Focus on the Stars

 

As you prepare your breakfast, think of others

   (do not forget the pigeon’s food).

As you conduct your wars, think of others

   (do not forget those who seek peace).

As you pay your water bill, think of others

   (those who are nursed by clouds).

As you return home, to your home, think of others

   (do not forget the people of the camps).

As you sleep and count the stars, think of others

   (those who have nowhere to sleep).

As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others

   (those who have lost the right to speak).

As you think of others far away, think of yourself

   (say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”).

Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was an award-winning Palestinian author and poet. His literature, particularly his poetry, created a sense of Palestinian identity and was used to resist the occupation of his homeland.

In ‘Think of Others,’ the poet’s message is self-evident. Darwish repeats the same phrases, and urging us to not only be grateful for what we have, but also to help those who are less fortunate. The poem acts as a powerful plea from Darwish to ‘be the candle in the dark’ and to help those who are in need; both near and far. Analysis by Lydia Marouf

“Think of Others” by Mahmoud Darwish, from Almond Blossoms and Beyond. Translated from the original Arabic by Mohammed Shaheen. © Interlink Books, 2010.

I saved the above early in the conflict in Israel and Palestine, but today realized I hadn't posted it. My heart breaks for the people of both Israel and Palestine, in their loses, destruction, death, and struggles. It is imperative that we hold that "candle in the dark" and help where we can. It might only be a prayer sent up each day or something more. 

In the picture above I noticed this rose bush outside my church yesterday. I felt like that one rose is there for hope when all around it is dead and dying. We must focus on that light, the shining pink rose of hope.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 Someone on social media recently said we must accept discomfort without losing hope.

Sometimes I find as I have gotten older it gets harder to just get out of my comfy chair and be in the world. Moving and walking, especially on unknown paths, can put up roadblocks to life. And yet, we must keep moving, keep trusting the unknowns around us, and hold on to hope. 

Where will the path take us? Who will we encounter? What magic can we find?

Saturday I told my "live-in gardener" about an open garden we hadn't visited in many years.It is managed by the Master Gardener's in the county. My "live-in gardener" wasn't sure he wanted to go because the weather was going to be hot. But we went and he was glad he had gone.

It was a beautiful time of connections with people and plants.

We even had opportunity to share information. This garden plot right now is probably the least pretty, but someday those little plants will grow into a lovely little tea garden. As I stood there I was able to share my knowledge with the gardener and another passer-by. For you see, in my home garden I had 8 tea plants and could produce my own tea.

And yesterday I met with a group of tea lovers and shared the tea I had made last year from my garden.

 

So hold on to hope and keep putting yourself out there, even when the trail is unknown and a bit rocky.

 Sending love and hope in a dark and rocky world.

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

"...here it is, hope, in the midst of darkened skies. A candle in the midst of the darkness. A bright morning star, shining the way forward. The call for today—this week—and in the weeks to come, is to remember in whom we are to place our trust. It is a call for us to lift up our heads, to search the skies, and behold the glimmer of a promise—the very hope of the world—given to us to light our way in the darkness and despair of this present time."

 If you would like to read more, the quote came from this link:

 https://stpauls-dedham.org/content/darkness-when-you-can-see-stars-shine  First Sunday of Advent from St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Returning to my word for the year of HOPE. I knew I had to hold on to it this year. I knew it would be a rough year with my move and politically too. I had no idea how dark our world would become though. Some days only watching for those glimmers of light and hope can I survive the darkness. I image holding hands with each person in despair and walking with them through the mud. I just have to believe we will come out on the other side, breathe in the fresh air, laugh, and sing a new song.

What are you noticing that brings a smile to your heart?

This morning I just had to peek out on my patio and enjoy seeing the birds at the feeder and flowers blooming. There was even a ripe tomato ready to pick for my salad tonight. 

Sending Love and Hope your way,

Marilyn 

 

Focus on the Stars

 

Even though I am not Catholic, I was brought to tears by the transition and selection of the new pope. He has such a strong voice in the world that I was thrilled with the choice. Pope Leo can bring so much hope and light to the world in so many ways. His voice can help to sooth the souls of a broken, dark world. I am already impressed by what he has shared.

 

In his first Mass as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, at the Sistine Chapel, urged Catholics to be a light in the darkness and focus on faith over material things. He knows my heart.

 

Then I came across this quote by Pope Francis, "Don't let your hope be stolen."  What an amazing way to think on hope, my word for the year. We cannot allow others to take our hope away, no matter what. We must hold on even in the darkest night.

 

My hope for Pope Leo is that he can contribute to peace throughout the world. With peace comes gentleness, truthfulness, and love. Just what my spiritual doctor would prescribe.

 

 I hope everyone here had a lovely Mother's day weekend. My afternoon involved a walk with family in the neighborhood where I found these wild roses in full bloom and baby duckling chasing their mama around the pond. Just the perfect sort of day to celebrate mama's.

