tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143742537514581543.post530423900375582505..comments2024-03-25T13:29:43.845-07:00Comments on A Year's Risings with Mary Oliver: In the StormLoraKim Joynerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07305359695072392847noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143742537514581543.post-39431479970855990362017-01-20T12:59:19.155-08:002017-01-20T12:59:19.155-08:00What a beautiful poem. Which book is it in? I can&...What a beautiful poem. Which book is it in? I can't seem to find it!Kelley Clinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16032320420320105008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143742537514581543.post-24594367516446286712016-10-12T09:50:13.423-07:002016-10-12T09:50:13.423-07:00I'm reading this years after its original post...I'm reading this years after its original posting date, at the tail end of the 2016 election cycle, and seeing how, sadly, kindness does seem to be a miracle rather than an everyday grace. When I first encountered this poem I saw the miracle of kindness akin to the miracle of the Internet or the miracle of having lights in my house that turn on whenever I flip a switch or the miracle of unlimited water coming out of my sink, but now I see how kindness, especially in the face of so much division and hatred, is more like the healing miracles we read about in the Gospels and book of Acts. I think of the violence of the past six years, the way conversation and debate has been replaced in so many areas with normalized bullying and outright disrespect. It is easy to lose hope. But maybe the biggest miracle is that we, as individuals, can choose to be kind, to live into kindness in as many ways as we can, and hope that kindness catches fire again. And also to look for the kindness that is really still there all around us. And perhaps the outrage so many of us feel right now will motivate us, as things come to light, to expose systems and ideologies that need to change. In any event, thank you for this marvelous entry in a marvelous blog. I've been using it as my daily meditation for some time now, but this is my first comment. Thank you for all the work, thought, time, and spirit you've put into it.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14270204603192553749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143742537514581543.post-27771146530336843572016-10-12T09:43:00.282-07:002016-10-12T09:43:00.282-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14270204603192553749noreply@blogger.com