What is love? What is justice? Today I let my children's pictures tell the story. We read a book about Martin Luther King, and drew pictures. We talked about the meaning of those words. We ate lots of food together, played games and puzzles, and talked about love that we feel for our families and pets, and love that extends beyond. We talked about segregation and inequality. Camille wanted to know why people who weren't directly affected, who lived in other states, would get involved. She wondered about possible actions that she would have taken if she lived back then. Her pondering mind was a moment of miracle.
I spend my days looking for miracles. I saw one tonight- my daughter, Elisa, putting a nghtgown over her head. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but sometimes I can see the ordinary in a different slant of light. I am looking for those moments-- eating a grapefruit, my husband shouting excitedly at a football game on TV, the perfect avocado, my children speaking kindly to each other.
Camille draws a picture of freedom- a bird who carries a broom in its teeth to sweep back the breezes; she tells me to have imagination. Elisa's shows people holding hands to make a circle of peace. They all have blue faces, but wear different color shirts-- to show that we are all unique, she says.
I don't know what else Sundays are for... I have grown weary of committee meetings and all the other things that have masqueraded as "church". I need the intimacy of worshipping life at my fingertips, touching it gently, letting it remake me. I need time for connection with my own children, for questions that stretch us both beyond ourselves, for learning and wonder. And I need days where I can put my mistakes behind me, and begin again to love myself and to love the world.
*This post is part 2 of a series-- Exploring Standing on the Side of Love with my family.
I spend my days looking for miracles. I saw one tonight- my daughter, Elisa, putting a nghtgown over her head. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but sometimes I can see the ordinary in a different slant of light. I am looking for those moments-- eating a grapefruit, my husband shouting excitedly at a football game on TV, the perfect avocado, my children speaking kindly to each other.
Camille draws a picture of freedom- a bird who carries a broom in its teeth to sweep back the breezes; she tells me to have imagination. Elisa's shows people holding hands to make a circle of peace. They all have blue faces, but wear different color shirts-- to show that we are all unique, she says.
I don't know what else Sundays are for... I have grown weary of committee meetings and all the other things that have masqueraded as "church". I need the intimacy of worshipping life at my fingertips, touching it gently, letting it remake me. I need time for connection with my own children, for questions that stretch us both beyond ourselves, for learning and wonder. And I need days where I can put my mistakes behind me, and begin again to love myself and to love the world.
*This post is part 2 of a series-- Exploring Standing on the Side of Love with my family.
No comments:
Post a Comment