Tag Archives: positive changes

Trust

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I Trust in the Lord

His word it is good

To pray every day

I know that I should

 

But I am at fault

In the eyes of the church

A silly old sinner

Who continues to search

 

I want to know truth

To believe what is said

Then life interferes

Too many lies am I fed

 

But faith is a given

Sent from above

I just must believe

In the power of love

 

I trust in my Lord

And believe in His word

I pray every day

May my sins be deferred

 

I really don’t like pink

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Having said that, I do like some shades.  More importantly, I love what it stands for. The colour pink has been adopted by the cancer society to promote solidarity and bring awareness to the world.

Recently, a woman I admire greatly, told us that she is once again dealing with breast cancer. She overcame it once and I’m a firm believer that she will overcome it a second time. In her honour I painted a pink rose. I hope I have done it justice.

Cancer is a word that will send shivers up the spine of most people. My family has not escaped its tendrils. My Father overcame skin cancer, his Mother – throat cancer, his Brother – bone marrow. I have had two breast cancer scares. In each case the lump turned out to be benign. But for several days, in each case, I was left on tender hooks.

Cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. And yet the fear it instills . . . I have seen friends that have walked the path of chemo and radiation and whatever cocktail is necessary to eradicate their tumor. It is not an easy walk. But it is one that inspires those who witness it. The strength that is required is unimaginable to us who have not experienced it. The very least I can do is paint a pink rose.

Our world is presently in the throes of fear over a virus. We talk about the number infected and we talk about the number that have died. Some good news has recently been discovered: children are not as affected as adults. What is rarely talked about is that the majority of people get better. It is no consolation for the family and friends of those who did not but it does provide a little hope in a world that seems hopeless.

I am confident that we will find a cure, a vaccine. But I am not confident about the aftermath. So much fear. So much distrust. Will people once again shake hands, hug each other, trust each other? I understand the need for distance now but I hope that we will have the strength to once again reach out to each other when this is over. And I do believe it will be over, one day. I wonder what colour the ribbon will be for COVID-19?

Lesson Learned

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But is it?  As a species we have only been aware for a short time.  Archeology and anthropology are disciplines that delve into the scientific study of human activity.  I am sure some would say we have progressed amazingly fast but perhaps too fast.  We barely have time to understand our innovations before they are replaced by something better, faster, stronger . . .

In the seventies I wrote a poem called “In The Year Two Thousand”.  It was probably written for an English Class.  I don’t remember how it was received but it stayed with me.  Just a few lines:

We are playing with explosives

New technologies are so powerful

That they alone could abolish society

We are so excited by the next ‘new’ thing we don’t stop to question what we are doing.  That may be a mistake.  If your boat springs a leak, fix that before you invent a new propulsion system.

We have survived World Wars, pandemics, and terrorists’ attacks and we are still here. Why have we not fixed the issues that led to these problems?  Hatred, poverty, diseases are rampant and yet we are excited by a new phone.   A phone.  Yes, it does allow us to keep in touch with each other and it is a great tool.  I am afraid it has become a tether.

It really is only one section of society that is connected to the cell phone. A great deal of our world has neither the technology or the resources to support that technology. A great deal of our world is only concerned with living. They are concerned with finding enough food and shelter and safety. We have become complacent in far too much of our world. With complacency comes arrogance.

But we live in a world that is rich with resources. We live in a world that is wealthy beyond belief with raw talent. There is such an incredible beauty here right in front of us and yet too many focus solely on a 4 x 6” screen with pretty lights. Have we gotten our priorities skewed?

More than any other era, we are living in a time when almost anything is possible. Almost. There is one thing that seems to be lacking, the one thing that could change our world immeasurably, one thing.  And it is not something brand-new. It is not something exotic and rare. Will. One little word. The problem is it is more than just a word. It is action, it is a force and it is an idea. And we all know there is no greater weapon then an idea. Once it is entrenched it cannot be stopped.

But our will has been subverted by pretty shining things that distract us from the problems we need to fix.

Both young and old will have to brave

The pressures of the future

As we walk blinded into darkness…..

 

The Value of Failure

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We’ve all done it. Some more than others of course. But it is part of the learning curve. Some successes were only possible because of the failure that preceded it. So why are we so afraid of it?

