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Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Earning Feathers

There is sooo much happening in our country 
and in our world.
Not to worry,
I'm not dwelling there.
Quite the contrary actually~

I'm not sure how each of you handles discerning news,
but I have to be cautious about how much I see or hear.
I think many folks are able to tune it out
or not let it get to them,
but it "gets" to me and bothers me internally
to the point that I'm tense and don't sleep well.
I like to know what's going on so I'm not in the dark,
but I don't need every detail of something that happened
on the other side of the nation
and that I can do exactly nothing to change.

Lately, I've been a little stressed.
There are always stresses in life.
Of course there are and rightly so;
how else could we acknowledge how great our blessings are.
It's not only been societal news, but 
also some wrinkles in our life that need a hot iron.
Maybe some of you can understand that.
Sometimes, there are situations that require sideways thinking
in order to come to any sort of end.
And with that, I will set forth a pondering~ 

The other night hubby ran across a question~
I might not have it exactly as it was posed
since I was not the one who read it.
There is a colored man who likes to walk his dog.
When he does, he will have one of his daughters walk with him
because he is fearful that he will be harassed due to his color
if he walks alone even though he has never experienced it before.
There is also a white woman who sees a colored man walking alone
in her neighborhood who she's never seen so she calls the police
because she is afraid that he might cause her harm even though
she has never experienced such a thing.
Are either of these fears un-based?
When hubby presented me with that,
I said, "It's the breakdown of community."
He hadn't thought of that.
Their fears are real.
I am afraid of snakes - just am.
No matter how much I know about them,
that certain snakes are good etc.
My heart races and I get "stuck" when I see them.
I've improved though.
I no longer scream, drop what I'm carrying, and run.
Some people are afraid of heights, of water, etc.
Fear is fear, but it can be overcome.
It is unfortunate though that such situations as the above example
are real anywhere.
The good news is, we can help it.
We just need community.
We've become a society of no eye contact
let alone words or actions or communication.
If that man walking his dog commented on the woman's
flowers or color of her house or just smiled and said "Good afternoon"
or the woman commented and said how nicely the dog behaved
or "What breed is it?" or a hundred other small niceties,
soon they might know each others first names and be able
to smile and wave with no fear on either side.
And actually quite the opposite of fear-
that is community.
If someone began to harass the man walking the dog,
the woman might step out and speak up,
"That's Jim and he walks by here with Duke almost every evening.
He's not hurting a thing."
And if "Jim" saw something fishy around "Mary's" place, he might 
bring it to her attention so no harm came to her.
It's a sort of protection for both sides.
And there would be a *unity* rather than a division.
And that makes all the difference.
Folks will pay a small fortune to insurance companies
but won't pay a compliment to an unknown neighbor.
The return of community is far greater than that
from any insurance company I've ever known.

Our year 2020 has had its challenges so far.
(to say the least)
So in the face of adversity at every turn,
I try to do something positive or find a positive focus.
I have been reading the Stillmeadow books
by Gladys Taber.
They are delightful!
They were written during and after WWII
so it's not as though they were written with no knowledge
of severe occurrences.
What is so striking is the element of home and community
and the positive attitude toward others and for our country and world.
Just this morning, there was a line that stated,
"Nobody is so obscure that they can not do their part."
It has become so accepted for folks to act with malice
that it really is scary.
If we act in good will, we might feel insignificant,
but just keep that in mind - 
"Nobody is so obscure that they can not do their part."
It is a line well worth the repeat.

And now let me make a bit of a diversion.
Over the past week, I've spent a little time in the garden.
Have you noticed how Mother Nature doesn't seem to care
what sort of issues we face?
My tomatoes are almost 2 feet tall :-)
And so far the voles haven't found my onions or cauliflower.
And the strawberry plants I planted last summer
have little green strawberries on them the size of marbles.
The humming birds and house finch are happy.
The bees are in love with the mock orange that's blooming
and sending out it's delicious fragrance.
The neighbors got their first cutting of hay off the field
so the hawks have had their bellies full.
In the mingst of it, there I am tugging at the weeds,
letting my mind wander where it might,
being at ease in the blessing of a garden.
 As I said above, when I feel "yuk" inside,
I try to do something kind physically.
The other day, I vacuum-sealed 16 quarts of beans
for my mother-in-law so they stay fresh.
That might sound silly to some of you,
but it's the little niceties like sealing beans,
or shoveling snow for someone, or passing along a favorite magazine
that make each day of life a little kinder.
They don't cost anything more than a morsel of time
and yet are meaningful.
A few days ago, I had the doors and windows open
since it was such a lovely day.
A wind gust came up while I was upstairs.
I thought little of the front door being open.
When I went down stairs, there was a dove feather right in the middle of the floor between the dining room and living room.
I picked it up and admired it and set it on a little tray I have.
Then yesterday, I opened the front door to look at hubby's pepper plants.
There near the front steps was a beautiful hawk feather
so I picked it up and set it on my tray with the dove feather.
Both are perfect, clean, whimsical feathers.
They got me to thinking~
maybe by the time my time on earth is up
I might have enough for some wings.
So what if we - each of us - 
lived in such a fashion that we were trying to earn a feather
so that when our time is up we will have earned our wings?
Isn't that a pleasant thought?
How might our communities look then?
There are some good things happening right now if we only look.
Folks are finding home.
The yards and houses are better cared for now than in many years.
More meals are being prepared at home.
Families are spending time together.
And in general, people seem appreciative of what's good.
These are the things I'm focusing on.
Would be a shame to let them go unnoticed.


