In a new city, I am struck by the past and the present. In the city of Cluj, Romania you can see the signs of growth, youth and coming of age, and yet the past does not seem very far away. In every way, the challenge of the moment includes an intersection between past, present, and the next step. The past continues revealing itself in building designs of an era which was not long ago, Orthodox churches with their own story line, and the vibrancy of everything new.
The lessons which I find myself facing today include the following.
If one remains open to learning from the past, it is time to let go of the rest. Using one’s emotions to act on the lessons is the best one can do. With the rest, giving it up to Divinity with a final wish opens a door to being free to act intentionally in the moment. I find myself embracing the psalmist’s prayer, “Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music,” (Psalm 141.6) while turning my full attention to this moment.
Never be so caught up in the past or future that you ignore the call to be caring and kind to your heart, mind, and body. As I rest in the moment, the world shifts and I see a very different world around me. A wooden sculpture standing tall and erect in the front garden of a home in a quiet neighborhood. Graffiti messages on a purple metal gate which jumped out through layered time. Light, shadow, design, and expressions speaking and dancing in a language all their own.
Act on what is now. I love the example set by a friend with a painful stiff back. Even as he walked with a stiff gate, when someone needed help picking up their dropped items, he did not hesitate. It had to be painful but that was not the priority. We are family, and in this case, a member of the family could use the help of another.
