Inundated

moment by moment

is the recommendation

All you can do

say the experts

is

Wash your Hands,

as long as

it takes

to sing

Happy Birthday

Twice!

Soap and water

are best

each finger,

between fingers.

Don’t forget your thumbs!

Sneeze,

or Cough,

If you must

into your elbow.

Elbow bump,

don’t shake hands!

Stand six feet

away from others.

All over the world,

a common threat,

Unseen

with the Naked Eye.

Isolation

you must,

if you don’t feel well.

Schools closing,

Events being cancelled

No one

can see

into tomorrow,

next week,

a month from now.

Olympics,

Elections,

All kinds of gatherings.

Shortages of test to confirm,

masks

handcleaners.

Live in the moment,

Be aware.

Don’t panic.

Nobody knows

Do they?

How are you?

A friend replied

All Things Considered. . .

It might be easier

to list

a litany of things,

concerns, observations

about the present

state of affairs

in his health,

in the family,

the neighborhood,

the country,

the world.

The words

All Things Considered

Stayed with me.

Sometimes

sharing the specifics

can invite

more preoccupation

with the difficulties

at hand.

Many reply that

there is a level

of unease with

the endless current affairs,

with Washington,

constitutional interpretations,

election candidates,

face masks,

washing hands to prevent

the virus epidemic.

Words, just words,

I am weary of it all.

Adding the challenges

of the moment

or ever-present

personally,

may not offer relief

but more stress.

Can we somehow

find more ways

to offer

kindness,

gratitude for what

is new and good today.

I share

these words

for your consideration.

All things considered,

I am blessed

And appreciate ways

to be myself

and honor others

with a

smile,

a nod,

or a light touch on the shoulder.

I am grateful

if you read this,

perhaps share.

The world is so empty

if one thinks only of mountains,

rivers and cities in it;

but

to know someone

here and there

who sympathizes

with us,

with whom we also

in silent agreement,

continue to live on,

only this

turns the earth

into an inhabited

garden for us.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe

These are the times

that try men’s souls

is a line

that rings

in my ears.

Thomas Paine

in 1776

wrote in

American Crisis.

Surprised?

I am.

Many insightful and supportive voices

speak now.

Each, in their own framework

may help  us

in our own

Soul Work.

Bringing

Peace

to each of us

can help

the path

to a

more

kind

community.

Transformation

by

James. S. Gordon, M.D

provides

guidance for

mind, body and spirit

healing.

Each listed offer paths

overlapping

each other’s guidance.

Richard Rohr

Rumi

Leonard Cohen

Mary Oliver

Parker Palmer

Pema Chodron

Carol Rogers.

Brene Brown

brought

Vulnerability

to our attention

and language

to acknowledge

that we are

all vulnerable.

Human

Tara Brach

offers Radical Acceptance

Radical Self-Compassion.

Br. David Steindl-Rast-Rast

offers the Practice of

Gratefulness.

Voices for us together

And each of our SOULS.

NAMASTE

Best-selling books

speak of Living in the Now.

Focus on each breath

Inhale

Exhale

mediation teachers

guide us.

If thoughts come

Be aware

then

breathe

and let them go.

Longtime

meditators

acknowledge

this is a Practice

Practice doesn’t always

mean Perfect.

Trying to

live in the Now

even if it is very painful

is a practice

that is why it is called

a Practice.

Many call the present

Very Unsettling.

Free-floating anxiety

can be very present

in the Now.

The 24 hour news cycle

is full of tragedies

individually

and collectively.

One’s internal compass

may seek to

find

True North.

What can you do?

What can I do?

The Now can be

so painful,

Practice

Kindness.

Be kind to ourselves,

Be kind to all

who cross our paths.

Find joy

and notice the

beautiful

In each moment,

the Now.

In the words of Leonard Cohen

News,

news or is it news?

Recycled over and over

Disruptive

in individuals’ lives

It feels like the dark curtains

covering up

so much abuse,

cheating-

whatever the latest

REVEAL is.

