My dear Uncle Paul passed away this month after a several year journey with cancer. One celebrated attribute of Paul was his passion for birds - and in specific his love and care for Purple Martins. I myself am not well versed in the language of birding and I will admit that I am not certain I would even be able to distinguish a purple martin flying by from any other swallow. I do, however, appreciate birds very much and I keep my eyes open in the hopes of spotting something special even if I do not really know what I am seeing. I take comfort in this practice because I know the joy that birding has brought to the lives of my uncle and cousin and the countless others who have been inspired by their passion for winged beings.
In light of this, it seemed very natural to spend some time reflecting on Paul's life through the creation of bird inspired cutouts. Below you will find five images roughly inspired by Purple Martins. While they may not, in actuality, capture the essence of the Purple Martin, they do represent a moment in time of reflection and honor for a beloved uncle and his beloved bird.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
With Caution
The past week has been a challenging one for me. It has been a week full of emotional turbulence rooted in the grand experience of being utterly human. What does that mean? It means I am living in the aftermath of having behaved unfortunately in a situation and causing pain to someone I dearly love in reaction to being hurt myself. It means I am staring humanity in the face as I grapple with the reality of death as a part of life as I grieve and come to acceptance of the impending loss of a different loved one. It means I am trying to graciously accept the change being dealt to me in my life while simultaneously grasping for a handle on what has been in my world so that the future and all of it's constant newness does not seem totally foreign. It means that I have over and over again been reminded of the imperfections of being a human and am being challenged to move forward in my life in the light of those imperfections instead of struggling to live in spite of them.
To live in the light of human imperfection is to accept the good and the bad, the broken and the whole, life and death and to celebrate them all with equal abandon as expressions of what it means to live life in the fullness of humanity. I have written about the beauty of imperfections in art - and how imperfections add a quality of uniqueness to the work which opens up layers of depth and interest. Yet to translate that lesson in terms of my own humanity takes an extra spoonful of sugar to swallow. It means knowing and accepting that my actions will sometimes cause pain in others and in myself and that I too will be hurt by the expressions of others. It also means that in the healing of those moments of hurt new insights and stronger bonds can be formed leading to deeper and more meaningful relationships.
My partner, while walking with me through the challenges of this week, suggested we wrap ourselves up in caution tape - and my dear in-laws in an act of delightful support and love actually sent us a roll in the mail this week. I am taking the suggestion to heart and while I may not physically wrap myself up in the caution tape - I think it is a powerful reminder of living in the light of imperfection. It is a reminder to myself to move, speak and act with caution and awareness when things are less than perfect. It is an acknowledgement that I have the potential to hurt others and will do what I can to prevent intentional pain - but being human means that I will make mistakes. The caution tape is also a flag of notification to others of my precarious state and a request to treat me gently as I work to be gentle too.
To live in the light of human imperfection is to accept the good and the bad, the broken and the whole, life and death and to celebrate them all with equal abandon as expressions of what it means to live life in the fullness of humanity. I have written about the beauty of imperfections in art - and how imperfections add a quality of uniqueness to the work which opens up layers of depth and interest. Yet to translate that lesson in terms of my own humanity takes an extra spoonful of sugar to swallow. It means knowing and accepting that my actions will sometimes cause pain in others and in myself and that I too will be hurt by the expressions of others. It also means that in the healing of those moments of hurt new insights and stronger bonds can be formed leading to deeper and more meaningful relationships.
My partner, while walking with me through the challenges of this week, suggested we wrap ourselves up in caution tape - and my dear in-laws in an act of delightful support and love actually sent us a roll in the mail this week. I am taking the suggestion to heart and while I may not physically wrap myself up in the caution tape - I think it is a powerful reminder of living in the light of imperfection. It is a reminder to myself to move, speak and act with caution and awareness when things are less than perfect. It is an acknowledgement that I have the potential to hurt others and will do what I can to prevent intentional pain - but being human means that I will make mistakes. The caution tape is also a flag of notification to others of my precarious state and a request to treat me gently as I work to be gentle too.
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