Some Days Are Letting Go, Not Giving Up

Let go.  No, do not give up and go quietly into the night .

Let go. It is not let it go, remaining frozen in apathy.

Let go.  Moving forward even when there is no sure path to follow.

Let go .  Countering the "conditioned self," the one that leads with "ya, but" or "f-you."

Let go. Rest in and act in who you were born to be.

Let Go. It is a gift I want to give myself.

She Let Go

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of fear. She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely,

without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a

book on how to let go… She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.

She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her day-timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line.

She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.

There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

A small smile came over her face.

A light breeze blew through her.

And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

―Rev. Safire Rose

Some Days Are Meant For Pre-Election Resolutions

Today there are several mean spirited political posts on my Facebook news feed, as there have been the entire freaking past year.  Tomorrow is Election Day. Doubt that a switch will flip on Wednesday and we will start working together, lifting each other up, and singing Kumbaya.

Obviously, we are a collective hot mess.  Our hot mess has been dramatized within our political process.  Lots of shooting off at the mouth, slamming of opinions and beliefs, blaming, name calling, wailing and gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands.

Tomorrow there will be a presidential winner and a presidential loser.  There will be speeches and mean spirited posts.  Schools that are polling places will be closed and if the schools are open, some parents will keep their children home because they are uncertain of polling place safety. Not just parents are fearing violent repercussions. For many of us, it may not even matter what the winning and losing candidates say. We don't trust their words anyway.  We are so jaded.

My personal plan is to start local.  That would be my immediate family and my local community.  Be intentional. Compromise, lift others, help others be the persons they were born to be. When I disagree, I hope to agree to disagree and not return unkind words with unkind words.  Wish the other person peace beyond my own understanding. Use my defenses, not to defend my opinion but to defend the marginalized.  I want to have expectations that other people are capable of this same behavior.  I know they are because I witness it daily. I will look to those people who model this behavior.

I want to expect that elected leaders find common ground and use wisdom in their decision making. If they do not, I will use the voting booth. "Don't boo, vote."

On a positive note, the issues we are facing are not hiding. No pretending we do not have problems with trust, us vs them, racism, respect, economic insecurity, health care equity, American poverty, homelessness, mental health care, national security, inner city violence, job insecurity, and so on.  Cannot fix it if we don't know it's broken.

I cannot ask people to stop the shouting and the vitriol but I can not listen to it anymore.

Some Days Are Autism Awareness Day

Our family just returned from a trip to Brown County, Indiana. The weather was mild, so we were out and about on Saturday.  We found "Explore Brown County,"  an outdoor site with a plethora of outdoor activities.  My husband and daughter joined a group to play paintball. I set off to do some exploring.  It was truly a Holy Saturday.

I walked by a small park with a mom and her son.  They were swinging.  After Anna and I exchanged a smile and a hello, Jacob chimed in. I know their names because Jacob asked for my name and told me his.  The majority of our conversation centered on where our cars were parked. It was a fun conversation with two sweet people.

As we were saying good bye, Anna thanked me for stopping.  She told me that most people get annoyed when Jacob talks to them.  Many, she said, walk away.

I was wondering if I missed something.  I could think of no reason to walk away from this engaging boy. I sat down on a swing. Anna had a story to tell.

Anna went on to explain that Jacob had autism spectrum disorder. The degree to which my heart hurt hearing that people walked away from him could not compare to the degree to which her heart must hurt every time people turn away from her delightfully winsome child.

When we stop, we hear stories.

Today is Autism Awareness Day, kicking off Autism Awareness Month. Lamar Hardwick wrote, "Autism awareness should be about expanding people's exposure to the life of autistic people. It cannot be done with statistics; it can only be done with stories."

Anna had a story to tell about her life and the life of her son Jacob. We can say a prayer to grant a mother strength and a child a voice. We can donate to an organization or walk to raise money. We can stop and listen to the stories. If we want to find the missing puzzle pieces, they are there. In the stories.

When I first started working, I saw but one child who was most likely on the autism spectrum. To be honest, I'm not certain how well the two of us fared. Plain and simple, I did not understand autism and it was scary to me.  He was scary to me.  That is a pathetic confession but I confess often. When the incidence of autism skyrocketed, I was introduced to many families and children on the autism spectrum.  I spent many hours literally on the floor, building connections, gaining understanding, and eliminating fear.

Lamar Hardwick, the guy quoted about autism awareness, has a story.  Lamar is a pastor, scholar, husband, father and a person on the autism spectrum.