Quote of the day: “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Birch Bark Layers
This week I have gratitude for so much. Even as I looked forward with trepidation to the results of the elections, I remembered to be grateful for the privilege of voting. Here in Minnesota, we voted on two amendments that I strongly opposed. One was the “Marriage Amendment” which would have limited the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. The other was a voter ID requirement. Both amendments were defeated.
I believe that any two people who are willing to commit to one another in love should be given the rights and privileges of marriage. I was so grateful when a majority of Minnesotans voted NO on this amendment.
Bright Pumpkin
A friend of mine reported the following story related to the amendment from the MPR Facebook page:
Dustin Wigham posted: “As I waited my turn to vote with a little rainbow pin on my coat, the lady next to me had a little toddler with her that was so cute. She just kept looking at me and smiling and I kept waving at her and talking to her..I love kids. When I finished voting (no twice) I walked out of the room with a HUGE smile on my face and felt a tug at my jacket. I turned to see the lady with the little girl and she was crying. She said “I have a vote yes sign in my yard and I came here to vote…and my little girl just couldn’t take her eyes off of you. Children seem to see the good in people and I knew by how much she instantly adored you, that I couldn’t vote yes. Even though I don’t really understand homosexuality or agree with it; I couldn’t do that to you. I voted no.” I hugged a total stranger today. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the dime I found on the ground on the walk to my polling place and gave it to her (I explained that I pick up any change I find on the ground heads down or up, because I feel like overlooking it and passing it by would be like ignoring a little gift from the universe. Telling her not to spend it but to keep it someplace as a reminder of the wonderful little gifts that the universe brings us.” Then I said “thank you for not overlooking me.” This was a truly touching and emotional election day for me. “
I was so moved by a story of seeing the good in someone and letting that guide your actions. What would happen if we all paused and looked into the eyes of someone with views radically different from our own?
Apple Tree
Would some of the negativity and demonization that characterized this year’s election be dissolved? I think so. I felt such a heavy energy in everyone before the election and I believe a lot of it was caused by the negative ads that permeated the media. Along with my gratitude for the right to vote and take part in elections, I am so grateful that they are done — for awhile 🙂
November Landscape Colors
Today I am grateful for stories that remind us of the little gifts that the universe brings.
Thursday and Friday, the sun came out! After a full week of gray days! I went out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and found more color than I imagined possible on a mid-November day. Another reminder that we are always chased by beauty—but often fail to notice it riding on our coattails.
Lone Leaf Against the Sky
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