Day 39: Wedding Trees and the Anniversary Bunny

Today is seventeen years since my husband and I got married.  We were treated with a visit by one of our neighbourhood hares.  We put out birdseed in our front yard for the birds.  We get chickadees, sparrows, blackbirds, finches, bluejays, magpies and crows.  Along with the birds, the bunnies come and munch on the birdseed.  We can watch the critter action out our kitchen window.  

There is a calm that bleeds in to our house when the bunnies come by.  We call it Bunny Flow.  Our town has a lot of hares that can be seen on occasion.  There are so many tracks in the snow in our yard that would indicate alot of traffic.  The most we've seen in our yard at one time has been four hares.  

Sometimes they fight for their place at the plate.  Some just wait for an open spot.  Whatever energy they bring, we just sit and soak it in.  

The trees were planted the year we got married.  We got them as seedlings that year and I planted them in the summer.  It is strengthening to watch the growth over the years.  The more the trees grow, the more encouragement we feel.  It is a visual picture of our life together.  

Both are a connection to nature for us.  That is so vital for both of us.  Humanity is only complete when we embrace nature and the world around us.  

 

Day 38: Looking forward to the Launch.

 As I write this, I am listening to the Artemis crew share their thoughts just days before they are planned to launch for their trip around the moon.  I am excited to watch what happens.  I don't know how many people will get excited about this... but I am and I will quietly enjoy the story as it unfolds.  I like how they are more aligned with a human connectedness versus focusing on what is special and different about this mission.  

My dream about humanity is when the differences aren't the focus... but a common humanity is.  I see it possible listening to this diverse but united crew of Artemis 2 

Day 37: Where is the beauty?

I had this image emailed to me this evening by a long time friend.  She asked me how I was doing and I told her that I was sore and sad.  She offered this beautiful image to encourage me and bring some beauty to my day... and all I had to give her was my sorrow.  

Where is the beauty?  Just in the picture... or does it have access into my soul?  I hope so.  

 

Day 36: Holy Place in the Mountains

 

"When I read the story of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Bavaria, Germany, I was amazed at the effort that went into this construction only to be placed in a remote location only accessible by boat or a long hike in the mountains. 

I got this postcard from Jens, who is a world traveller.  In his Postcrossing profile he says he’s sent postcards from fifty-nine different countries.  

It is a beautiful location… but what is the purpose of this church if only to be the site of a pilgrimage through the mountains.  Does that mean it’s not about community?  Is this just an icon for travellers and tourists to admire?  I guess there are those too in the world."  

I wrote that yesterday.  I love beautiful postcards, but this one is quite interesting.  This church dates back to the 12th century.  Some group of people decided that an obscure out of reach location would be a great place to build a church.  It's beautiful.  So maybe more of a pilgrimage site, an icon of the times.  A bit strange.  Oh well.  I got a post card and was introduced to another story.  That is precious whether the story makes any sense or not.  

Day 35: Bored of my own writing.

Thirty five days in to Year five of Authentic Lent... and I am bored of my own writing.  When did that happen?  I can understand being bored of material that was given me to read from people that have been dead over a hundred years or so... but when did I get bored of my own thoughts.  Now it's really time to end this.  I have ten days more to go and I have become bored of it more times than I can count.  Maybe the passion lies in what has given me more joy... and that is not the dissection of my own world view.  

I have been passionate about people and my communication with people.  I love writing postcards.  I love writing letters, I love connecting with people both stranger and friend.  I hope I never get bored of that.  I don't mind letting go of the analysis of my own understanding of life.  It would be nice to let that go and just live.   

Why do I need to prepare myself to answer questions that will never be asked of me?  That's right.   A lot of this is supposed to prepare me for answering the tough questions... but no one is asking them of me.  Maybe its okay to let the need of preparation go.  Maybe I don't need answers anymore.  Maybe I don't need to give more life to words that were meant to be for a time and a season.  

I guess it's back to writing postcards and living life without needing to explain myself every day.  

 

Day 34: I miss my flowers

 I miss my flowers.  I just see snow and mud outside.  It's taking so long to get to the place where I can see the flowers start to emerge.  Even a bit of greenery would be encouraging right about now.  But all I see is snow.  

Day 33: This is where I find community

This is our local post office in Calmar, Alberta.  In the last year, it has become my favourite business in Calmar.  It has become the place where I find my community.  

My community these days is a collection of letters and postcards that come into my mailbox every so often.  It is the most consistent form of community I have.  These are my Faraway Friends.  

There is no obligations to perform... just responses to make.  I like that.  Our stories are shared in pieces and like a puzzle, we put those pieces together over our correspondence.