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“Hope is the thing with feathers”
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm – I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me. Emily DIckinson How can we find hope amid uncertainty, conflict, or loss? Hope develops and cultivates in the same manner as faith. It is a state…
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Sally, forever friends
Sally Hamilton, May 4, 1944 – June 26, 2022 Standing erect, Sally always moved confidently through life. She was educated and successful, and generous to others. Each person received the benefit of her kindness. She was fiercely independent, walking by herself for the first day of school while her mother followed secretly behind. We travelled together on some beautiful trips. A few notable differences arose in our lifestyles. I woke early and she slept late. The best trip was a seven-day “forced march,” as we called it, to Rome, Tuscany, Florence, and Venice. We had guides meeting us every morning after breakfast to take us to the Coliseum, the Vatican,…
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Modifying our Lives
Change continues to be our sibling as we navigate work, retirement, health and modifying our lives. Since the pandemic our work force has become used to working remotely. As a working mother I remember how difficult it was to commute sometimes 4 hours a day to New York City and back to New Jersey. I would have loved to embrace working remotely even if only a hybrid version. As many workers find themselves in bedrooms and living rooms carving out work space, we must remember that remote need not mean “distant” or having “little relationship.” Create a good space, turn your video on, change your dress from pandemic to casual…
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Winter’s Gone
Winter may not be your favorite season, but finding a way to enter into it makes it a lot better. Kids love winter. They find ways to play in the snow. Aubrey (the female heron) and her male friend have kept me busy this winter following them as they sat out migration to stay here and live in cold rain, ice and snow. They challenged me to find answers to why they can live with their feet in the cold water of a lake and why they spend so much time fishing. As for the legs–it turns out they have a separate circulation system in their legs which moves independently…
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The Exodus
What country would you like to go to? Austria, Germany, Italy? These are the words spoken to the Ukrainian people as they depart their buses and trains. They are in Poland. Poland and Romania already have close to a million refugees. “Vienna” says the beautiful woman with two children. The son looks to be 14 or more and is sweet talking about how much he misses his father. “I love my father” he says. The smaller girl around 5 whose name is Zalotta smiles and jumps up and down. She is a young free spirit and seems to like change. All of the mothers say they are fleeing Ukraine to…
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What gives me hope?
For now I am spending part of my day observing birds and most particularly herons. Why this sudden love for herons and one specifically? What is the purpose of spending so much time watching her? First of all, I would say we watch to learn. I am not trained in the study of birds (ornithology) and I don’t want to google everything. So I return again and again to see the bird and watch what and why she is doing what she is doing. Jane Goodall is one of my favorite writers and speakers. When you listen to what she says about chimpanzees and nature you hear hope and positivity.…
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Carrying My Grandmother
There was a time in my life when I dreamt a lot. I would awaken with the dream fresh in my head. Methodically, I would write it down in one of my journals. From time to time I dip into the pages of earlier journals to catch glimpses of my past life. However, I rarely think they are as interesting as I did as when I wrote them. But there are a few gems, such as the year 1990, when I gave birth to Gregory. Tuesday morning, January 25th at 4:00am I awoke to the memory of a dream–so real I was living it–about my paternal Grandmother. She was very…
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Gratitude
Oliver Sacks was a neurologist, naturalist and prolific writer. Facing the end of his life, a few years ago he wrote about his love for life and his gratitude for living. It is this sentiment that I wish to end this calendar year and begin a new one. He writes: “My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. Love has been received and love has been given. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” Deleted: –Oliver Sacks “Gratitude” I agree with Sacks in that I feel enormous gratitude even in this past…
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Vespers
In the past few months I have added two positive events to my life. The first is a late afternoon walk which takes me to a beautiful nearby lake. The second is Zoom Evening Prayer from the Church of the Ascension in New York City. It starts with an opening prayer for forgiveness. The lectionary leads us through a Psalm or two, followed by readings from the Old Testament and New Testaments. The readings are not always easy. Led by each Priest we get the context and a better grasp of the meanings. There are also prayers the needs of particular people and the world. Both the walk and the…
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Becoming
Advent began last Sunday and for me it is a time of preparation and hope. It is both joyful and reflective. My thinking in life has always centered around becoming. What am I waiting for and hoping to become? For me becoming is always in process– looking out to see what one never saw before. A reminder from the Church of Ascension newsletter: “I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hopeFor hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faithBut the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.”—…
