Jul 17, 2022

  Living in Unconditional Love (71)

“Love flows from God to humans without effort:

As a bird glides through the air without moving its wings-

Thus, they go wherever they wish united in body and soul,

Yet separate in form.”

–Mechtild of Magdeburg

 

My wife Eileen died from esophageal cancer in February 2020 one year after being diagnosed, 60 years to the day that we met on Long Island. Then my brother Tom became ill, and I spent a total of six weeks being with him in Ohio, but he died in October 2020. My sister-in-law Sue Mahoney died from Covid-19 in January 2021. On top of it all stood the pandemic, locking everyone down almost two years, and even though it is abating, I wear my mask anytime I am out among people, unlike many.

 

07/17/2022                             The wonders of nature were on full display this week. My visit to the beauty of Mohonk on Wednesday and the ensuing exchange with my niece, the breathtaking blooms that are starting to appear in my garden, and the wonderful weather with which we have been blessed are a solid foundation for the wonders of summer. This coming week I will host our bonsai club picnic on Friday (which is more talk than work) and attend the monthly picnic with friends in Cortland on Saturday. The gardens are just about weed free, and the blooms are wonderful. Some of the lilies are quite tall, over six feet, with sturdy stalks and many buds. Love this time of year, even though all times have their own beauty.

I am amazed that I have been granted so many years of seeing the beauty of God’s universe up close, almost always being immersed in nature in one form or another. One day slides into another, one after another, and suddenly another year has passed. I have been truly blessed with good health almost the entire time, reasonably pain free and able to enjoy each season as it comes. I still find it mind-boggling that I am 88 years old and fully capable of functioning well, if slower. I do thank God each day for the chance to dwell in the beauty that always surrounds me. The team was able to straighten out the stones that line the pond and reset the bottom frames that hold the stones in place, so once more the pond is looking great. It did not get the green fungi that has bothered it for several years in the past and looks wonderful. Very few fish have survived, so whatever is eating them is still at work even though I have not seen anything. We still think a passing otter is at fault, as they can clean out this size pond very quickly. I enjoy going back and sitting in the gazebo with a glass of wine (or not) and just enjoying the wonders of nature.

I pray for our nation that is in such agony at this moment. There is not much I can do except vote, but many things have been taken over by what is called the “right” in this country. I am saddened by the reports that there are more guns in our country than there are people (somewhere over 350 million), worse than what was called the “wild west” in the 19^th century when the norm was one gun per household, when there were real predators about.

Greed of the individual is paramount, and complete disregard for the future of our planet is now approved by law. Somehow, we have gotten off the path that was built into the nature of our country, to the point that human survival may be at risk, certainly to the millions that will die due to the impact of our warming climate. I am not sure how many are aware of how much water is contained in the ice that caps our world on both ends, but there is sufficient water to raise the sea levels by about 500 feet! I repeat, 500 feet! That means that everywhere that is less than 500-foot altitude today may be under water in the planet sometime in the future! Yes, it has happened before, and many sea-bed fossils are everywhere in our world, indicating that oceans were once there.

It seems that “right” means to be only for oneself, today, and to hell with everyone else and what happens tomorrow. The “right”, which calls itself Christian, has as its motto (and I have seen this displayed proudly) Jesus with an AR-15 in his arm. This is considered by those so inclined as true since he had someone with a sword in his group, as mentioned in the garden, and since that was the weapon of the day, and the AR-15 is the weapon of today, Jesus would be favoring the AR-15 for all.

Sad indeed, and not a good portend for the future. My children and grandchildren will be the ones to deal somehow with the ensuing problems that are arising.

On the other hand, technology allows us to see what is occurring, so more people are aware, and maybe, just maybe, action will occur while there is still time to reverse things. I may not be around physically to see what happens, but I will indeed still be aware of it.

Meditation

Gentle One, I rest in Your presence, knowing that this world we live in is full of shadows and pain, and it is in these very shadows and pain that we find our rest. Your presence in everything gives me solace and peace of heart, and I know that when I join Eileen in Your state of being all will be well, and even now, if love is present now, all is well. I rest in that awareness, until the time comes when I reach that totality.