from pole to pole

so much of our world, it seems, make us choose between 'one or the other'... a or b; stop or proceed; in or out; yes or no. one pole or the other.

i notice this with key rings. two keys can look so alike; and yet, one works and the other does not. 'the powers that be' have deemed me worthy of having a "master key". wha-hoo! now i can open every lock in the church! the holy of holies, and the men's room; the sanctuary and the garage!

i am surrounded, so it seems, by so many poles. the right key --or the left key ... doesn't seem to be a 'middle of the road' key. the right answer or the wrong answer; sometimes we come up with "an" answer, but more often then not, people want "thee" answer. yes or no; this pole or the other pole.

this even happens in nature! yesterday as i was returning from a meeting -- driving the car almost on automatic pilot, as i was discerning an issue in my life and was being very prayerful; i came upon a little strip of highway 99 between turlock and atwater, where the wild flowers grow in spring. and they are in full bloom ... oranges and yellows and purples. such a beautiful sight against a backdrop of gray highway and green grass. but in the distance, there on the mountains that remind us we are a valley, were the mountains just covered with snow! how can this be? snow and wild flowers?! what could god be thinking?

i thought we were moving toward the broad spectrum of pole to pole and everything in between?! and yes, perhaps we are. maybe it is the poles that lie on either side that remind us of the vastness of what lies between. the many possibilities. there is a great distance between those wild flowers on highway 99 and the mountains of snow some two hours or more away!

maybe in my discernment, i realized something yesterday. of course it is not new to me, but more of a reminder. when i get so worked up about an issue, i force the issue to be about the poles, and i miss out on the possibilities of the 'middle ground'. sign ... at 52, i have to be constantly reminded -- not because i have forgotten, but because i forget in the moment of distress. i was reminded, yesterday, with the natural picture of the elements of winter and spring; the contrast put me smack dab in the middle!

i love the snow (in the distance), and i love the wild flowers (as i reach for my sinus medication). and yesterday, i got them both!