American singer Mahalia Jackson (1911 – 1972) sings at the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963. Sitting at lower right is Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) and his wife Coretta Scott King, between them is activist Whitney Young (1921 – 1971). (Photo by Bob Parent/Getty Images)
Good Evening, God
I just wanted to share a bit of back story about Martin Luther King Jr. and his I HAVE A DREAM speech. Apparently, King had decided to downplay his identity as a preacher and try to get across some serious political points. The speech had been worked on by a number of advisors and after the first several paragraphs it clearly it wasn’t going well.
At that point, his close friend and gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson yelled out: Tell them about the Dream, Martin. TELL THEM ABOUT THE DREAM! She was sitting down at the time. She wasn’t at the microphone as she is shown in this photo. But her voice carried! And he heard her!
He turned and looked at her — pushed his prepared text aside — grabbed ahold of the podium — and opened up to the flow of the Spirit. THAT great extemporaneous speech just flowed out . . . and into history.
I wanted to share that little factoid, God, because I think it is important to realize that we have Mahalia Jackson to thank for that speech. She was open to Your Spirit. And she SPOKE OUT! Her voice seemed to set Martin Luther King Jr. FREE — free to share what was in his heart. She was an encourager . . . actually, she was an exhorter! Thanks be, to her, and to YOU.
After reading this article in Atlas Obscura I was so moved that I wanted to share! The information is from Steven Peters who runs Smoke Sygnals, a Mashpee Wampanoag creative agency that has advised on numerous historical exhibits. OK! I am getting this information from someone who should know. And now they are not just labeled “Indians” they are known by their name — the Wampanoag Nation. Apparently they consisted of around 69 villages up and down New England with upwards of a few thousand per village. And they had a government structure with delegates that met regularly to make policies and rules for the best interest in everyone.
One more factor — one that made an empty village (Patuxet)for the Pilgrims — was the Great Dying. That began in 1616 right off of Patuxet with the landing of French fishing ship with a sick crew. Within 3 years over 100,000 Wampanoag were dead. I cannot even imagine the impact on the people.
But back to the arrival of the Pilgrims. First of all, how was there a “translator” Tisquantum to help the Pilgrims? It seems that Tisquantum had been captured as a slave in 1614 and sold in Spain, then going to England. How did a “slave” manage to return home in 1619? Such resourcefulness impressed me!
Next, how was it the Wampanoag Nation both let them stay AND helped them. Peters said that his people were having border incursions near Rhode Island from the Narragansett at that time and may have seen the Pilgrims as an ally. Still 90 warriors “visited” for three days — making a show of strength.
All of this delighted me. Now I have NAMES for these people — not LABELS! Names — groups names, and individual names tend to foster respect from one human being to another. LABELS TO NOT.
The next delight was that I was just now (at 84) LEARNING their names. This could not have happened without a sea change in how we are viewing indigenous peoples — but also a willingness to see and acknowledge the crimes of our ancestors. YES! YES! We are just beginning to see the extent of what we have done and are doing.
Sigh, I just talked again with a friend of many years whom I had unwittingly harmed. I say unwittingly. But, in looking back — I am appalled I hadn’t understood how harmful my actions were. Taking a good look at oneself — either as an individual or as a Nation — is not for cowards.
Aaah, I realize that seeing myself would be even closer to impossible if I did not perceive myself set in the context of Your Forgiving and Compassionate Love, God. You love me AS I AM . . . and only seem to desire me to love others AS THEY ARE. HARD?
But, the more I can see myself with Your Eyes . . . the more I can slowly develop a heart of compassion . . . for myself . . . and all the rest of us. Thank You.
I have felt nudged to write this blog for weeks. Only, I felt inadequate. Sigh, but I doubt I will get MORE adequate anytime soon. So here goes!
