A Stocking Hung by the Chimney with Care

In my family we celebrate Christmas. For me it is a time to celebrate not just the birth of Jesus and his bright light, but also the light in each heart and the returning of the physical light as well. There are many holidays this time of year and each seems to include a remembering of the light.

This year, Christmas may be less of a celebration in a small town in Connecticut. That thought has been weighing heavy on my heart. I want so much to be able to wrap my arms around the whole town and comfort them in their time of grief. I want so much, like so many others, to find a way to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

So I have been looking at the idea of Christmas and the people of Newtown and wondering what gift I could genuinely offer them. How could I find a way to really give them that hug that I so long to offer? How can I genuinely wrap them in the love that I feel?

I thought of two options. One is to learn to make origami hearts and to teach the children at our church and schools to make them. Together we can make many hearts and send them to Sandy Hook Elementary to make sure they know and feel the love that surrounds them, that is flowing to them from so many hearts that ache along with theirs. (If you want to make them too there are lots of instructions online. On this page is a list of different origami hearts – the easiest one is called Easy Heart, http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-hearts.html)

The other thing I will do is hang an extra stocking. In the poem, T’was the Night Before Christmas, the phrase says, “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.” I thought, what if it meant that the stockings were filled with caring? What if I can demonstrate my caring by filling the stocking with love, with all the things that will be needed for us to heal and create a society where this terrible moment won’t happen again, where we won’t have to have our hearts collectively break? In that Spirit, in the Spirit of light that is Christmas for me, I will hang an extra stocking with care this year. I will fill it with compassion, love, light, tolerance, understanding, goodwill and grace. I will add more things as I feel inspired. If I don’t have an object that represents these things I will simply write them on a piece of paper and add them to the stocking.

I will stuff that stocking with whatever is necessary for us to talk together in peace and light, for us to live together in grace, for us to love together in tolerance, for us to heal together in love, for us to honor those lights we have lost, in Newtown, in Aurora, in Wisconsin and around the world. A stocking filled with care in order to help create a world where each light is honored and revered. A world where those whose lights are dimmed by fear or anger or hatred or mental illness can again be surrounded by enough love and light to be able to find their way back to and be guided by love and to the help that they need.

So this year a stocking will indeed be hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that a world built on love soon would be there.

Three Candles

This is how I felt yesterday in relation to the shootings in Connecticut. May the light shine brightly tonight and every night.

Three Candles

Words cannot fill a heart that has drained of life.
Words cannot recreate the color in a cheek.
Words cannot open an eye that has closed.
Words cannot utter the unspeakable grief.
So I lit three candles.
I don’t know why there were three,

one was too lonely, and two was not enough.
So I lit three candles,
as my heart ached and my tears fell.
I poured water beneath one candle
for the healing it represents
hoping it would be felt.
So I lit three candles
trusting that somehow the light would carry
to the places that now seem so dark.
I wish I had a million candles to light tonight.
I would create a circle of light to surround our planet,
to encircle my human family,
to illuminate all the darkness.
So I lit three candles,
to create just one moment for us to all stand in the light.
A moment to see each other
and know we are not alone,
to see that our hearts beat together in our sorrow,
as they can beat together again one day in joy.
One moment for us all to stand in the light
and see that they are all our children,
that we all grieve to the core of our being
for the lights we have lost,
as we can heal together for the sake of those lights.
So I lit three candles,
My breath shallow, my cheeks damp, my heart heavy,
And I looked at those lights and I prayed.
I prayed for more lights.
I prayed for an inferno fueled by love,
A fire bright enough to be seen by the angels,
Hot enough to warm a heart cold with sorrow,
Strong enough to kindle a spark.
So I lit three candles
And I prayed.

by Lynda Allen

From Deepest Darkness there Came Great Light

I wrote this last year around this time. It feels like it is time to share it again. It is a gift of light for the holidays.  

I wish you light and abiding peace and love,

Lynda

From deepest darkness there came great light.

It matters where the light falls

A manger is a trough from which horses and cattle are fed. Once a manger was padded with hay that a baby might rest upon it and the world be fed. Gentle hands laid him to rest upon a bed of straw and a great light from deepest darkness fell upon him.

They did not know that it matters where the light falls, that if it falls upon a heart so open, it will find there not just a home, but a mirror to reflect it back. When they looked upon him they saw the great light shining back through his heart, his smile, his touch, his words. But it matters where the light falls. For some, the reflected light from deepest darkness warmed and illuminated them and they felt great and abiding joy. For others the light was blinding, and they could not look directly at it. They feared it because they knew that to look at the sun could do great harm. They didn’t know that this son meant them no harm.

