Friends

"Sweet love I'm of the age that should you pluck me

 like a flower, you must also take the garden

 from where my beauty grows 

among the tenderness of my friends"

Last night was the Harvest moon in eclipse, dark mysterious harvest orange, like a shadow of itself staring down on all of us who took the time to set out to see this phenomena. Facebook was filled with gorgeous renditions of the same image from millions of viewpoints. Like life, it can be one thing seen many different ways.

Some of us see through the eyes of science, others see the beauty, some see omens, some see blessings. Whatever it is to you is what you make it. It is a gift when you can see it, as some less fortunate, or not in the right place, or awake at the right time. 

When do we "count our blessing"? I tend to do it everyday, many times. I start with my morning prayers, then, throughout the day as I notice some uncontrolled natural beauty that stands out harsh against a sometimes unhappy world. Sometimes it is simply the sounds of two birds bickering at the feeder, or a hawk in flight across a field. Sometimes as I drive along the Gorge, the water so still it perfectly reflects the train moving along it on the Washington side. What a blessing to be able to be a witness to such color and composition. The mirror of the Syncline in the background.  

How do we find our way to understanding? My greatest lesson has been that sometimes we don't get to understand, we must learn to forgive and accept. That the more forgiving we are the more we understand. And with understanding we find our way to peace, to seeing things a different way, to not getting caught up in the illusions we create to make us different, even special. 

What makes us special? We are of the same flesh and blood as the next person. Cut us open and our heart and kidneys are in the same place as the homeless guy at the side of the rode begging for "anything will help". Our life force runs the same dark 'blood' red. Most of our brains are capable of figuring out how to survive or at least, to die trying. We are so much the same, how can we be special? 

Specialness is an illusion created by the mind to separate us from our true nature to be love.  It separates us from truth and reason. It confuses us and forces us to believe almost anything. We lose sight of what is true within us and we start to build a facade based on what we are told, what we witness, what protects us from pain. We lose our humor, our insight, our trust. We become mired in our illusions and we lose touch with ourselves and love. We are at war within ourselves.

War is not changed by  more war. It is changed by the desire for peace. The desire for peace comes from thoughts and actions that speak of continuity not combat, of understanding and commonality not differences, from finding the good of one and the good of all. Peace is not about profit it is about harmony, safety, community. It is about loving our world, loving our children, loving God/The Universe/Buddah/Allah. And if we want it we must think about it, talk about it, pray about it, teach about it, appreciate it everyday. 

"We must be the change we wish to see".

 Pick someone today and make peace with them. Whether you do it in actuality or in your mind, send them peace and love. Every step counts. Take as many as you need to keep the peace and let it grow!!