Sunset in Sarasota
Unless the seed dies it will not rise. Unless the sun sets it will not rise. Being a late riser (when I can be), I have seen many more sunsets in life than sunrises. From my recent journey to Florida I have some more spectacular sunset pictures to add to my collection. I hope to make a slide show soon of the Florida sunsets using the drum music played last Sunday at the sunset at Siesta Beech.
There are a lot of sunsets in life, people we know die or get sick. Many people suffer not only the loss of the sun each day but also the loss of food, clothing and shelter. These life sunsets are not beautiful like the sunsets at the beach, and can be messy. Quite often we need the hope of sunrise to keep going.
Today Dawn, Marna and I had our monthly DMZ lunch. Marna suffers many physical trials and illnesses but always has hope and a kind word. Dawn cares for persons with disabilities, like mental illnesses, in her houses and struggles each day with persons in crisis. Being with these two strong but gentle women always reminds me of my blessings, like my recent opportunity to watch beautiful sunsets in Florida.
However, what brings the three of us together is the DMZ community garden. The garden now lies dead but we are already planning its new life next spring. The hope of the garden keeps us gathering just like the hope of the sunrise lights up the darkness after sunset.
I got indirect word today from Marquette “peace people” of more delay in dealing with Marquette’s military support of war, violence and not-Christian values. I wrote a summary of the struggle of resistance to violence at Marquette that I will share on the MU Peace web page tomorrow. But for now I feel a sad peace around this moral issue. It is the sad peace one can feel in the darkness following the setting of the sun. There is no light at this moment but we know that our darkness will be swallowed up in the rising of the sun. We just need to keep the faith in the sunset and allow it, no matter how beautiful or messy it may be, to keep our hope alive.
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