It matters where the light falls. Some saw the light from afar and knew it was a beacon that could guide them. They let the light fall upon their hearts and found it would lead them across vast expanses and bring them at last to the source of the light. And so it did. It brought them to a tiny manger from which they were fed, one small heart reflecting the light for all to see. For that is what he was from the moment he was laid in the manger, simply a reflector of the great light from deepest darkness.

It matters where the light falls. If it falls upon the doors of an inn that are closed, the light will warm and illuminate only the door, not able to enter across the threshold.

That night long ago, it fell upon a stable whose doors were swung wide and whose creatures were welcoming. That night it found an open manger, a receptive place, for the light to be laid with gentleness upon a soft bed created with love. That night the great light that sprung from deepest darkness came to rest upon the heart of a child. His heart, which was so great in one so small, welcomed the light and there was immeasurable joy.

His heart shone forth with the light. His heart was the light. His heart is each heart.

The great light from deepest darkness ever shines and ever touches all, it matters only whether it falls upon a closed door or upon a place with doors open and a manger waiting where the light can rest and feed all.

 

Lynda Allen

Energy of Hate

Over the past few weeks I have observed the word hate creep back into my thoughts. It hasn’t been in relation to people, just to things or situations, I hate it when…(and not in the funny Billy Crystal on SNL kinda way.) Hate is a word I had eradicated from my vocabulary because I don’t like to carry the energy of it in my body and because words have such power.

I honestly think that the reappearance of it in my mind is related to the negativity surrounding the political campaigns across the country, specifically the presidential campaign. And it’s not just the politicians. There is a sad lack of civility in our political debate. It is always the other side is wrong and my side is right. There is very rarely a discussion of what we have in common or even a civil discussion of differences. I often think that children behave better than adults do when it comes to politics (or sports but that’s a different matter), though I have even seen the divisiveness of the debate process spill over onto my daughter as she watched them for her Civics class.

I was sad to see that I had let it touch me too, that I had become part of the problem. By even thinking that word I was adding the energy of it to the world around me. What energy it is too. Look at some of the synonyms for hate; loathe, execrate, despise, abhor, detest, abominate. (I had to look up execrate! It's not a nice word.) It feels uncomfortable just looking at those words let alone the feeling of directing them at something. And think of all the people directing thoughts of hate or loathing at each other right now or at the presidential candidates. How overwhelming. No wonder it wandered into my thoughts.

Now I’m inviting it to wander right back out of my thoughts. I liked it when the word hate was not one that crossed my mind or entered my heart. I don’t know how or why people choose to live with that word inside themselves. There is a heaviness that comes with hatred, a force that is directed at others. Imagine all the force of all the hatred that is being focused in our country right now. What are we creating?

I must choose differently. You have my apologies for the hate that I added to the world over the past couple weeks, even if it was just hating that the light turned red or the slowness of the internet connection. Think of all the millions of people that could have been touched by it if the energy of that hate could travel through the bits and bytes of cyberspace to others. I shudder to think.

I will focus on civility, on love. I will do my best to hold thoughts and use words that create a positive force in the world. I will return to my own personal Campaign Pledge 2012. I sit with the idea of that pledge almost every morning after I wake up, but I will try to return my focus to it throughout the day, especially over the next two weeks.

My reason is simple and really Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Let My No Be My No

In a previous post I wrote about the vision of the country and the world that I am holding. It’s a way of saying yes to the world I want to create. Years ago though I learned that No can be equally important.

There was a time in my life when I didn’t know what my future looked like, when I didn’t know what I wanted it to look like. I found that the only way I could make good decisions during that time was by simply knowing what I didn’t want. I learned to let my no really be my no and my yes really be my yes. I learned a great deal during that time and said some very big Nos that created a lot of change in my life and took a lot of courage.

Now is a time to practice some of those learnings again. It is a time to let my No be heard loud and clear in balance with my yes.

I have been simply stunned lately by the realization of the magnitude of the things that we have been saying yes to in the world we have created. Does that mean that I have said yes to the atrocities in the world? Yes, on some level I think it does because I didn’t stand up and shout, No! Now is my time to do that.

The words feel harsh compared to the gentleness of my yes, but must be said. Sadly the list could be much longer. This at least is a beginning.

No, I will not accept a world where people starve to death while others throw excess food away.

No, I will not accept a world where womens' and girls’ bodies are used as weapons of war through rape.

No, I will not accept a world where a fifteen year old girl is shot in the head at point blank range because she spoke an opposing point of view.

No, I will not accept a world where our natural resources are seen only as a commodity and are depleted without regard for the future or the lives lost in the recovery of those resources.

No, I will not accept a world where one is judged to be less worthy than another because of the pigment of their skin, their religious beliefs, who they love, how much money they have or how much they weigh.

