Don't Miss It

I think it was late afternoon on Wednesday. Reality had begun to sink in, but I couldn't come to grips with it. I sat at my desk, eyes closed, head bent to my knees, too overcome even for tears, brain vacillating between disbelief and despair, anger and grief, and back again. My thoughts were of the climate that envelops our Earth, and the now-seeming futility of seriously working  towards moderating its warming effects and of the danger that unmitigated climate change will bring to everyone who depends on the Earth for food and life. My thoughts were of all the people groups who have been lately disrespected and devalued by the new president-elect and his followers, and of the people groups who elected him. In  the barrage of my reactions, I barely heard the quiet voice that worked its way through my emotions into conscious awareness, "Don't miss it."

"Don't miss it," it repeated. "What?" I could barely ask. "Don't miss the fall. Don't miss the beauty. It will soon be gone."  I felt like a sedated person trying to surface out of the fog, and somehow I brought myself to pay attention.  "Listen," the voice said again, and I heard the leaves of the woodland around our house rustling unceasingly in the wind. There was a message here, if I could but grasp it, but all I could process was a fleeting sense of quiet and nourishment, a gift, seemingly solely for the moment.

It has been a few days now and I, like many, have wrestled mightily with anger aimed in many directions. Anger is appropriate at times. It can cause us to examine ourselves- our focus, our sense of justice, our hopes that have been dashed, our concerns for others. But, I have had to grapple with the personal reality that my anger has, at times, become rage and that in so doing, has rendered me powerless to address any of my original concerns constructively.

While I was out raking leaves this morning, I got to thinking about the new "safety pin" symbol that people of good will are wearing to signify that they are a safe and helpful presence for those in trouble or afraid. I mused about similarities between creating safety for wildlife and safety for people. My leaf raking effort wasn't so much for clearing our lawn of leaves, as it was for creating "safe spaces" for insects, amphibians and soil micro-organisms. Rather than raking and disposing of the leaves, I add them to garden or shrub beds that I've created and allow them to decompose and do their work there. 

I have a sign in my yard that denotes a nurturing space for wildlife...of course they are not able to read it and so I need to create an invitation they can recognize and respond to if they are going to come and take advantage of what the yard has to offer. In Jesus' day, He had a reputation and people seemed to know that He was a person with whom the vulnerable would feel safe and be cared for. I'm afraid I don't have that same well-known reputation, as of yet. But, perhaps the safety pin symbol might be a beginning. Perhaps it can be the recognized invitation that I, also, am someone who cares for others and their lives and stories. And, as each opportunity for caring comes my way, I fervently hope that I will not be too distracted to notice and will heed the voice that whispers quietly, "Don't miss it."