Learning to Dance in the Rain

It seems like every time I turn around, there is another fire to put out. I am on a volunteer board of directors for a local non-profit organization, and every day, someone at the center has a crisis! We need a new day care worker. We need money. We need money! WE NEED MONEY! I wonder why so many people say no when asked to be on a board of directors?

It seems to be raining metaphorically every where. Someone needs a new car to get to work-light rain. Someone is having problems as a single parent-thunder storm. An infant in the NICU needs, well you can only imagine--hurricane! I find many people like to hole up in their houses when it rains. Many people do not like the problems that attend a rain storm. People like to stay dry. People like to watch the rain as it pounces on the ground. People like to let others take care of the weather and only worry about their problems and their concerns and their immediate family. People like to wait for the storm to pass before coming back outside into the bright sun shine.

I don't mind rain. In fact, rain is good for the earth. We need rain to have the growth of the fields that I so enjoy in the Northern Great Plains. Without rain and storms, we would not have the bounty of the Earth. Don't get me wrong, I am terrified of major storms, but a good down pour is beautiful.

I think we need to learn how to dance in the rain. I think we need to waltz in the snow. I think we need to Fox Trot in the wind, Rumba in the sleet, and Tango in the slush, that way if we get tangled up we just tango on! Life is full of storms and unless we learn how to dance, we sit on the benches and let life stream on by. Sure the rain can be dangerous, but so can in activity. This winter has been terrible. Storm after storm causes my mind to wonder if green grass will ever show up again, but I trust God. God will again bring resurrection from death. God will again bring heat from cold. God will again give me the strength to continue.

Do you hear the music? Let's dance!!

The Art of Peace

As I continue to work on myself, to find a way of life in this crazy world, the way of peace draws me! Some people would say that I am drawing from many different traditions, but I find truth in many places. The way the American Indian cares for creation, the way Eastern martial arts cares for creation, the self, and others, and the way a Christian does all of these things and works for peace just makes sense to me. I think Jesus would look to many different ways of being in the world today and bless them. Paraphrasing Carl Rahner, I find truth in these words: God reveals God's self to each person in a way that that person can understand God's self.

Morihei Ueshiba says "one does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train," which is similar to what Jesus says, "the Kingdom of Heaven has come upon you."



To be a disciple of Christ for me means to practice the Art of Peace. Peace with myself, with my family, with creation, with others, and most importantly with God through Jesus. How are we doing with this practice?