When You See God
Times like these, with so many "natural disasters" going on in the world (these words very much deserve to be in quotations: there is nothing "natural" about global warming, folks), it's hard for me to think too much about the war. Wars. Aside from my more or less regular Saturday morning dose of political commentary, I don't tend to give the war much thought on a regular basis. It's too much. Feeling powerless is hard, and thinking about atrocities done in my name makes me want to curl up into a ball.
Somehow the last two days have conspired to make me think a whole lot about it, and I have had two opportunities to shed a lot of tears and say a lot of prayers.
First, we went to see the closing film of the festival last nightEighteen. It wasn't about *this* war, but the realities of war were part of the background story. I cried because the story as a whole was full of emotionally wrenching situations, but also, I think, because WAR makes me think of this war, and how so many young people are going through the realities of war on a daily basis for who knows what reason. It hurts.
And then, this morning I listened to Roxie's podcast #5. He talks about his feelings about the war, about having talked to a lot of soldiers who have been over there and how things are so much worse than we even see. And then he played a song he wrote for the troops, and it's just gorgeous. Gorgeous like a candle lit peace demonstration gorgeous. It made me think about how I got so jaded about peace demonstrations....the "people in charge" don't see them...they aren't ever going to effect change.
But now I think that's wrong...I think the ENERGY created when people get together and sing or pray for peace makes a difference in the world. The energy created when I sit and listen to this song and weep for the direction we are headed in goes somewhere. Every time someone has a thought that things could be different, it creates the potential for change.
That's why it's so important for people to be courageous enough to speak their minds about it. If even one person who never questioned this war and our country's motivation for going to war hears this podcast and thinks, even for a minute, that maybe something is wrong....that creates a window for change.
Bless you, Ryan Roxie.
Speaking of blessing, this evening when I was leaving the bookstore I crossed paths with my favorite Sister of Mercy. She stopped and smiled at me and said "I don't know why, but it always gladdens my heart to see you." I feel blessed indeed.
Times like these, with so many "natural disasters" going on in the world (these words very much deserve to be in quotations: there is nothing "natural" about global warming, folks), it's hard for me to think too much about the war. Wars. Aside from my more or less regular Saturday morning dose of political commentary, I don't tend to give the war much thought on a regular basis. It's too much. Feeling powerless is hard, and thinking about atrocities done in my name makes me want to curl up into a ball.
Somehow the last two days have conspired to make me think a whole lot about it, and I have had two opportunities to shed a lot of tears and say a lot of prayers.
First, we went to see the closing film of the festival last nightEighteen. It wasn't about *this* war, but the realities of war were part of the background story. I cried because the story as a whole was full of emotionally wrenching situations, but also, I think, because WAR makes me think of this war, and how so many young people are going through the realities of war on a daily basis for who knows what reason. It hurts.
And then, this morning I listened to Roxie's podcast #5. He talks about his feelings about the war, about having talked to a lot of soldiers who have been over there and how things are so much worse than we even see. And then he played a song he wrote for the troops, and it's just gorgeous. Gorgeous like a candle lit peace demonstration gorgeous. It made me think about how I got so jaded about peace demonstrations....the "people in charge" don't see them...they aren't ever going to effect change.
But now I think that's wrong...I think the ENERGY created when people get together and sing or pray for peace makes a difference in the world. The energy created when I sit and listen to this song and weep for the direction we are headed in goes somewhere. Every time someone has a thought that things could be different, it creates the potential for change.
That's why it's so important for people to be courageous enough to speak their minds about it. If even one person who never questioned this war and our country's motivation for going to war hears this podcast and thinks, even for a minute, that maybe something is wrong....that creates a window for change.
Bless you, Ryan Roxie.
Speaking of blessing, this evening when I was leaving the bookstore I crossed paths with my favorite Sister of Mercy. She stopped and smiled at me and said "I don't know why, but it always gladdens my heart to see you." I feel blessed indeed.
posted by sheryl at 2:36 AM
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