This morning at the beach was stunning.
The blues and reds, the aquas and pinks, bled into one another and created a purple and orange sunrise, colors I’d never seen before at daybreak.
And, in the amethyst surf, there were dozens of dolphins on their morning outing — searching for breakfast and playing in the waves.
This scene reminded me that blue and red don’t generally exist in a pure form in the natural world. The mix and mesh, merging into gorgeous shades that create beauty all around us. Life is more a palette than a partisan divide.
I wanted to swim with the pod in purple swells. To join them leaping in the frothy violet.
Of course, there’s probably a political parable here. A parable, not an analogy or metaphor or a tale with a moral. Something about waves and fish and the dawn. But I’m not Jesus or Buddha, so a poem, “This Morning I Pray for My Enemies,” by Joy Harjo will do:
And whom do I call my enemy?
An enemy must be worthy of engagement.
I turn in the direction of the sun and keep walking.
It’s the heart that asks the question, not my furious mind.
The heart is the smaller cousin of the sun.
It sees and knows everything.
It hears the gnashing even as it hears the blessing.
The door to the mind should only open from the heart.
An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend.
Dawn lifted to full daylight. A flock of pelicans flew by. The colors changed once again.
A new day has begun.
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We’ve got lots of special guests coming up talking about great books for both our souls and society — and an election to get through. Let’s navigate the next months together.
Home soon. Summer is ending. And September 13 marks the end of my road sabbatical. On September 14 and 15, I’ll be at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE.
We cannot own anyone else, people, the lands, or resources. We are here to care for each other.
― Joy Harjo, An American Sunrise
Absolutely divine! We’re delighted we’ll be seeing you at Westminster in just a couple of days 🙏.
A perfect poem and reflection for these times! The beauty of a sunrise, new and different every day, is life affirming!