April Affirmation: Plant seeds of Love, Hope and Kindness.
I hate to admit it but I love dandelions! I know, I know, they’re an obnoxious weed that most people could do without, but they really are pretty and cheerful and a sign of spring. It all depends on your perspective, which is true of so many things these days. One of my current projects is copying some old VCR tapes onto digital DVDs and recently I watched a very powerful Frontline program from 2002 entitled “Faith and Doubt At Ground Zero”. It was broadcast near the first anniversary of 9-11 and I was struck by how much water has gone over the dam since then. We’ve been through a lot! And I would suspect there are very few of us who can say we are the same as we were on 9-10-01. But is that good or bad?
As Pope Francis recovers from his recent illness, I remembered two things that he had said in an interview last year. He was asked about how he could assist in bringing peace to the world and his answer was “I pray.” My initial reaction was “Okay, but what good does that do? Our world needs more than prayer.” Then later in the interview he was asked “When you look at the world, what gives you hope?” And he answered, “Everything! You see tragedies but also see so many beautiful things…People are fundamentally good. We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good.” I quote this here as an anecdote to the rampant fear and darkness all around us. What a gift to be able to view the world with such peace and serenity. And it was not a matter of rose-colored glasses, apathy or indifference. He spoke of indifference as one of the great tragedies of our world. “Too many people wash their hands.” So what are our choices? We can forge ahead and face our fear of the darkness, or we can wash our hands and retreat into blind apathy. Which will you choose?
Remember: “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” ~ Deepak Chopra
God of all the Encircling Years, we trust in you. In our loneliest hours, you are there. When our courage fails us, you are there. When the lions and alligators gather round, you are there. Thank you for showing us a way through the wilderness and new paths to freedom. May we know the celebration of a new day dawning when fear will be no more. So it is.
