Let Us Mourn & Let Us Rejoice…
This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.
Dear Friends,
Check this out—
Guess when this was written:
“Many of us worry about the world situation.
We feel that we are on the edge of time.
As individuals, we feel helpless, despairing.
The situation is so dangerous,
injustice is so widespread,
the danger is close. …
I use the example of a small boat crossing the Gulf of Siam.
In Vietnam, there are many people, called boat people,
who leave the country in small boats.
Often the boats are caught in rough seas or storms,
the people may panic, and boats can sink.
But if even one person aboard can remain calm,
lucid, knowing what to do and what not to do,
that person can help the boat survive.
His or her expression – face, voice –
communicates clarity and calmness,
and people have trust in that person.
They will listen to what he or she says.
One such person can save the lives of many…
Our world is something like a small boat…
We are about to panic
because our situation is no better than the situation
of the small boat in the sea.
Humankind has become a very dangerous species.
We need people who can sit still and be able to smile,
who can walk peacefully.
We need people like that to save us. …
You are that person…
…Each of us is that person.”
~~~
When do you think it was written?
Yesterday?
Today?
Nope.
It was written
In 1987.
By Thich Nhat Hanh,
In his book,
Being Peace.
~~~
The haunting loss of children.
The ongoing
Battle about the nature of reality….
(Who would imagine
Even
Reality
Would be
Up for grabs?)
So many uncertainties.
So many heartbreaks.
Walking hand in hand
With
Our
Privilege.
Walking
Hand in hand
With
Our
Delightful
Families,
Our
Growing children,
Our dear animal companions…..
We must—
We must—
We must—
Embrace
The blessings
As well as
The
Suffering.
We must—
We must—
We must—
Practice
Being there
For all of it.
As best we can.
And when we can’t?
(And of course,
We can’t)
To keep coming back.
To keep practicing.
To returning without judgment
With kindness
For
Ourselves
And others…
~~~
Here’s my mom, Tillie.
What a looker.
How did she get up on that railing?
I would need heavy machinery…
I remember looking at her
In her casket.
My first response,
I blurted out
To my family:
“She’s so beautiful!”
She was beautiful
Both alive
And
Dead.
I remember
Her favorite
Performers
Were
Harry Belafonte
And
Danny Kay.
Here they are,
Together.
I offer this
To the spirit of
My Mom,
Tillie.
May her memory always,
Always
Be
A
Blessings.
Hava Nagila translates as—
Let us rejoice.
Let us awake.
Let us remember.
Let us come together.
Most appropriate for
Now,
Right
Now.
A few interesting factoids:
Singer Harry Belafonte is known for his version of this song, which he first recorded in 1959. He rarely gave a concert without singing it and claimed it as a “standout” song from his career. He noted, “Life is not worthwhile without Hava Nagila. Most Jews in America learned that song from me.”
~~~
Here’s me and my mom.
My favorite peeps were
For so long—
Peter, Paul and Mary.
I was so crushed out
On Mary Travers
As a child,
Here’s me and my mom.
My favorite peeps were
For so long—
Peter, Paul and Mary.
I was so crushed out
On Mary Travers
As a child,
Positive that
Being with her
Forever
Would take away
The pain in my heart.
I was, of course,
Wrong.
Yet, here they are,
Reminding us
Of what is
Important:
~~~
Dear Friends,
What can you do to keep connected to yourself?
To nourish the calm?
The attend to your smile?
To be able to be there
Not just for the heartbreaks,
Not just for the pleasures
But for all of it?
For me?
It is
Folk music.
Dog.
Walking.
Biking.
Praying.
Resting
When I’m tired
And
When
It’s
Too
Much.
For me?
It’s
trees
And
Birds
And
Dogs
Everywhere.
For me,
It is
You.
You all
Inspire
Me
And
Give me
Purpose.
Thank you.
Stay blessed,
Aruni