A thought:

 
Sometimes life seems complex to me. We fight wars in the name of a benevolent God, create division between us as people when it comes to social status, abortion, politics, race, personal choice — the list could go on and on.

We are afraid of germs so we carry Germ-X, but we aren't really sure what is in most of the foods we eat. It seems we are all fighting our own mini-wars of the head and the heart.

We hear all of the time to "live in the moment," but what does that mean, exactly? Would we still have time to hate? To be cruel? To be arrogant?

I live next to a dairy farm, and I noticed one of the cows licking and nudging another one affectionately. It made me wonder if she had just had a baby she couldn't be with all of the time. It also made me wonder what it would be like if people acted that way.

When we see someone clearly distressed, we took a moment to be totally present with our own feelings of vulnerability in difficult times and from that place offered a compassionate ear and tender word, maybe even a hug. (I'm not so sure about licking faces like my heifer friends on the farm.)

I've noticed how a single flower can brighten a room and how a baby can make even the toughest hearts smile. I think life generally has ups, downs and sometimes sideways — all of it weaving the tapestry of our lives, our stories and our ancestry.

Birth without the miracle of life would appear violent and strange, but because we know otherwise, we courageously push through to the other end. There's a completion to a cycle, and we are satisfied with that. I wonder if we could apply that to our dreams and aspirations, tough times and heartbreak?

I don't understand that with so many out of work why we aren't creating beautiful things in ways that are unique to us. We may destroy our atmosphere, our oceans, our health, but in the end we are still left with that glow until we take our last breath. What is that, and can it be destroyed?

Whatever it is that makes us feel alive — whether it be painting or drawing, model cars or creating community, are we doing it? And if we aren't, why not? As the glimmer of hope moves through us, do we give up? Can we really give up? Or is it a constant nagging at our heartstrings to take time to feel and know that everything in life has a cycle to which it is born.