Blessed Imbolc

This will be the first Imbolc in the past few years that I have not celebrated in one way or another. With as pregnant as I am and with the stresses of life, I've decided to keep my celebrations down to a simple prayer.

I associate today with the goddess, Brigid (pronounced "breed"), who is a goddess of fire (as well as creativity). I see today as a day where she can emerge, as the winter months fade away and the warmth slowly returns, she is part of the warmth and with her brings the spark of creativity. When Ireland became Catholic, Brigid became a Saint. The Feast of Candlemas honors her fire, and today, nuns have relit her sacred flame at Kildare. Tonight, I want to share a traditional Catholic prayer to Saint Brigid.

Saint Brigid
You were a woman of peace.
You brought harmony where there was conflict.
You brought light to the darkness.
You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious,
and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world.
Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.
Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary.
Strengthen what is weak within us.
Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens. 
May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit.
Amen

I pray for the friends and family of Osama bin Laden, if he had any, and that his restless soul is at peace in a place where there are no prejudices. I do not rejoice in the death of another human being. In fact, I apologize for the fact that this country, this world, resorts to murder as a form of justice.

Am I saying that he was a good man? Absolutely not. I quite agree that he was a terrible man. Do I think he should have been taken to trail? Yes. Do I think he should have been given the chance to live, something he himself believed we didn't deserve? Yes. Why? Because I thought we were better than that. If he had killed himself, I wouldn't have minded, but the fact that we stoop to the same level every.single.time.

I pray that one day, as a people, we can live to better understand each other even if we don't always agree. I pray that instead of using brute force, we use our minds to deal with our disagreements.

Here's to empathy.

The Fallen

As you very well know, something terrible happened yesterday. I've been in complete disbelief all day. I can't believe the tragedy that befell our country. Why would someone do that? So many innocent lives were lost. Children will never see their mothers or fathers again. Parents will never see their children again. I was sick, again, yesterday. I had stayed home and was woken up at around noon by two of my fellow JROTC classmates, who happen to also be my neighbors. My mom let them in, not knowing why they were not in school, and they proceeded to turn on the TV and put it on the news. Bryan Ralls and Luis Nuñez told me that the school had been let out early because of the devastation that was going on. Bryan has family in New York and his sister had an emotional breakdown when watching the news. My mom sat down on the couch, staring at the TV. The boys and I just stood there, staring at the floor. I felt ridiculous standing there in my pajamas.

My mom spent the entire day contacting family, making sure that our relatives in New York were okay. I think I'll leave you now with a prayer for the fallen.

Blessed Goddess,
For those who didn't even believe in You,
for those who never knew You,
and for those who died with You in their hearts,
for those who knew,
but never wanted,
for those who wanted,
but never tried,
for those whose lives were stolen,
and for those who got a second chance.
For the families of the loved ones lost,
for the families of the loved ones forgotten,
for the families who always fought,
and for the families in general who were affected.
Our time is coming near,
and our time is coming soon.
Protect us in this time of need,
and in this time of forgiveness,
protect us from ourselves.
For those who never got to see the light of the next day,
or even the darkness of that night,
may they all be with You,
forever...
So mote it be...