 

Have a terrific week, sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

 

“She was devoted to the moon.

In its darkness she found comfort.

In its light she found hope”

Kavi Keethu, unknown author.
Kavi refers to Indian poetry, so not sure this is an actual name. 

 

The first two pictures are lighthouses, one on the west coast and the other on the east coast. Very different, but they do the same job. Their light shines in darkness as a warning to travelers on the sea. It tells them that land is nearby and to take care. In it's way it gives comfort to the sailor lost at sea and shows them the way.
 

As the quote states in other words, there is comfort and safety in small lights or the light from the moon on a dark night.

Hold on! Notice the glimmer's! For soon the sun will shine again. We must not lose sight of HOPE.

 Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

Spring time is like little lights found coming up from the dirt of life's ground.

"Iain Thomas, a South African author and poet, included this quote in his book “I Wrote This For You” published in 2011. This quote emphasizes that even in the absence of external light, individuals have the power to create their own sources of light and positivity. By applying this learning, individuals can take ownership of their lives, find their passions, and create their own path towards happiness, even in the midst of darkness." 

 I search for those lights appearing all around me. I find them in unexpected places.

“Never fear the darkness, for in it lies the power to create.”  – Brandon Sanderson, “The Way of Kings” (2010)

 And to create is like little rays of sunshine. Flowers are a creation of God. Was God smiling when creating these beautiful things? Did God know we would need them after the dark night of winter? 

Hold on, dear friends! We will survive the dark night and be better for it.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

“In the midst of darkness, light persists.”

– Mahatma Gandhi, Speech (1947)

I love that this stream under the trees still captures the light through the dark forest.

It seems that having chosen the theme this year has kept me focusing on the same rays of light. On Instagram I find myself saying "In darkness, focus on hope". I say it in so many little ways each day. Then I notice that others are also saying the same thing in their own ways. And in this I am noticing little rays of sunshine, laughter and hope. I know I needed this focus to get me through this year.

This picture was a couple years ago, but you might smile at seeing it. It's funny, but dressing this way to go to tea was hard for me to do. I tend to step quietly, not to be noticed. So wearing a fur coat and sunglasses was out of my comfort zone. But I was glad I did it. It was good for me to be bold. It created a memory of laughing at myself, a little silliness does the soul good. A little light in my day.

 Last Saturday I ventured out to the April 5th "Push Back" demonstration. I went with trepidation and concern for safety, but I went anyway. Parking was found close by and I soon found myself standing on a highway overpass with my sign that says "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Soon enough cars drove by and I was thoroughly brought to tears at the positive response. There were thumbs up and happy tooting horns. So many responded in a special way to the more than a 1000 people that showed up not far from my home to speak out. My heart swelled with joy to feel validated and for speaking up. We must step out of our comfort zone as often as possible. It creates memories, it makes us stronger, and brings surprises to our world. It is HOPE.

What glimmers of hope have you seen this week? Where are you stepping out of your comfort zone?

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen, “Anthem” (1992)

 

 

Some days I find it hard to even find the cracks and then I read something or see a glimmer of light shining in the darkness. It brings a smile to my heart and reminds me to focus once more. Just for this very moment, I must focus and see that light of HOPE. Sometimes that sign of light is a bit upside down, like the reflection on the pond.

 

       

                  Sometimes it focuses on a story. It says, "Pay attention!"

 

And sometimes it speaks softly, like music in the ear or whisper of the wind.

This morning in my reading the words it spoke were "Hope and action feed each other." and through the struggle and despair we must find hope and grasp tightly to that concept. Though at times it will feel like a dream and not a reality, we must never let go. We must find the crack in the wall and focus on the light shining through. Can you see the light, the glimmer?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

"The best way to make a difference is to get up and do something. Don't wait for the next election. Go out and make a difference right now. Because through your action, you will fill others with hope. And you might just fill yourself with hope." Barack Obama 

You can switch out the word "election" to what ever is making you wait. Maybe you are waiting for a check to come, a baby to be born, or a break in hard luck to come. There is a time to rest and a time for action. When the time for action comes, move forward with hope and a light in your heart.

I am reminded of the song, Turn, Turn, Turn:

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rain, a time of sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Peter Seeger

 

 

For me I find that when I pay attention to my time to rest and my time to act there is a lightness in my heart. I would encourage you just to pay attention to those times, embrace them, and send out love to others in small ways.

 

 Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Hope in the Dark Night

 

"Yellow flowers are widely associated with joy, happiness, friendship, and new beginnings." They make me feel happy and give off a positive energy.  Even as a young girl I was drawn to the color of yellow, especially yellow flowers. My birthday flower is the yellow daffodil.

 So with yellow flowers in bloom right now and my word of HOPE, I am becoming more attentive to what is around me. 

This morning in my reading from Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit, I read "To hope is to gamble. It's to bet on the future, on your desires, on the possibility that an open heart and uncertainty is better than gloom and safety. To hope is dangerous, and yet it is the opposite of fear, for to live is to risk."

