Speaking of Spirit

The world is going into the fifth month of life with COVID 19. In most places, isolation is the new way of life. Phrases like "social distancing" and "quarantine" have become the buzz words of 2020. These words sound ominous, but perhaps we aren't looking at this from the best point of view. Isolation comes from the Latin root for "island." When we think about it, every continent is its own island - huge land masses that are floating, literally, on the Earth's surface. If one is out on the sea, an island can be a respite or a curse, which is why so many lighthouses were built on islands.  Staying with the metaphor of the lighthouse for a minute, let us consider what life was like living as the caretaker of a lighthouse. This was an important position back in the days before automated lights and electricity. The lighthouse keeper had to literally light the lamp and keep the light in good working order. The keeper also saved lives when storms...

 Bray Beach, Ireland (c) 2014 LMN “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”  ~ Charles Dickens ~ When Dickens penned these words over 150 years ago, he was writing of the world he knew. However, today, this iconic text speaks volumes about the state of things today.   In the past few days, many of us have seen or heard of the best and worst of humans, governments, and leaders. We have seen people fighting over rolls of toilet paper at one moment, only to turn and see young people delivering food to shut-ins and the elderly.  The Light and Dark of these days has been quite visible to all.  There is much Wisdom to be found, but also much foolishness.  Humankind has heard the Truth as well as the ...