This is one of our fears…..

“This is one of our fears of quiet; if we stop and listen, we will hear this emptiness. . .But this emptiness has nothing at all to do with our value or our worth. All life has emptiness at its core; it is the quiet hollow reed through which the wind of God blows and makes the music that is our life. Without that emptiness, we are clogged and unable to give birth to music, love, and kindness.” –Wayne Muller

Worth of a Woman

When God created woman, he was working later on the sixth day. An angel came by and said,  ”Why spend so much time on that one?”

And the Lord answered, “Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her? She must be washable, but not made of plastic, have more than 200 moving parts which all must be replaceable and she must function on all kinds of food, she must be able to embrace several kids at the same time, give a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart and she must do all this with only two hands.”

The angel was impressed. “Just two hands…impossible!  And this is the standard model? Too much work for one day…wait until tomorrow and then complete her.”

“I will not”, said the Lord. “I am so close to completing this creation, which will be the favorite of my heart. She cures herself when sick and she can work 18 hours a day.”

The angel came nearer and touched the woman. “But you have made her so soft, Lord.”

“She is soft”, said the Lord, “But I have also made her strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome.”

“Can she think?” the angel asked.

The Lord answered, “Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate.”

The angel touched the woman’s cheek. “Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her.”

“She is not leaking…it’s a tear” the Lord corrected the angel.

“What’s it for?” asked the angel.

And the Lord said, “Tears are her way of expressing grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride.”

This made a big impression on the angel; “Lord, you are genius. You thought of everything. The woman is indeed marvelous!”

“Indeed she is! Woman has strengths that amaze man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when feeling like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when she is happy and laughs when she is afraid. She fights for what she believes in. Stands up against injustice. She doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, when she can see a better solution. She gives herself so her family can thrive. She takes her friend to the doctor if she is afraid. Her love is unconditional.  She cries when her kids are victorious. She is happy when her friends do well. She is glad when she hears of a birth or a wedding. Her heart is broken when family or friends die. But she finds the strength to get on with life. She knows that a kiss and a hug can heal a broken heart.  She has only one flaw… SHE FORGETS WHAT SHE IS WORTH.”

–Cuppa Tea, Nov. 09

The Peace of Wild Things

“When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of the still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”– Wendell Berry