of the election. I am not a politician or a historian but to me, it is obvious that we are headed down a dangerous path and if things continue as they have been under the authoritarian dictates of the POTUS and his constant negativity, scapegoating and desecration of our constitution we will lose our democracy. 

    It is disturbing that so many, including people that I have known for many years, continue to support #45. It is disturbing that people bicker and are petty on social media instead of engaging in rational discussions. Such is human nature I suppose.

  This is an election like no other in our history. These are unprecidented times. I have read that we are in a battle for the soul of this country, and I believe it is true. I hope and pray that people search their hearts and do the right thing not only for ourselves but for our progeny. It's the least we can do.

      

   

    

    

   

    

     

Today

I've watched you now a full half-hour;

Self-poised upon that yellow flower

And, little Butterfly!  Indeed

I know not if you sleep or feed.

How motionless! - not frozen seas

More motionless! and then

What joy awaits you, when the breeze

Hath found you out among the trees,

And calls you forth again!

~William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"

Things I have learned in life:

Know when to speak and when to keep silent.
To acknowledge the things I can change and the things I can't, praying for the wisdom to know the difference.
To keep an open mind. Be willing to walk in another's shoes.