It is never too late to apologize. We had a friend, Chuck, who 50 years after serving in WWII was having nightmares. A white ghostly figure would hover over the foot of his bed. Night after terrifying night!!! His wife finally persuaded him to see a doctor/therapist. It turned out that he had been in the Battle of the Bulge, in a foxhole, when he heard the sound of boots crunching on snow. He knew it must be The Enemy — because they had snow boots and our troops didn’t. He looked up and there in a white winter camouflage uniform was The Enemy. Shots rang out. And he woke up in a London hospital.
What to do? The Enemy was dead . . . most likely by his hand. His heart grieved. With the help of his therapist he wrote a letter to that soldier — expressing his sorrow and regret. Then he went to a park and put his letter on the grill and burned it up. Watching . . . as the smoke carried his apology up up and away.
And as for me? I am still finding THINGS in my Mothering Journey to SEE and FEEL and WEEP over. Mostly these have to do with our beloved Patty who died at 18 of a rare form of lymphoma. But, as with our friend Chuck, it is not too late to finish up the SEE, FEEL, and WEEP by apologizing.
Perhaps, though, apologizing is too small a word. This is a process and it takes time — maybe a lifetime. It has been decades since our daughter died. And I am still finding/seeing things I failed to do. It takes a lot of trust in Your forgiving love, God, to even be able to see and acknowledge these failures. Seeing my failures hurts. Weeping hurts. But weeping cleanses. And I truly want to be cleansed.
The two of us at the Royal Hawaiian Band concert last Friday at the Iolani Palace grounds.
Good Morning, God
It all started when a dear friend told me that a minister we know emailed that the millennials see Yoga as their “church”. And her daughter — a civil engineer and yoga fan — agreed! It got me thinking!!! What if we could make church more like yoga?
Mind you, God, I have dropped out of yoga after several classes. So, it is not as if I know much. Aha, but, thus I am all the more free to imagine.
Movements! When I think of yoga I think of Movements! Movements to better align us. Movements to improve the flow of blood and qi through us. Hmm . . . what might be something similar that the church could offer? First thought was the hand motions that go with many of the hymns for kids.
But, then it came to me — we have Movements of the Heart — to offer. Or, more to the point, I want to root around and ponder WHAT are the various movements of the Heart that might benefit me? My wonderful husband Kit and I are in the Penultimate Stage of Life.
The penultimate stage is one in which we are still able to welcome Hope — and have the energy to consider making Choices. The Last Stage seems to me to be pretty much out of our control except, I hope, the most basic choices to choose TRUST and to CHOOSE LOVE.
Still, the first movement of the heart — OPENING — came to me as a bit of a surprise. We have a new minister and have been gently urged to wear name tags. Sigh. . . .but You gave me a Nudge and so I prepared name tags. Along with wearing the name tag I experienced a strong desire to “know” people’s names. And not just their names — but to know Them. It was only afterwards that I was able to see how “closed” to the people around me that my heart had been before.
Having experienced an Opening of my Heart I realized how happy it made me — joyful even! And my heart seems to have stayed more open to You, too. It definitely realigned something inside me! So now I am praying — asking for Your Help — about what might the NEXT Movement of the Heart be.
I saw this photography in the current issue of the Smithsonian. It is of the basement area (where the workers lived) of the Alhambra. My wonderful husband Kit just said, “That is the gloomiest photo I have seen in a long time!”
I found it riveting! This shows the dark area where the workers, cooks, bakers, cleaners, soldiers, etc lived and worked. And I wondered how often they saw the elegance and beauty of the world above? So what captured my eye? Perhaps it was the contrast? Or was it just the steps going up toward the LIGHT? To me the image seemed to call me . . . UP! UP INTO LIGHT.
Sigh . . . it is all about focus, isn’t it, God. I am looking at the light with delight! But, as I pause and ponder I can feel the semi-dark the folks below worked in. Why semi-dark? Because LIGHT cost money. And while there was no end of money for the rulers up above — that was NOT the case for the workers below.
Hmmm. This has pretty much been the norm. March 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 workers — mostly women. And that got enough publicity the laws were passed to improve conditions. But, the fight is still going on. Workers have unionized to better pressure the owners of factories to improve safety conditions. I am thinking of a friend and his experience in steel mills.
