Saturday Haiku: Cardinal

cardinal virtues
are sometimes borne on the wing
in the morning light

__________________________

Photo by Charles Kinnaird

-

Monday Music: Weeping in the Promised Land (John Fogerty)

John Fogerty talks to CBS This Morning about his new song for our time and finds hope in our current struggle.

 

And here is the song, "Weeping in the Promised Land"

 

 -

Saturday Haiku: Pastel Clouds

pastel clouds above

paint a mountainous image

as ocean waves break

_________________________

Photo by Charles Kinnaird

Orange Beach, Alabama

-

 

Friday Funnies: Here's Bernie

I am enjoying seeing Bernie Sanders everywhere I turn this week. Here are some of my favorite memes.

He's one of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks

He's found in Raphael's fresco of the School of Athens 

He's at my alma mater, Samford University 

And he's in a fine chorus singing a rousing sea shanty

-

Our Nation Divided

 Coming to terms with America’s original sin of genocide and slavery

Why is our nation so divided, split in half, as it were? Some cannot understand why almost half the country cannot see the evils of racism and bigotry. Others cannot understand why some people don’t have the common sense to keep things the way they are. Why don’t those people want to live up to our ideals? Why are these people tearing at the fabric of our society? 

The problem may be intrinsic to our system. Our founding fathers were white men of European descent who said, “Let’s build a great country based upon the noble ideals of justice, liberty, freedom, and democracy. All we need to do is to displace the native population and use the labors of enslaved black people of African descent to build our shining city set upon a hill. And God be with us.” 

They didn’t hear the cries of “God help us,” from the brown people being driven from their native lands. They didn’t listen to the pleas of “Have mercy” on the lips of the black people under the whip of progress. Today, we are living in a time of increased political polarization. We are faced with our own cries of God help us and Lord, have mercy.

Did the nation’s conflicted beginnings bring us to our current dilemma? We need not forsake our truly noble ideals, but we must acknowledge the evil fires that forged our nation. While privileged school children have been taught about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and about how "we the people" came together "to form a more perfect union," black, brown, and Native American children have been systematically excluded from that grand vision.     

Is it any wonder that we find ourselves facing such conflict? We have promoted democratic ideals and humanitarian values while standing upon a legacy of genocide and slavery. Given such a tangled history, pat answers and motivational speeches will probably not get us through. Facing the questions, along with some difficult work, may help us to move forward. 

_______________

Image: "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention" at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Artist: Junius Brutus Sterns
Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: 1856

-

Monday Music: Let Justice Roll Down

A song by Aileen Vance, recorded by singer/songwriter, Lea Morris. Sharing today in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day.

-

Saturday Haiku: Reset

 nighttime cricket sounds
and morning chatter of birds
resetting soul time

____________________________

Photo by Charles Kinnaird

"Hearts-a-bustin'" (Euonymus americanus)

 Also known as strawberry bush 

Taken at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

-

Monday Music: Ferry 'Cross the Mersey (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

Last week we lost Gerry Marsden who died at the age of 78. Gerry and the Pacemakers were contemporaries of The Beatles and part of "the British Invasion" that influenced the music of the 1960s. One of Masrden's signature hits was "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey." 

 

 -

Saturday Haiku: Cardinal in Winter

some find their way by

migration and some live by

steadfast endurance

 

____________________________

Photo: Male Cardinal in Winter 

Credit: Sherry Leikin

Courtesy of Pixabay



-

Friday Funnies: Signposts

 We often find what we are looking for, and that could be the problem.

-

At the End of the Day

The Waning Days of a Mob Boss President

Protestors Breach Capitol Building (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“At the end of the day…” How often have we heard that phrase? At the end of the day, justice will be served. At the end of the day, truth will prevail. Yesterday, we saw that at the end of the day, Joe Biden was certified as President-elect and will become the nation’s 46^th President.

Today we see in the waning days of America’s mob boss president that at the end of the day, Mulvaney and other White House officials have resigned, no longer able to serve such a boss. At the end of the day, Attorney General William Barr has finally denounced the actions of our mob boss president (aka Individual Number One in the legal case against his personal shady attorney, Michael Cohen). In some cases, it seems more like rats leaving the ship than conscience prevailing. 

We can take heart that at the end of the day, we saw treasonous mob action resolved and our Congress reconvened to carry out the certification of the will of the people in a free, fair, and lawful election. So often, preserving our republic comes down to the end of the day. For our republic to thrive, however, we long for that bright new day. We must not grow weary, because at the end of the day, it is a bright new day that gives us hope.

-

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem bringing gifts to the Christ child. According to the Gospel of Matthew, soon after the visit from the Magi, Joseph was warned that he and his family should flee their homeland and go to Egypt to seek refuge from King Herod's attempt to kill their infant son.

On this Feast of Epiphany, I am re-posting a poem inspired by the French artist Luc Olivier Merson.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

How still the air must be this night –

A wisp of smoke

Moves straight to the sky

As the fugitive fire 

Slowly dies.

How still the night

As the light of heaven

Rests in Egypt’s ancient arms.

How still the night

As donkey grazes and

Joseph sleeps
While beyond the distant river
Some petty tyrant
Fashions weapons of war.

And a newly blessed mother

Slumbers in the protective Sabbath

Of a watchful Sphinx.

                                                 ~ CK

______________

Image: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist: Luc Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1879

-

Monday Music: Callin Me Home (Barry McGuire)

 

 

 -

Saturday Haiku: Sparrows

 

sometimes sparrows
in their plain brown plumage
 brighten darkest days

______________________________

Photo by Charles Kinnaird

-

A New Year's Practice

 

Practice awe. Practice wonder.

It’s good for your heart. It’s good for your soul.

                                           ~ Malcolm Marler

 

______________________

Photo by Malcolm Marler

In today's post, both the photo and the words are by my friend and colleague, Malcolm Marler, who serves as Director of Pastoral Care at UAB Hospital. This month, the chaplains have begun visiting COVID patients in their rooms, wearing protective PPE.

-