Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA
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News of the World
The opening weeks of 2010, on the other hand, have been filled with bad news. The horrific earthquake in Haiti, just as that country seemed poised to shake off some of the legacy of slavery, colonialism and global economic policies that have made the people of Haiti the most impoverished in this hemisphere. The Supreme Court decision that removed barriers to corporate financing of election campaigns. The failure of Congress to pass health care reform, and the fear that it cannot now be accomplished.
I have been blued-out by all this bad news – blue enough that I have wondered how I can do my job, or at least the part of my job that involves sowing hope. Have you been depressed too?
Where do you find hope when the news makes you think our nation and our world have lost the satellite signal setting the GPS course for Heaven on Earth?
Today I decided to start listening to my own sermons -- what I say to the people, sometimes in crisis, who come to tell me about their lives. Follow the light, I tell them. Pay attention to what is going well; pay attention to what gives you joy. Take the time to thank people, really thank them, for the good work they are doing in the world. If the big picture is too hard to look at, well -- go micro for a while.
This is not about burying the head in the sand. This is about doing what needs to be done to keep going. For me, it’s putting attention on being ready to greet a grandbaby in about a month; to the great leaders who are doing fabulous work building Beloved Community in this church; to my own good health, and how it feels when I am able to increase the weights I lift at the gym. These and many more gratitudes are with me as I put one foot in front of the other, walking through my days, giving me strength to face the News of the World, giving me courage that I will be able to see what there is that I can do about that news, giving me hope.
In times like these, what gives you hope?
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Tags: Haiti, earthquake, hope, news
Comment
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Comment by Diane Ullius on February 4, 2010 at 11:14am -
I love Mary's reminder to "follow the light." We need the light in order to keep moving. And I agree that's it's not about burying our heads in the sand. Maybe it's about getting our poor tender hearts OUT of the sand, or the mud.
What gives me hope--at least when I can remember--is the idea that every breath is a blessing. Respiration, inspiration, expiration, all in the same sacred and mystery-filled cycle. That when I breathe, I am partaking in Spirit. That every day I have the chance to co-create the world. And with that reminder to myself, I am more ready to go out and do it.
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Comment by jill herndon on February 3, 2010 at 3:25pm -
What gives me hope? Remembering that I don't know it all! Remembering how many times I have been wrong, and consequently missed the good times. Remembering that life is never all one thing, one mood, one opinion. Then stepping out with a fresh intention to set myself in a joyful motion, and noticing all the people around me who do the same. Stepping out in beauty and friendship with a sense of adventure.
And when I can't get out of my own head, I substitute teach special ed and disabled children. Their strength fills me with awe. Their gentle humor astounds me and teaches me courage and ease in spite of conditions.
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Comment by Helen Hensgen on January 31, 2010 at 11:17am -
How true Mary. Do what we can do in small ways. Be grateful. See you at the gym. Helen
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Comment by Todd Parola on January 30, 2010 at 12:09am -
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Comment by Barbara Johnson on January 29, 2010 at 11:35am -
Today, it is my daughter Annie appreciating the beauty of the rainy Houston morning, on an audition morning, even though she didn't sleep well. As her mother, I've worried much about her struggle with depression. She said, "I don't know if it's because I'm happier, but this weather is beautiful to me". Thank you, universe.
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Comment by June Herold on January 29, 2010 at 8:44am -
The sense that if I participate in life I will feel joy and happiness more. I also have faith that human beings will not self destruct on a grand scale, as in destroy and kill the planet. That we have a hard time seeing all the good in the world and that the good will triumph. One more thing: We are learning to spot the sociopaths, the mentally ill, who are threats. I believe we will not let their illnesses destroy life.
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