a poem by Malcolm Goodwin
Ye Old Live Oaks was inspired by a visit to Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana, pictured above. The photograph is taken from the balcony of the house where the slave owners lived. There was an eerie mysterious air about the place which reminded me of how humanity could be so cruel and yet creation stood majestic in its silent witness to it all, its integrity unblemished.
An elder Apache was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them,
“A fight is going on inside me; it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Grandpa simply replied, “The one you feed.”
It is the rush hour and the bus is completely full. You can smell tiredness and discomfort in the air. Two buggies at the back make the small space the bus still has even more uncomfortable. No one gets off on the next stop but there are ten that want to get in, among them a woman with her baby and a lot of bags. The driver moves his head, indicating to the woman that she can’t get in. There’s no room for her and her baby. The face of the woman looks tired and desperate; maybe she has been waiting quite some time to get on with the buggy. People don’t get on the bus, they are discussing outside. A long minute passes, as long as a minute can be in the kingdom of rush hour. Suddenly the woman gets on the bus, without baby, without buggy, without bags. Behind her, a man is carrying the baby, a woman carrying a folded buggy, others some of the bags and all get on the bus. A man leaves his seat to the woman and her baby and others put her stuff in a safe place. Miracles in London are still possible! Continue reading
Where I wander – You!
Where I ponder – You!
Only You everywhere, You, always, You.
You, You, You.
When I am gladdened – You!
And when I am saddened – You!
Only You, everywhere You!
You, You, You.
Sky is You!
Earth is You!
You above! You below!
In every trend, at every end,
Only You, everywhere You!
by Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov,
Jewish Mystic (1740 – 1810)
God is spreading seeds of hope all around the world, that’s what we remember during this period of Advent. During these four weeks before Christmas, Christians prepare to celebrate that Jesus is born every time we open our hearts and minds to love one another. But can we have hope in these times? If there is something that identifies our society it is hopelessness and mistrust. Continue reading