Wednesday, January 31, 2018

What the walls say.....

What stories these walls could tell! In just the time this 102 year old house has known me, it's filled with to brim. Many I know and many I don't know, could be told if these "walls could talk". And then there are all the stories that happened long before my time.
The downstairs bathroom was once a very early ham radio room. What communications took place in that room? Who did he talk to and where were they from? How far could that ham radio reach? Where was the antenna? Could it reach overseas? Why was he interested in ham radio? In what years was he tuned in? If only these walls could talk....
I stare at the covered hole in the wainscoting of what is now the dining room. A stove once sat there when that was originally the kitchen. What kind of stove was it? Where was the sink? Did they have an ice box? What did the table look like? Was there a more formal dining room in what is now the family room?
Why did M.R. like doors so much that there were originally 11 doors? Why did every room need to be so closed off? Why a door even on the back stairs and three into the hallway? Was it to regulate the heat?
M.R. Henderson, the first owner of this house, was ,by trade, a carpenter. He lived next door first and had this house built. Did he actually do any of the building? Certainly he had a hand in it's layout and design. How did his family use these rooms? What was his purpose for the third floor walk in attic? Was the interesting tool I found under the surface in the yard his?
I learned some things through his son James who visited once while I was away but his stories were collected by a friend who was here. Sadly, I missed that opportunity and now many years later have many unanswered questions.
What stories these walls could tell!
Though the walls don't tell all that has happened here, they resonate with the combined energy of all who have crossed through the threshold. Many who have spent much time here will quickly tell you that there is something special and unique about this place. I knew it the instant I walked in just over 17 years ago and I know it still. It's an old house with endless needs but there is indeed something special and unique about this place.
It's walls quietly speak it.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Fake News

What does the term "fake news" mean? Does it mean that someone is reporting false information? Or does it mean that someone is reporting information as though it's important news and it's not really important.
This term "fake news" is such a new thing that it's very confusing especially when spouted by someone who so often provides false information. Meanwhile, most of the things labeled "fake news" by this person are provably true and as such, quite important as news.
There is not a single person, a single reporter, a single news source that is correct 100% of the time. I'm not. You're not. We get things wrong. Hopefully, most of us try to get things right as much as possible. We need to be slow to make blanket statements and diligent in our deliberations. We need to remove barriers and blinders that may cause us to dismiss true information because it is not what we hope to know or learn. When we get to a point where we call truth and discussion of truth "fake" because we want it to go away, we have lost our sense of reality and have lost our moral compass.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Forgiveness, Humility and Grace.

The most important things to do are often the most difficult. They are also the most rewarding.
Embracing forgiveness, humility and grace are top among the most difficult and the most rewarding experiences of my life. I know now that they are the magical healing forces of the universe. When two people can come together in grace, humility and forgiveness, it is transformative in ways neither could quite anticipate.These are the building blocks of creation. Creation cannot sustain without them.
When we refuse to forgive someone, we generally communicate that there is something unforgivable in their behavior. We see them as separate, disparate characters from which we must detach for our own good and our own satisfaction. Any sense of humility and grace are buried. They are buried because we are suffering and afraid to face our own frailties.
Those frailties reveal themselves in the statements that begin with "I should have..." Why didn't I..."  Those statements require personal forgiveness, humility and grace. We will grant those to ourselves quickly. We forgive our shortcomings. But the other person... what they "should have"... what they didn't...well, that is unforgivable.
We are not separate, disparate characters in life. We cannot be islands unto ourselves. We are and always will be connected. As others reveal our frailties, we can be thankful. We have likely also revealed theirs to them. As we find voice to express those with forgiveness, humility and grace, we will unleash magical creative forces beyond anything we can possibly anticipate. Anything other will result in an endless cycle of building followed by destruction.