What about your inner landscape?

Is that in turmoil,

seeking a balance?

“Even when it hurts,

we need to seek

as much clarity

about our lives

as possible.

Pain can be a transition

to new life

if it isn’t avoided

or feared.”

We are drawn

to pleasure

and resist pain.

In resisting,

the pain can become

more intense.

Knowing this,

I ask,

What is the pain

teaching me?

Can I embrace fear,

acknowledge it

and so

reduce it?

Living Lines Reflections

Robert Wicks, quote Riding the Dragon,Ten Lessons for Inner Strength in Challenging Times

The latest rage

is not political

but about

STUFF!

It is so easy

to stop seeing

things

on flat surfaces

stuffed in closets

invisible in plastic

storage boxes,

pushed under

the bed.

An e-mail notice

from our favorite charity

that picks up

assembled donations

on our front door step

gave us

five days

to say

YES!

Gradually a veil

seemed to lift.

I noticed

bric-a-brac,

papers,

all sorts of things

and decided

that in addition to

jackets, hats, gloves

warm robes

could be given

to someone

without.

Once the process began

four days ago,

more things

caught my eyes

and now

9 boxes and bags

are ready for

pick-up.

I smile

thinking of

someone being warm,

enjoying some pretty object,

that had been displayed

so long,

I really didn’t see it.

Spring cleaning

comes early

this year.

I hope there

will be

another

notice of pick-up.

There is more room

to breath now.

Smiling.

How do children learn?

Following the daily news,

too many children

are learning

through suffering

the arrogance of some adults

in power.

Refugees in boats

to lands

near and far.

Walking days and nights

to reach

safety in our land.

Captured and put

into cages.

Transported without records

to places unknown.

Separated from parents,

some never reunited.

Nightly news show

children

whose parents

work for our government.

Furloughed, no pay,

Work, but no pay.

Bills to pay,

food to eat,

roofs over their heads,

teetering

on or past the edge.

American children

aren’t taught

civics,

how our government works,

three branches,

right to vote.

Adults’ responsibilities

are to care for children,

help them feel

Safe.

Where are the adults

now?

Suffer the children

to come to Me,

says the Bible.

Suffering

is what these

children are living.

Abuse of power

with insulting words.

Democracy is on the brink

some observe.

What about the children?

Some liken

the Holy Spirit

to a shy and gentle bird

who must be approached

quietly and slowly,

lest he be

 frightened

and fly away.

Other liken

the Holy Spirit

to a ravening hawk. .

my experiences

have been more

hawklike than dovelike.

But considerable violence

is needed

to pull my fragments

together

to join sunside  and nightside;

it’s a wildly athletic act

to place the mind

into the heart

and a lot

of muscles get pulled.

Best known for

her book

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine l’Engle

 in her book

The Irrational Season

shows that questioning- living with the questions-is strengthening and

even may provide

some answers.

With patience,

answers may come,

often quietly and

often not what is expected.

Lines

drawn on a door frame

might be your family’s

way to mark the

growth of children.

Once they

are grown

and have children

of their own,

grandparents

might start

standing next to

each grandchild,

perhaps

stand in front of a mirror

and observe each

child and how close

their height

is to you.

I reached my adult height in eighth grade.

Tallest girl

in my class.

At dancing class

the few tall boys

chose the shorter girls,

leaving the tall girls

like me,

trying to not

feel so tall,

scrunching down.

Youngest granddaughter

now a sixth grader,

is barely a hair

shorter than me.

The eighth grader is taller

than me,

a growth spurt recently.

Eighteen this week

my oldest  granddaughter now makes me

feel short.

It is an incentive

to stand tall.

Grandson, the oldest,

towers over his

father, uncle and

grandfather,

all tall themselves.

However tall

each stands,

every one

is growing inside

into their beautiful

thoughtful selves.

Standing tall,

we all

see our worlds

from different vantage points.

Together we smile

and laugh

and cherish our connections.

Many ways

to measure

but no marks on the wall.