“My task is to simplify and then go deeper, making a commitment to what remains.  To care and polish what remains till it glows and comes alive from loving care.“

~~ Sue Bender, Plain and Simple ~~

On Mother’s Day this year my husband and I attended the open house of a master gardener whose work has risen to very high levels of acclaim – and rightly so.  He has travelled the world to deepen the artistry of his life-work. 

My attention, however, is drawn to a small gray cat, snuffling about near a corner fence amongst some dry leaves.  She blends into her surroundings, well camouflaged for whatever her task.  Wandering over, I sit on a stump and speak, softly, “What’cha got there, lovey?” 

At the sound of my voice, her large amber eyes meet my gaze and she moves in my direction, settling comfortably into a small, curled ball on my lap.  I lightly wrap my arms around her soft contours, tenderly, to be sure my touch is welcome on her body. She lays her head on my arm, every now and again turning slightly sideways to listen to my voice as I speak to her quietly.  We sit there together for quite some time and I recognize a very familiar feeling of deep peace that I’ve known since childhood – the comfort of inviting, and being received by, a more-than-human being – for a moment of mutually alivened intimacy.

This peace feels ancient, bone deep and distinctly generative. I imagine that each of us taps into this well of being through our own portal and for me that portal lies in communion with more-than-human beings. It is transformative beyond all measure of verbal exchange. 

I’m called to remember this state of deep peace that tends my inner landscape in the most fertile ways; it’s easy to forget it in the midst of anger over atrocities occurring around the world. During the 1960s when I wore that peace symbol with pride, I joined protests opposing racial injustice, women’s inequality, animal cruelty, the Vietnam war and nuclear testing. I believed that the arc of history bends toward justice so I see how disillusioning it is to witness even more advanced stages of these same issues now on the world stage, further exacerbated by climate change and institutional failure.

I’ve also had to face the fact that, in the midst of protesting for peace, I was not coming from a place of peace. I pinned my success on a collective of people ending the violations of human and more-than-human suffering in the world. Clearly, the arc of history has a lot to answer for.

Coming from a peaceful state is healing, regardless of the outcome. I care and polish this peace till it glows and comes alive from loving care.   

Photo: My original peace symbol from the 60s – photo taken by friend Wendy Pierson Diamond