InSpiritry

Jazz is the sound of God laughing.” Colleen Shadox

With a week of drenching rain finally over and an autumn chill in the sunny air, I decided to open all the windows this morning to celebrate the changing seasons. At my laptop, as I write this post, a gentle wind is dancing through the turning leaves and rustling the limbs. It is just enough to set singing our several sets of windchimes. Each one is tuned to a different pitch, and we have hung them in various spots around our yard. The result is that, on days like today, the air carries a veritable symphony of music: round-toned moans, cheerful harmonies, bright staccatos. Listening with my eyes closed for a minute, I feel moved to tears then to laughter then to peace.

A believer in prayer and worship as a constant condition, I realize that if the sound of my windchimes stirs my spirit, I am hearing sacred music! That idea sets me thinking about the many kinds of sacred sounds in the world we experience as holy, and every culture has its own beautiful traditions. (more…)

Peace and Love! Peace and Love! Peace and Love!

Ringo Starr

For some of us, these words are a familiar slogan from the 1960s. For others they are exactly the message the world needs to hear. For a few, Peace and Love is a tired cliche’. Whatever your first impression is, these simple words speak of what so many of us hope for in our lives: safety, harmony, nonviolence, compassion and acceptance. Peace. Our religions seek to instill it, our governments try to provide it, our politicians orate about it…and still is seems like a distant dream. (more…)