"Hope just means another world might be possible, not promised, not guaranteed. Hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope."

Thus I take action as often as I can fathom.

 International Women's Day was March 8th and I encouraged myself to step out of my comfort zone and join other women speaking out for sanity in our world. It felt good to see these gentle women speaking for justice and truth in the world. It's important for us to speak up when the opportunity arises. It's important to step out of our comfort zones from time to time. I embrace hope. I embrace uncertainty. And because of that embrace I have HOPE in my heart. 

Hold on to HOPE in the Dark night and Focus on the glimmers of light.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

 

Flowers at the market while "out and about".

  Recently I heard of Rebecca Solnit's book, Hope in the Dark – she notes that big disasters are times when people remember their inner strengths and create bonds with others that would seem impossible in "normal" reality.  "People who lose everything often speak of these times as "the most alive, most meaningful moments they've ever known".

"Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of radicals at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide reading of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argued that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Now, with a moving new introduction explaining how the book came about and a new afterword that helps teach us how to hope and act in our unnerving world, she brings a new illumination to the darkness of 2016 in an unforgettable new edition of this classic book."

 I have not read this book yet, but have ordered it because I am focusing this direction in the year of 2025.

Driving along the Willamette River not to far from my new home. Winter still resides there, but I have hope for Springtime to come again and show it's green color on those trees. Each season has it's own color and each season gives us hope that life moves along.
 

It is very much opposites such as fear and hope. I have heard how those that suffer great loss, such as the homes that burned in the recent fires in Los Angeles, still hold on to the glimmers of what they still have in their health and dear ones surrounding them.

 

Actually found in my house garden last week.

Leaving my garden to move into an apartment, how can I still notice the small glimmers of joy and hope by changing the way I think of my adventures each day? I would walk in my garden each morning to post a picture on social media from the garden. I miss that a lot, but now I am noticing what I see when I am "out and about". Still noticing the glimmers of light brings me joy. 

So in our despair and angst, let's continue to focus on the little things that bring us joy, supporting those around us, and looking for ways to make small differences.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

Victor Hugo, Les Miserables 

About all the energy I have to share at the moment is Monday's post, but hopefully next month I can share more. My "live-in gardener" (now I need a new name for him) and I are still digging out of our house. It was a rough week this past week and still we have more to do. Much to our surprise,while trying to get our son dug out of our basement (still going on) my husband ended up in the hospital for a day and a night with a kidney stone. So a lot of the moving and cleaning went to me. I cleaned up some of the yard and kept my son moving forward, plus some dear, long time friends came one morning and helped move some furniture to our son's apartment. How amazing those little thoughtful gifts of help have been. They are like glimmers of hope. Hope that very soon it will be finished. Friends and our daughter have been our stars.

I took a few walks in the garden and was amazed at what is waking up.

The daffodils are coming up.

 The hellabore are budding and the daphne is beginning to bud.

 

I think what I will miss most are my walks in the garden.

This week the estate sale team will be working in the house and my husband, son, and sometimes me will still be in the basement working too. Then in one week the real estate team takes over. Yes, there is a light, at least a glimmer, at the end of the tunnel.

Are you seeing any glimmers of Hope/light in these dark times? I hope so!

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

Thich Nhat Hanh 

He says the best things that capture my attention and help me to hold on to that HOPE.

Just a flash back to a Joey picture.
 

When I saw this quote using my word for the year, HOPE, I knew today was the day I needed to share it. HOPE chose me because I just knew it was going to be a "difficult to bear" kind of year and for me I needed to hold on to HOPE. We must all "believe that tomorrow will be better".

Let's dream a little dream of a better day.

A day where the lights shine for each of us, the little glimmers that grow into the sunshine and warmth that holds us in the sparkles of light and flowers and gently rolling seashores. 

What I am watching today, puppies and kittens and a fund raiser for the Humane Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICFiwn3-SOA&ab_channel=MeidasTouch    

 

I love pink noses on kittens. This is Frankie, my daughter's cat.

And since it is Martin Luther King Junior's birthday today, let's end with a quote by him.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

"Light is Knowledge, Light is Life"

I am not sure where I read the above quote, but it is a good one.

Light is focusing on hope, hold onto it with all we have, and don't let go.

Right before we moved I wanted to have lunch at a restaurant near our house. As I stepped out of the car I saw HOPE in the window of this children's shop. And then the book behind the window was "Climb the Mountain". I knew the move would be like struggling up the mountain, but from the top we would see new horizons. I needed to hold on to HOPE for sure. I needed to focus on the little glimmers of light.

 

 

And then as I was parked in a "NO PARKING" spot waiting to pick up the truck to move, I looked up and saw HOPE once again.

We made it to today. As I sip my morning tea and peak out the window I dream of hanging pictures on the walls and making this sweet little apartment HOME. There are glimmers of the finish line, but still more to do. For today I will keep my eyes on the stars.

Sending love,

Marilyn