October 3, 2024

When we embrace the ancient ways
of being in right relationship
with the earth, the sacred,
and community…

When she walked to the well for water, the old woman carried two pots. They were both worn from use and over the years one had developed a crack. As she walked the path back to her cottage water leaked out. By the time she was home, the pot was half empty.

A neighbor who had been watching this could no longer contain himself. “Old woman! You do know that your pot is cracked and leaks water, don’t you. And yet you still carry it to the well. Are you crazy?”

The old woman smiled. “Yes, my friend. I do know of this. But you see, I’ve planted seeds along the path and this old cracked pot waters them. Now I walk among flowers on my way to the well. And it brings me great joy.”

It seems every day brings news that lessens my anxiety about the upcoming election. It seems ever more likely we will continue to have integrity and the values of compassion, equity, and inclusion guiding our nation forward. 

However there is one anxiety that looms large for me. Our nation is fractured and broken in so many ways. How will we navigate that? What will we do with our cracked pots? Are there possibilities they might water the flowers of a brighter and more unified future?

Beannacht,
Judith