Nowadays it seems we don’t want to teach our children the value of failure. There’s a lovely story I refer to quite often about an older man taking his grandchild to a skating rink for the first time.  The man holds the young boy’s hands to get him on the ice and then throws his own arms into the air and says “fall down”. Of course, little boy does. The grandfather repeats this a few more times until the boy asks his grandfather ‘why?”. His reply surprised me when I first heard it: “It is to teach you not to be afraid to fall. You’ve already done it.”  Brilliant!

We fear what we do not know.  Our children need to understand that failure is something we all need to experience. If they don’t learn to deal with it when they are young, it can be devastating as an adult. Our lives are full of adversity. Along with failure and disappointment and confusion and…. It is also full of wonder and beauty and joy. There is a balance between the two that can be difficult to comprehend if you’re not exposed to it as a child.  I learned failure when I was young. My parents allowed me to fail, they didn’t shield me from it. But they were always there in the aftermath. That is good parenting.

I see too many young adults now who exhibit feelings of empowerment and entitlement. When someone disagrees with them, they are crushed and unable to handle it. They have lived charmed lives.  We all want what is best for our progeny. We want them to know only joy and success. But a false sense of security can before more damaging than the truth.

We inoculate our children against diseases that we know could be so incredibly harmful if they contracted them as adults. So why aren’t we doing the same thing with life. And how exactly do you measure success? Is it by how much money you have earned or awards you have received, or perhaps by the number people you have touched positively? I know what I use.

 

Continuity

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“Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.

Things always sound better in French. It is a beautiful, lyrical language. Unfortunately, my ability to speak it is stuck at the high school level. But there are some phrases that most people know.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

We see it again, and again, and again. There were wars when people had only just learned to walk. Then the Middle Ages, the industrial revolution, the modern age, the nuclear age. We can’t seem to stop fighting. Why? If you have something I want, I can just make another. And then we would both have what we want. We live in an age when almost everything is available. I don’t like the way you do things. So, I won’t watch. There’s always a solution to a problem if you’re willing to look for it. But it seems to be easier to hate.

Too many people live in the ‘now’ and are only capable of satisfying the needs they have in this second. They are not capable of seeing a future for us all. And that leads to shortsighted and selfish decisions that hurt other people.

I enjoy living in the ‘now’ and relishing each moment but I am also able to see a future and those working to ensure that the future is tenable. It is the ‘now’ that will dictate the ‘then’. Have I confused you yet?

We want our species to continue. We want all the other species on the planet to continue. We want the planet to continue. But we also want to maintain our lifestyle, to maintain a relationship, to keep getting the coffee we love. (Okay I don’t love coffee but it is the drink of the masses so it works in this context) We like continuity. But to maintain that continuity we must allow change.

I know it seems like I’ve going off my meds or I’m smoking something funny but this does make sense. In order to maintain the lives we have, we cannot sustain the practices we are doing which will ultimately cause a cessation of everything. Does that make sense?

I’m pretty sure I’m going to make it through my life without too much hardship but it is coming. Our children and our children’s children we’ll be paying the price for our arrogance. Will they have an air to breathe, clean water to drink? Will they have jobs, partnerships, ideals, hope?

By fixing up the present we can guarantee the future. Is that too much to ask?

 A Birdie Sings

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A silly little bird

Is flitting round my brain.

I fear it may do damage

My memories it may drain.

 

But wait a bit I’ve got it wrong

So typical of me.

The silly tit’s a song

And he’s singing just for thee.

 

The words go back and then go forth

Just like a bird in flight.

I hear the tune so clearly now

My memories they are tight.

 

I love the song this birdie sings

A gentle misty tune.

If only all could hear his song

Of peace and love and soon!

Nonsense!

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Silly stepped

In silken shoes

While Jolly

Jumped a jet.

Funny fled a funeral

Cuz there really

Was no fun.

Witty walked on water

As he whisked

Himself away.

Humour hunkered down

At home but still

We’re holding hope.

Now Crazy crashed

A cop car and Corny

Curdled cream.

Foolish tackled Funny

As they fought for

Finder’s fees.

And Dizzy’s feeling

Dastardly as

She dips on down

The drive.

Daft is doing

Dizzy’s lunch,

There’s more

I have a hunch.

So to end this

Silly stunt

I have one thing

To say:

Smile and laugh

Each every day

And hate will stay

away.