Thursday, November 20, 2008

Vermont Trip


November 20, 2008
A month ago I was still on my East Coast trip that started in Boston and ended in Nashville. The memories of the fall colors will long be a part of happy place!
I was looking at this shot, taken at Stonehedge New Hampsire. I immediately thought of a poem I learned in English Lit so many years ago. It's by Robert Frost-called Mending wall. A couple of the lines, are "Something there is that doesn't love a wall,That sends the frozen ground swell under it, and spills the upper boulders in the sun..Before I build a wall I'd like to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense..Something there is that doesn't love a wall.." We had to analyze that poem and I concluded that it is LOVE that doesn't love a wall. (I found Robert Frosts Grave in Bennington Vermont, which really was a highlight for me.)
Back to walls. We all have them, sometimes to protect ourselves emotionally, sometimes to keep people out...or in. It's hard to always know which. We think we are open to others, but one harsh word can still hurt us.
I saw this at the recent Proposition rallys. There could be a thousand signs of support, and one sign of condemnation. We remember the one sign.
What saddens me is the people who have lived so long behind walls that in their isolation they are incapable of touching or being touched by the love of God. Isolation seems to do that. You think you are protected, but to be fully alive and human, walls need to come down. Love is the only thing I know that can melt the years of hardness and allow life to be lived fully.
I make a conscious choice daily to not let walls be built inside my heart. When violence and angry words are spoken, it is not a commentary on me but upon the speaker. I'm a daughter of the most high God, fully accepted and loved by Him. My prayer is that walls will come down and healing will take place. Peace.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have visited the New England States on several occasions as they are right next door to Montreal where one of my sisters lives. The beauty I have seen there is truly a reflection of God's handiwork. I like what you have had to say about building walls.I'm not afraid to speak up on controversial matters on the internet. You Tube is my favorite place to do this. I see the walls start to go up when I try to have an intelligent discussion with most fundamentalist Christians. These people are critical of the media for misrepresenting them by leaving out parts of things that they have talked about. However, I have found out that they do exactly the same things to me and others like me. They do this by deleting comments that they don't like or rebutting what I have to say by twisting my words to make them say something entirely different than what I meant and when I try to give a rebuttal to correct them, I find out that they have blocked me off. These people want fairness but it appears it's only for themselves. It's truly sad, but then I realize I'm in good company because the scribes and pharisees treated Jesus Christ exactly the same way. I'm thankful that my trust is in Jesus Christ and not in people. I'm thankful for wonderful people like you and your partner who truly reflect the love of Jesus Christ in all you say and do. It's always a pleasure to share things with you and have you share with me in return. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!

EDWIN H. PEART said...

Praise God! The Governor of Vermont, Jim Douglas, vetoed the Bill allowing gay marriage. However, the State House and Senate rose to the occasion and overrode the veto, thus making Vermont the Fourth State to allow gay marriage. Congratulations to all those legislators who refused to be intimidated by pressure groups from backward States and instead hung up on them and did not let bigotry influence their votes. It's now 4 down and 46 to go. Isn't that wonderful!