A Sort of Stream

The cold weather today brought freezing rain and a shockingly chill day for so early in the winter season. We've been quite spoiled the last several years down here in southern Illinois; it will be interesting to see what this year brings.

I've been trying to keep my ears pricked for news of Hurricane Paloma (weird name). Thousands were evacuated as it headed toward Cuba, and though damage was sustained, it has not been as great as expected. No deaths or injuries have been reported yet, but it still sounds as if the aftermath from the storm will keep people out of their homes for quite some time.

It's so easy to get caught up in our own change of seasons and lose touch with the happenings in other parts of the world. As our environment shifts, so too does everyone else's... and that may bring joy or sorrow to other places and other people.

My husband, who is an astrologer (among many other things), says there is something big coming in mid-November. While I don't quite invest in astrology to quite the same degree he does, his accuracy in certain matters and my own experience with some aspects of it has led me to remain openly curious and to pay attention when he brings things up.

Whatever coming is big, and for those of us in the U.S., it may be financial in scope (i.e., more bad news on the economy front). For other countries, it may bring different challenges... perhaps these strange and powerful weather cycles will continue.

No matter what may arrive in your neck of the woods, may you be safe and find direction in the storm - be it literal or figurative. The changing of the seasons can bring up many emotions and signify many things (death, life, mortality, transformation, renewal).

In this moment, the impact of the marked transition into a new phase reminds me of the Buddhist koan that also connects back to the paradox of fleeting stability and ever-present chaos. However, I can't find it... so I'll turn instead to Albert Camus, who said roughly the same thing:

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

Be safe. Remember others. Stay connected.

Thoughts on Words (and words for thoughts)

I am praying for the people of Cuba.
I am praying for the people of New Orleans.
I am hoping the city stays safe, stays dry, stays livable
in the wake of yet another storm...
too close on the heels of the first.

I read an article today in the UUA magazine (UU World) written by UUA President, William Sinkford, entitled "Our Calling." There was a section of the article wherein he called on Unitarian Universalitsts to be as accepting of and open to Christian ideologies, rituals, beliefs, and semantics as UUs tend to be with religions such as Buddhism, Judaism, and Native American spirituality.

As someone who grew up in a very non-religious household and who tends to cringe when I hear the word "Jesus" invoked in prayer, I took his message to heart and have chewed on it, pondered over it, and let it roll around my gut for a good part of the day.

His point, or one of them, was that - at its core - one of the most important messages of Christianity (love they neighbor as thyself) is also a basic tenant within the convenent of the UU faith and its seven principles. The UU commitment to advocating for others, seeking justice and equity, respecting all people and honoring the divine and sacred in everyone around us is quite connected to the Christian concept of treating others as you would wish to be treated, honoring the "God" - the power, the oneness, the whateveryouwishtocallit - that connects and binds us all.

And so... no matter what words one might use, I imagine we all pray for the safety of those in the path of danger. Our blessings, compassion, and love are expressed in a multitude of ways - but within them is the common seed of acknowledged humanity and interconnection, and the fervent hope that no one may suffer needlessly.

For the in the celebration and protection of one, is the triumph and salvation of many.