But, if the “light” of publicity is not present — there is no pressure. Why? Well, we humans organize in layers — hierarchies. And the “profit” motive means that the intermediate people have nothing to gain and everything to lose by pushing for greater safety. Greater safety has immediate costs. It may well save money in the long run. But, by then the safety advocates are out of a job.
Truth tellers — are often out of a job. Funny thing, I just watched a video by Gabor Mate on how people who cannot — or do not say NO — have their bodies say NO for them.
This morning, I caught myself in a dysfunctional belief. I had told myself “Just one game of solitaire!” Almost immediately, I found that I was just about to finish a second game! Sigh, in the past I might have just said, “Oh well . . . too late . . . I blew it!” And I would have continued on and on and on.
But this morning — because our beloved daughter, Sandy, and I have been discussing Self Respect and how to build it — I thought, NO! I am going to STOP.
As I thought about what had happened, it came to me that I had been missing a “Category”. The category of “I just caught myself in the act of breaking my word to myself.” That is a very special category. It changed the BE PERFECT or GIVE UP mindset. It gave me both an opportunity and permission to see what I was doing and chose to RESET. It gave me a PLACE to STAND in which I was permitted to STOP. Seeing it as a Category — helps me see its POWER. How had I missed this useful category?
Probably because I believed that once I had broken my word to myself — it was TOO LATE!
The belief that it can be TOO LATE is as Dysfunctional as the belief that I don’t matter, that NOTHING MATTERS. That was a negative belief I identified years ago. And the simple act of NAMING it as a belief really helped me. Thus my delight in finding this new Opportunity to Stop, category. I am hoping, God, that a better name for it will appear. But, just as it is — it really helps me!
In the story The Grey Cloud I attributed the dysfunctional belief that “I don’t matter” to a Negative Entity. It has become a joke to say “The Devil made me do it.” But I find the possible existence of negative forces to be profoundly useful. I do not use it as an excuse — but as an additional way of understanding what is happening in our world.
I am pretty sure that our current culture is awash with dysfunctional beliefs. Please, God, help me find more of them!
Kit and I were out to watch the sun rise this morning at Island Brew. And we saw the brightest rainbow I have seen in a long time.
At first it was just a suggestion of a rainbow.
I love rainbows, God. But they have the added plus of being a “reminder” to You. In Genesis 9:14-15 You say: “When I send clouds over the earth and a rainbow appears in the sky I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life.””
In these Times, God, it is good to ponder this promise. Alas, I do note that You do not say it won’t happen again. You just qualify it — it will not destroy ALL LIFE. Ah, well.
I feel such JOY when beholding a rainbow — or the sun in its daily rising or setting — or even just beautiful clouds. Truly, the Heavens do declare Your Glory.
Thank You, God, for the gift of life — here on Planet Earth.
The happy couple, Hubert and Kalisa– both 21 years old and together since 2014 — euthanized in 2020
Good Morning, God
I saw this photo and identified! My wonderful husband, Kit, and I have been married for 64 years. And although I would have to say that our quality of life is not what it used to be — it is still more than enough. And as for the LA Zoo euthanizing them because of growing age related problems — I am taking it personally.
First of all, were they complaining? In pain? Just how diminished does life have to get before it is a “kindness” to spare them further decline? I am very uncomfortable about yielding my say in this matter.
Secondly, was it a “kindness” to have them die together — to spare them a time of grieving? As for me, I am coming to appreciate grief. Memories may be bittersweet but they provide a time for giving thanks for the loved one. A time for review and rejoicing . . . as well as a heaping of sorrow and regret.
So, speaking as an “aging lioness” I am saddened at folks in authority making these decisions. Although, ask any owner of an aging dog — and they will tell you what a difficult decision it is to make. Still, as a human, I am reluctant to turn over my say in the matter.
I think Hubert, could have grieved . . . and found another one to love.
