something meaningful NOT on the red carpet

i found, this morning, a great deal of coverage from last night's red carpet review of high fashion as well as the airing of conflicts between 'the stars'. i find myself, these days, less interested in 'the red carpet' treatment and discussions about fashion and fighting, and more interested in the hopeful lessons we might be able to learn.

in my time of watching news this morning, there was much news about the changing weather, the cruise accident and the gloden globe ceremony than there was about the observances of the martin luther king jr holiday. i wonder what that says about our society?!

i find myselves these days more interested in hope. for instance, in centering prayer today, someone brought in a thoughtful meditation from irish poet galway kinnell; his poem, "st. francis and the sow" tells of a large female pig and the blessed message she receives from st. francis.

you may hear the poem read by the author, a poet laureate and a pulitzer prize receipiant. go to http://imagine.amnh.org/st_francis/stfrancis.html

this poem encourages us to think well upon ourselves -- not overly so, but not to hate oneself, particularly the ones who have been abused or imprisoned or lack self-esteem or have experienced discrimination. we are called to be empowered and, in turn, empower others. i ask you, how empowered do you feel by knowing that elton john and madonna are fighting -- through national t.v., no less?!

the efforts we put into encouraging a child can be stripped away in an instant by the media. encouragement is something we are called to repeat over and over again.

so think of this as you read or listen to kinnell's poem, and the impact a caring word and touch can do for a pig! if a pig can be affirmed with a loving word and a touch, we could at least expend our energy into positive care.

the bud stands for all things,

even those things that don't flower,

for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;

though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness,

to put a hand on its brow of the flower

and retell it in words and in touch it is lovely

until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;

as st. francis put his hand on the creased forehead of the sow,

and told her in words and in touch

blessings of earth on the sow,

and the sow began remembering all down her thick length,

from the earthen snout all the way through the fodder

and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail,

from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine

down through the great broken heart to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering

from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them:

the long, perfect loveliness of sow.

you may need to read/hear this poem several times. let it sit with you. be reminded that you are worthy. you are blessed and a blessing. there are those who stand for you, who give their life for you...and you are asked simply to speak well of yourself and of others....

and maybe even someday, be willing to give your life for the cause of someone else.....