Peace Treatments

 I don't for a second consider myself an expert about the Palestinian - Israeli conflict.  My understanding is limited to what I've heard and read which may or may not put me in the know, though I want to know ... both sides, versus refusing to know because I think I already know, like some who have already chosen sides.  In the last few weeks my Instragram feed has been full of images of conflict between nationalist Israeli settlers and Palestinians being encroached upon.   Here's what I think I know ...  Israeli nationalists believe the land is theirs; that they inhabited it first as promised by Yahweh, and that the only reason they weren't in it until roughly the 1940's,  was because they were dispersed out of the land by conquering Christians hundreds of years ago.  They believe God has beckoned them back to the land of promise and anyone who took up residence while they were dispersed need make room for them. Hence, they are justified to settle in areas deemed

 We took our oldest granddaughter camping this weekend.  Spending the weekend with a 10 year old without her parents can be eye opening.  Those fears about whether or not you did a good job as a parent can find an answer in time spent with a grandchild; my daughter is raising this gem and somehow, perhaps selfishly, perhaps wrongly, it feels like at least a wee bit of it reflects on me.  Does my daughter have her questions about the kind of mother she is?  Is she getting it right despite me, or not getting it right because of me?  The legacy of motherhood nevers seems to settle into a compassionate accepting space of knowing you did the best you knew to do and all that is left is to wing it with grace through any generational fall out. That said, I'm thinking my daughter must be doing a fine job at this motherhood thing because my granddaughter taught me a very powerful lesson today, and she doesn't even know it.  As we were on our way back home, we had to stop and get gas; as

 Have you been feeling it, this disturbance in Creation?   Things are unsettled. Think back to December 2019, when we first heard about a strange new virus on the other side of the world and fast forward to today.   All that has happened in between? Covid and variants, waves 1 thru to 4, where we're at now in my little of the corner of the world But there's also polarization over politics, left v right;   over masks,  for v against;  over vaccines, yes v no  over refugees, let them in v keep them out  over race, critical race theory v no such thing as white privilege over faith, Christian nationalism, civic religion v deconstructed spirituality, contemplative ways And somehow it's all become conflated. Then there are the children; they have found children's graves at - so far 3 - residential schools  in Canada and there will be more.   Painful as this is, the torch of justice and the spirit of reconciliation have been relit and enlivened again - pray God, let it be sust