In the depth of winter - can there be hope? Only a few short months ago this very spot was awash with the colors of beautiful blooming rose bushes. Then the weather turned cool and the gardeners put the roses "to bed" for the winter with a covering of straw. Soon the weather will warm again, the snow will melt, and the gardeners will remove the straw and support the bushes as they grow and blossom again.
Winter is a season pregnant with hope. There are times in our personal lives and our society when all seems dead. Can there be hope? Yes. There are signs of hope around us. There are people who care about others. There are those who are willing to rise up and march in solidarity with others. There are people who are willing to take action to bring hope to others. I have hope.
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A basketball sitting in a frozen winter landscape seems out of place. Do you ever feel out of place, or like you don't belong?
We picked up this basketball, took it home, warmed it and washed it, and gave it a place. The same can happen for you when you are "out of place." Keep hope alive. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." This is a quote that originates in the abolitionist movement of the pre-civil war era (Unitarian minister Theodore Parker) and has been used throughout the civil rights movement in our country. I was surprised recently, when I heard it used by a person who favors the current administration's policies and actions. It dismayed me when I heard these words misappropriated and used in such a context. I suspect this person has, for some reason felt that they had, in some manner, been at the receiving end of some injustice. If so, I hope that they receive justice. But let us not forget the original context of those words as we strive for a more perfect union for all members of our society. Let us live with a morality of love, compassion, peace, and justice for all. In the words of the Biblical prophet, Amos, "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
In the north country, we tend to think of winter as a time when colors are muted and when the world is often covered with a blanket of white. Yet suddenly a cardinal appears and the world is startled with the color of life. You may be suffering through a time of dreariness or sadness, but keep your eyes open - for the world around you is full of life and color. May there be something, or someone, who flashes into your life as a "cardinal" today.
Joker's wild. Full of ego, full of stuff.
Spills his cup, has brains of fluff. Tricked us with his crazy antics. Leaves us broken lives to fix. Bumbling, stumbling chaos abounds. Jester makes obnoxious sounds. The joke is on us, those who follow. His words of hurt, his promises hollow. Will hope return and love renew? The future is open, it is up to you? Waves may crash upon the shore,
harsh winds may blow, cool nights may chill your soul, yet beauty persists. |
AuthorJoel Kreger is a writer who grew up in Minnesota, spent many years of his life in Iowa and Wisconsin, and now lives in Minnesota. His life experience includes careers of serving 17 years as a Lutheran parish pastor, working 18 years as a public school teacher, and now writing as a novelist and blogger. Archives
April 2019
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