After J presents her group’s painted bridge model, constructed with toothpicks, popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners, and we watch a video of exuberant second grade dancing, Sici leads us to what she’s heard called the henna station. Two older girls sit earnestly with Crayola markers and a page of options. They can write peace, love, wisdom, strength across the forearm in Arabic.
J and Lala choose their pen color and words without difficulty. Lala love. J peace. They just seem to know. (Sici watches from the side because it’s not really henna as she’d hoped, but I’m fairly certain she’d be my wisdom girl.)
The woman behind us in line points to the sheet and tells her daughter, “Here’s love and peace. The word love is simple. Peace is complicated. Just like in real life.”
I see the words my girls have chosen to hold close, and oh how I yearn for peace and love written on all our days.
I appreciate the woman’s thought there in the school hallway, but I’m not convinced love is simpler than peace. Because, while I might be able to summon love, I sure can’t sustain it. I feel compelled by love to bake bread with my Lala and then feel the limitations of this love when she stirs the dry ingredient mixture right out of the bowl again, and when I have to arrange chairs on both sides of the kitchen so I won’t have to say “Out of the kitchen” to our dog for the 1,257th time, and he still finds a way through.
So many obstacles to loving well.
I want peace on this globe, in this home, in this heart, but can’t find my way to it somedays in rattling thoughts and pacing, clicking dog feet and fears of the future.
The path is hard to find.
I desire peace and love to soak in like markers through thin paper, leaving permanent stains on hearts beneath, and I know the only way for it to seep in is to keep living close. Drawn to the One who builds the bridge and writes our names across palms, in the book and through heaven’s holy realms.
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Joining with Lisa-Jo Baker and Five Minute Friday with the prompt: CLOSE. I struggled to get this out today, friends, and took a good amount more than five. May you know peace and love written on your hearts this weekend, and may your feet walk out the path.
Connecting through the power of stories written, spoken and lived
Deep breaths, big sigh, tears, goosebumps all over. You do it to me every time, dear Ashley. We share a heart, I’m sure of it….I take such comfort in this.
I love you, precious one.
I love you, Julia. I feel that beautiful heart every time I think of you. I miss you, friend.
Your days are beautiful Ashley. I walked with you to the henna booth and like your Sici, would have chosen wisdom. May His grace abound as you continue to lean in.
Yeah, wisdom. That definitely suits you, friend.
How lovely, living with God all the time. So happy I found your blog. Visiting from Five Minute Friday,
Drusilla (http://lovedasif.com/)
Thank you, Drusilla. Such a lovely community – FMF. Happy to have “met” you.
Again… and always… I love you. That is all.
I love you, Karrilee, and so look forward to our time together.
Oh my how I totally understand when you say that love may not be simpler than peace. Your analogy of how unsteady our love can be is perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your presence here, Amy. Love requires so much laying down, doesn’t it?
These moments that would normally just pass a person by and you reach out and hold them in your hands so lightly, then let them go… I love how you do this. And yes, I think, perhaps, love can be at least as challenging, if not more, than peace. Because at least in our world, we can have peace without love. But loves requires so much more than finding a way to get along.
Isn’t that true, friend? Love requires so much more. Continually seeing new layers of that. Grateful to walk with you in these places.
Peace, love, and wisdom – beautiful 3-some :).
You’re so dear, Deb. It was an utter joy to run into you last weekend, by the way. xoxo
Reblogged this on Insegnare ai bambini and commented:
Apprezzo il pensiero della donna lì nel corridoio della scuola, ma io non sono convinto amore è più semplice di pace. Perché, mentre potrei essere in grado di evocare l’amore, io certo non può sostenere esso. Mi sento in dovere dall’amore per cuocere il pane con la mia Lala e poi sentire i limiti di questo amore, quando si muove la miscela di ingredienti secchi a destra, fuori della ciotola di nuovo, e quando devo organizzare sedie su entrambi i lati della cucina così ho vinto ‘t hanno da dire “Fuori della cucina” per il nostro cane per la 1.257 ª volta, e si trova ancora un modo attraverso.
Tanti ostacoli per amare bene.
Voglio la pace su questo pianeta, in questa casa, in questo cuore, ma non riesco a trovare la mia strada ad esso somedays in sferragliare pensieri e pacing, cliccando piedi cani e paure del futuro.