Just something to ponder~







 

20 comments:

  1. I just love this post! My mother used to say, "There never was an ill wind that didn't blow some good." I keep thinking that just maybe the world needed a little break to take care of some things. Now, I'll go and start working on my wings! :~)

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    1. What a wonderful saying. I'd not heard that before. And yes, it sure is what I prefer to believe.

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  2. I love the feathers, they are perfect. Your guardian angels are nearby. Amazing that you what bird they are from. Tomatoes two feet tall..really? wow.Mine are struggling, and not even 6". You definately have a green thumb.I always enjoy your posts.

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  3. Thank you Faith. I think a fair portion of those 2' have something to do with the climate here;-) I am still amazed at how things grow here vs. up the mountain.

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  4. What a beautiful post. I love your analogy with the feathers and wings. It is so true that the breakdown of community is the cause of so many of the ills in this world. We just do not care about strangers anymore. People seem to feel that if they don't know someone then they are not worth worrying about. I often think that our world would never make it through something like WWII, as we just cannot pull together anymore. I thought after COVID, people might have realised the value of community, that we are all people together, but seeing everything that is happening, it seems to have gone the other way.
    I would love to see your garden. Mine is covered in frost at the moment! It is the dreaming and planning time of gardening for me.

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  5. Thank you TTC~ I think there are folks who really are good and kind. It's just not being promoted or flashed on TV. I might have to show my garden since it's not really a garden where we are now. It's kinda all over the place (a bit laughable really,) but I like my food:-)

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  6. Lovely, lovely post... Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    You admit, that all such as is happening, "gets" to you. Oh my I so agree. It compromises my health and entire life.

    You share, how you are dealing with this.

    My way is a bit different, as I am not able to compartmentalize it. I can't turn it off. So I have made my 'Wisps of Words' silent, for now. And have withdrawn from blogging, except blogging for myself. In my blog's present Silent State. (And have withdrawn from all news.)

    In my blog's present Silent/Private state, I am putting pretty photos of flowers and evening sun, and etc. So I guess, in my own way, I am concentrating on the good things, in my own "back yard" as it were. -smile-

    At this time in my life, this is the way, I have to handle it. All of it.

    I am sorry, that the only way, to Put A Blog To Sleep, to everyone else, is to make it *Private*. And I can not control the message which Blogger gives, to anyone who clicks on it.

    It would be Ideal, if there was a "Silent Setting"! -smile-

    Allowing a blogger to not have to Delete her blog, but make it not available either. In a "Polite" way. -smile-

    Again, thank you for sharing all of this.

    Gentle hugs...
    🌺🌸🌼🌹🌻🌷

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    1. I am so glad to hear from you Wispy! Do take care of your own heart - it is well worth protecting. We will manage until your return, but know you are loved and missed~

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  7. I wish I could set down in writing the things I think about, worry about. I think it would lessen the load by getting it out. I enjoyed your post as it expressed many things I have thought lately.
    Tomatoes 2' tall already. You are a green thumber. I didn't plant tomatoes this year. They don't do well here. I don't have enough sun for them. I will take advantage of the Farmers Market. They do good job of growing tomatoes.
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you Lisa. I'm not sure about the green thumb part. No matter how I try, I can't seem to grow corn :-/ so I too like the farmers market. I keep trying though~ does that count :-)

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  8. Thank you so much for the lovely post!!! Love, kindness, and community are all so very powerful and life changing actions and if only we would practice them, what a different world we would live in!!! Much food for thought and may we all have the courage to treat others as we want to be treated!!! I pray every day for things to turn around and trust God that they will, but we need to be active participants, doing our part!!! Take care and keep hoping!!
    Heart Hugs~
    Julie xo

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  9. Your words here are as encouraging as any I could use~ thank you.

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  10. What a beautiful post. That's true. The home heals the heart. I love seeing how the front gardens affect all the people who walk by...

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    1. I've actually tried to make a special effort to compliment folks on their yards if I see them out. Usually brings a smile and thank you:-)

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  11. I have said that the biggest problem we have in this country is the break up of the family and the lack of community or neighborhoods. We need to make the effort to know our neighbors no matter what color or nationality they are. My mother always warned us if you do something you are not suppose to do someone will see you and I will find out(she was right) Communities make the difference. Families need time together not run run run or work work work. Just my opinion. I think there has been a lot of good with the shut down. While I know that some families have major issues and if you are being abused in anyway get out there is no excuse for that.
    Cathy

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    1. I used to tell my kids, "Mamas know everything." I didn't tell them it was because I would "hear" :-)

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  12. Hey, Lady L. I'm a feather collector, too. On some of my worst days, if I look around, I'll find a feather. I've always thought they were God telling me all will be ok, and that he knows my troubles.

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  13. This was a beautiful commentary on our "state". You definitely have a way with words. I think it also has a lot to do with how you're raised and where. I do not think I am prejudiced but I'm sure I am about some things....like I don't care for "whiners" or "complainers" and I have a terrible fear of heights. But I could care less about the color of your skin or your sexual orientation. I was raised by a very open minded and christian Mother who walked her talk plus I was raised in Chicago and there were immigrants everywhere in our apartment building and we were none of us rich by any means and we all came from somewhere else. It was a blessing to be raised in that environment.

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  14. I love the idea of earning our feathers. And I too cannot watch or read too much of goings on here, or around the world. Not because I don't care, but because I cannot disassociate myself from it. Even a terrible passage in a book can haunt my thoughts for years. So I have turned inwards also. Family, the garden, making meals, and trying not to let the madness of the world turn my heart to fear. There are so many good and kind people in this world. I know it and cling to that...

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