Toward Common Ground

Amid the Violence

In this turbulent time in our world, as even the trained “care-givers” are pushed by events and emotions over the edge to do unbelievable violence, I realize that all of us are victims… we are victims of a time of such fierce division, hatred, anxiety, and we are bombarded by what is so often hateful misinformation… and so my prayers for compassion, peace, patience, endurance, wisdom…all the attributes we need for times like these…rise up strongly here in the remote forest, where the autumn leaves are gloriously beautiful, where the “wild” things are always present, and we and they are always at risk, where we still see the graceful big cats, the curious deer, the soaring hawks…along with the fire ants and the scorpions and the poison ivy…and all the rest…the camellia bush that is in full pink bloom (after being crushed by a fallen tree a few years ago)…all the mystery and magic and joy and pain…so that the dark and the light weave together into a pattern not easily “defined” but always sacred.

I am reminded to touch the earth, the source of life, and to look toward the sky and the magnitude of space, to become quiet and still, to let go and to receive…to remember….to forgive…to cherish life.

May all of us be gentle with ourselves, as we are all affected by these events; all are touched, no matter how remote we live or how guarded emotionally we may think ourselves to be. May we reach deep inside ourselves and beyond our own known boundaries to find the will to love our neighbor, to find compassion and common ground with our “enemies,” and to speak and act peaceably, always.

My love and prayers are with you. Glenda Taylor at Earthsprings Retreat Center

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