This morning it was my turn to be responsible for our zoom Morning of Prayer. We meet online the first Saturday of the month — 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. HST. I wanted to have the theme — expanding our images of God. Although, as the time got closer I thought maybe just being AWARE that we harbor images of You would be enough.
This idea that — mostly due to cultural influences — we do seem to have “images” of You has fascinated me for the last few months. That was when I happened to pray Our Mother who art . . . my gender stereotype was so powerful that I couldn’t complete the phrase. She wasn’t going to be up in Heaven! She was going to be HERE. NOW. And wanting to help us with nudges and hints etc. I was totally dumbfounded!
Anyway, this morning’s topic kept on morphing. Next I wanted to share Fr. Matthew Lin’s sharing about “healing” his image of God. As his image of You became kinder and less judgmental he found that his behavior also became kinder and less judgmental.
Then last night I read an article about how Fr. Ed came to Bill W. during a time of Bill’s deep depression and became his life long spiritual sponsor. The article stressed the quote from St. Augustine that he delivered to Bill — “Si comprehendis, non est Deus”— if you comprehend it, it is not God. And that was just what I needed, God. To make even clearer that while You love us and seek to “be with” us. . . .You are not knowable.
So, turning from Images, and Knowing — I turned to the HEART. And selected Jeremiah 29:13. How SEEKING YOU WITH OUR WHOLE HEART — is the path.
But, the unexpected gift? In verse 11 Jeremiah says to those in exile that You will give them “an expected end.” My mind went immediately to the people of Lahaina Maui. So many hundreds who perished “unexpectedly” by fire or smoke. Oh my goodness! All of a sudden I could see what a gift it is to end in even a semi expected way. To die of old age. To die peacefully with loved ones. Even to die of a namable illness with time to adjust. . . I could now see all of them as True Gifts.
Perspective is such a help in making adjustments and reframes and in giving thanks, too.
There is nothing like a stay in a hospital to make me appreciate Home! Mind you, it was my wonderful husband Kit who was the patient. Still, I was there every night and most of the day. Enough to really be thankful we are now home.
Still, being away, meant that when I came home, I was able to see our bedroom with new eyes. And, I realized that these windows — overlooking the Hahaione Elementary School and Park — were blocked by a huge, tall maple dresser, a five drawer plastic bin, and containers of things waiting to be released. Perhaps, being really tired helped make me aware of how very much I wanted to look out at Nature. Nature is healing — harmonizing — a delight to the eyes and soul.
So, this Monday when Susan was here to help — and Sandy, too — I outlined my grand logistical plan. It all depended on getting sliders under the bed, the tall dresser, my dresser, and the plastic bin. Once that was done — it was just a matter of 1) sliding the bed and my dresser closer to the closets 2) removing two shelves — and the books on them — from the corner the tall dresser was going into 3) sliding the tall dresser into that corner 4) sliding my dresser and the bed back into place and 5) sliding the five drawer plastic bin out into the blue room closet. It went so quickly that we had time to wash the wonderful windows that were revealed!
This is not just a shifting of furniture. It is a shifting of Focus. And it is amazing how happy this had made me! I feel as if I am in a Tree House. Looking out over tree tops and grass is soothing. And I, like a Cat, like to be up high looking down on things.
This is the third room I have rearranged in the last few months. Still awaiting me is Kit’s office — the Archival Heart of our Home. Sandy has been helping me — working with me — and giving me permission to release things. And in September our grandson Mark arrives to be welcomed into helping.
Moving my physical environment around is satisfying. But, how much MORE awaits within me. . . needing to be released . . . needing to be reframed or maybe just simply repositioned.
Since 1958 articles by members & guests offer news about activities, history, Sacred Dance practices, profiles of Sacred Dancers, choreography, images & illustrations.
Since 1958 articles by members & guests offer news about activities, history, Sacred Dance practices, profiles of Sacred Dancers, choreography, images & illustrations.
A Moment with God 