Speaking Peace

Posted on October 3, 2018September 13, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

These days especially, I, like so many, am hoping for a world of more peace and less hate. The more “information” I read, the more daunting this task feels. And, as cliche and idealistic as it sounds, the only way to more peace, really, is to begin with me–having more peaceful interactions with others during my day, more peaceful interactions with my family, and, most importantly, being more peaceful in my own heart and mind. So, why does something so seemingly simplistic feel so darn tough?

I was listening to the radio this evening while doing the dishes and a song came on that just wasn’t for me. And while I didn’t speak these words out loud, the first thing that came to my mind was, “I hate this song.” I stopped myself. Really? Hate? Someone expressing themselves artistically through music, and a fairly tame song at that, and I’m using the word “hate?” And then I thought about just how often that ugly word runs through my head during a typical day… “Ugh, I hate how this person is acting.” or when something feels tough or unpleasant, “I really hate this.” and on and on. Even typing and reading the word makes my chest feel tighter and my mood feel heavier. How often do I use the word “love” during the day? Ahh, love. How differently I feel just thinking that beautiful word.

So, my small goal in making peace in the world is to start by watching my language. Even the language in my head. Maybe it will take some time for me to create peace in my heart and mind or be the peaceful parent and partner I’d like to be, but maybe, just maybe, I can begin by simply dropping that one not-so-very-nice word from my vocabulary, whether spoken or in my head. Maybe I can focus on using the word “love” more and more in my day and let that be the beginning of more peace in my tiny corner of this great and wonderful world.

The Giver

Posted on September 28, 2018September 13, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry

In this Newbery Award winning book, we are introduced to Jonas’s community where everything appears to be neatly arranged for its citizens. From birth, people’s lives are decided for them, from which family they will enter to who their partners will be. At age 12, Jonas is finally ready to receive his Community position, which he will stay with until he reaches the House of Old. But when he is given the extremely rare job of Receiver, he is suddenly faced with receiving information and memories that nobody else in the community has experienced. As Jonas’s awareness expands, he realizes a change must be made and he must be the one to do it.
I have re-read this book a handful of times, but I always seem to wait long enough between readings that the story is new to me each time. A definite must-read.

The Frenzied Activist

Posted on September 28, 2018June 19, 2024 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

“To want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence.

The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his or her work for peace.”

~Thomas Merton~

I know the world is full of all types of people. Thank goodness. We all have our passions and contributions to the planet, even if it seems that some are here on the planet simply to teach the rest of us about patience and understanding.

I’ve always taken it on as a mission to help the world, especially with environmental issues, but never so much as lately. Recently, I feel a heavier and heavier weight of the world resting on my shoulders. It’s an interesting time we live in when information can spread so quickly and easily. My heart should be lifted by the many petitions I receive for causes of all types and by all the information we have available to stay up to date with how things are going for our world. There are people who care, people who are doing their part to make a difference.

Instead of feeling better though, I’ve let all of this just sink me further into a state of depression. The world is feeling heavy, and my arms are shaking. There are so many people and places and animals that need assistance, and I want to help with ALL of it. As the quote above suggests though, my desire to help everyone and everything is leading to me becoming a more crazed person. Instead of embodying the peace I’d love to see and create more of, my frenzied feelings about everything are actually creating the opposite effect.

I’m working on changing this, on finding the balance between still caring and doing what I can do, without working myself into a state of panic. And the best I’ve come up with so far, is to concentrate more on having faith. Having faith in our planet and its people, having faith in my family and myself, and, yes, having faith in a higher power who will help guide us all in the best possible way. It’s hard for me to let go of my constant worry and concern for our planet and its people, but, ironically, it’s only by allowing myself to relax, that I can really be of any positive help.

The True Cost of Amazon

Posted on March 17, 2018November 29, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Why I will not link to Amazon on this site. Please remember, your shopping is your vote for what type of businesses you support and what world you’d like to have. I highly encourage you to read more about Amazon business practices before supporting them or linking to them on your blog.

You might also like:
Just Say NO to Amazon

Matched

Posted on October 19, 2016May 5, 2024 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Matched (2010)
by Ally Condie

How did I not hear about this trilogy until now? In this young adult dystopian novel, we are introduced to 17-year old Cassia who has just been told by the Society who her match/life partner will be. The officials arrange what is best for everyone in Society, so there is no need to question their decision. But after she sees another face flash briefly on her matching screen, Cassia’s world slowly starts opening up and bubbling with questions, passionate feelings, and rebellion.

I don’t have a lot of time to sit and read, but I did manage to fly through this book in less than 24 hours with stolen bits of moments. Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Matched again looks at the “perfect” life versus a life of choice, with the good and bad it might bring. This is the kind of book that keeps you up way past bedtime, and makes you relieved there is more to the story. I’m eagerly awaiting the next two books in the trilogy.

Matched (2010)

Quotes:
ch 6 “You were ready to jump. You just weren’t sure of it yet.”

ch 17 “Is falling in love with someone’s story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?”

ch 32 “Each word I write brings me closer to finding the right ones.”

*Update:
Finally read the second and third books!
Always so interesting now to read about pandemics…

Quotes:
Crossed (2011)
ch 13 “It would be much easier to mark how I want the world to be, instead of trying to figure out how it really is.”

ch 32 “But then I feel it. Even hidden away in the dark, I can tell that it is there. Some small part of me is always, always free.”

ch 35 “It’s not knowing how to write that makes you interesting. It’s what you write.”

ch 42 “Love changes what is probable and makes unlikely things possible.”

ch 50 “When you first love, you look blind and you see it all as the glorious, beloved whole, or a beautiful sum of beautiful parts. But when you see the one you love as pieces, as whys–why he walks like this, why he closes his eyes like that–you can love those parts, too, and it’s a love at once more complicated and more complete.”

Reached (2012)
ch 20 “You cannot change your journey if you are unwilling to move at all.”

ch 61 “It’s all right to wonder.”

ch 62 “When we fall in love the first time, we don’t know anything. We risk a lot less than we do if we choose to love again.”

ch 62 “We would compose poems about love and tell stories that have ben heard in some form before. But it would be our first time feeling and telling.”