Cherish We have an innate craving and habit to conserve, to cling to things of inestimable value in the past and present so that we don't get lost and so that we stay safe and sound. If we convert this verb from "cling" to "cherish" - to cherish things of inestimable value in past and present - we can claim what means the world to us and, at the same time, grant others that same dignity for what means the world to them. -Br. Curtis Almquist Full sermon: http://ssje.org/ssje/category/sermon/?p=515 Ranking Ann - Liberated Woman This meditation coincided with some deeper conversations I have had recently with my friend from Barbados. She came to the U.S. when she was about 12. I am fascinated to hear her stories of adapting to Boston at that age, surveying the entire landscape through very sophisticated eyes for some one of 12. Adapting to so much, weather, accents, directions, and a multitude of culture clashes. Starting from that time and through to the present day, she has navigated a beautifully blended life, rooted in both her traditional Bajan customs and also some American. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to forge this friendship, and for the positive, but realistic wisdom she offers me at times when I need encouragement. We love a lot of the same music, and I recently shared this song with her, as Ranking Ann sort of reminded me of her; a strong woman, realistically rooted, connected to her past and her culture, but not bound by it. Throughout this classic RAS label release, Ranking Ann sings with confidence and touch. The meditation took me further still, as I got vivid senses of my father's smile, most especially from the days when I was quite young and he was a weary older man, exhausted from the demands of a hard life. On those moments when his vibe was relaxed, his smile conveyed so much - warmth, kindness, strength, and a certain sort of deep connection as if he already knew we were beyond it all, overstanding it all. The nuances of language can be so blissful. Words can take us places. The fine distinctions made in the words of this meditation are helpful, I think, to understand and implement the past in a healthy way. And it leaves me wondering about what sort of influence I am having in my days on earth....for I see these words took me to relationships. And as much as I crave and enjoy solitude, we are one within a larger body. Those things which I cherish, and at times, as the meditation points out, cling to, or hold in a negative or fearful way, those things that matter most are the people of my life.