No, I will not accept a world where the outside of a person is deemed more important than what is within.

No, I will not accept a world where hatred guides people’s choices.

No, I will not accept a world where people die for want of medicine when those medicines are readily available.

No, I will not accept a world where whoever is the strongest or has the most money has power over others, where people use that power to bully and oppress others.

No, I will not accept a world where young men feel so desperate because society leaves them behind that they turn to violence toward each other.

No, I will not accept a world where whole villages, whole races are murdered because of their beliefs, color or creed.

No, I will not accept a world where people are forced to live on the street and are ignored rather than loved, assisted and seen.

No, I will not accept a world where love thy neighbor is merely spoken but not acted upon and lived.

No, I will not accept a world where multi-million dollar corporations are guided by greed rather than community.

No, I will not.

A Visit from Snake

I was sitting in the woods on a log writing. I was so in the joy of writing I didn’t even see the snake coming. When finally something caught my eye I looked up and saw a three foot long, black snake about four feet out in front of me and moving very quickly in my direction. There really wasn’t much for me to do so I just stayed completely still to see what he would do. I figured he would sense me and veer off. I was wrong. Apparently I was good at being still and I’m not afraid of snakes so I was decided to simply enjoy the experience. As I watched he just kept coming straight toward me. Soon he arrived about four or five inches to the right of my right foot. I figured that when he reached the log I was sitting on, he would go under it or turn off to his left where there weren’t any obstacles like my feet. Apparently my ability to figure was way off today! Instead of turning any direction at all, he came straight up onto the log! He finally stopped at the top as if he was sitting down for a little visit, with his head swaying only a couple inches from my thigh.

I had been watching him out of the corner of my eye this whole time so I wouldn’t have to turn my head and startle him. I knew he wasn’t a poisonous snake so I wasn’t scared and I new if I didn’t startle him he wouldn’t strike at me (even non-poisonous snakes will bite if they feel threatened). As he sat there next to me for a moment I just took a deep breath and watched him with my peripheral vision with curiosity. That is when he finally sensed me. I could just barely glimpse him turn his head in my direction. I can only assume he flicked that little forked tongue out and picked up a trace of me and the bug spray on my leg. It was of the herbal variety but I guess it was not to his liking because he promptly turned back around, went back down the log and slithered off in the direction from which he had come. I laughed as I watched him go from sheer joy at his visit. What a strange and wondrous moment it was!

That was not the first time I’ve had the joy of the company of the creatures of the woods simply by being still enough in their environment for them to venture by, and it’s not the only interesting encounter I’ve had with a snake. However, it was a delightful reminder of what treasures can be found by simply being in the joy of the moment and being enveloped in the wonder of the spectacular array of life we share this planet with. Thank you my friend snake for the visit and the reminder!

Campaign Pledge 2012

It’s an election year here in the US. Unless you’ve been living in a cave you already know that I suppose. With the political conventions that have happened over the past couple weeks there have been an awful lot of politicians making an awful lot of pledges and accusations and smug jokes at the other party’s expense and a whole lot of blaming. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, in the rhetoric and go along with whichever point of view you ascribe to. In fact that’s just exactly what they hope you will do, go along with them to wherever they’re going.

Here’s the thing, I don’t want to go along. I want to create. 

Now, I can clearly see that there are plenty of people out there already who are willing to take the role of politician, lobbyist, pundit, and certainly Facebook political commentator. That left me asking myself last night, “Well then, what is mine to do to help create this new world?” The answer was quite clear.

So here is my pledge to you my fellow Americans (and fellow souls of Earth): Until this presidential election is over I will not focus on one candidate or another, nor one party or another. I will not focus on rhetoric or statements of blame. I will focus on the vision of a peaceful country. I will focus on the vision of a compassionate country. I will focus on the vision of a tolerant country where we practice the golden rule of do unto others as you would have done unto you. I will focus on a country where we can discuss and disagree in love and understanding. I will focus on a country where all people are treated equally, where all people have equal opportunity, equal education, equal rights. I will focus on a country that sets an example of fairness and that holds a vision of a world that reflects all these qualities. I will focus on the country I know is possible, that I know most people who live here want. I will focus on the world I know already exists in so many hearts.

I will focus on these things because I know that in holding that vision the leader who aligns with it will naturally be called forth, whoever that leader is.

The only way to create this world of love and peace, compassion and kindness is to do it together. So I would invite you to do the same. The more people who hold a clear vision of the world we want to create, the sooner we will manifest that vision. I have felt it, I have seen it, I know it is already there waiting to be called forth, just as a leader who holds that same vision is also ready. Join me now, and in each moment of your day, in holding the vision of a world that is a worthy gift to all the children of this country and this earth.