In Paradise, Pennsylvania, there stands a pottery shop. While the clay is being formed, customers can choose from assorted pieces and designs and etch a message with a tool that looks like a crochet needle. The piece is fired overnight and can be picked up the next day. I chose a distelfink and, on the back of a pie plate, printed: Bev and Tom Lost In Paradise: 10-23-84.
I still have that pie plate and use it twice a year. It’s perfect for my secret recipe orange-pecan pie. When not in use it hangs within a holder on my kitchen wall. I give it a casual passing glance everyday.
Tonight I was frying a few pieces of bologna for a sandwich. Tuna, hamburger and chicken get old after a while. From the front room I could hear the television news covering the funerals in Paradise, Pennsylvania. I turned off the flame and stared at my pie plate. As the words flowed into the kitchen my eyes welled up.
I thought of the beautiful countryside that embraces the communities of Paradise and Intercourse and Bird-In-Hand and Lancaster. The words from the television went straight to my heart as I wept through my admiration of the Amish people.
Humble, unassuming folk who so thoroughly embrace their love of their religion. And in their religion lay the strength to heal a community so overwhelmed by unimaginable tragedy.
How big I had become, I thought to myself. How strong. How right I was. How dare anybody. I am me. The unshakeable strength of the Amish community taught me how small I had become. How weak. How wrong. In my hubris I had lost sight of the very spiritual tenant I should hold most dear.
That beautiful Amish community 3000 miles away, and the little pie plate 3 feet away, opened my heart to the solace and comfort of forgiveness. It’s the healing force I have long sought and I joyously welcome into my life.
Lucy and prisonerofhope, from the very bottom of my heart I forgive you. It is my prayer that you reopen your blogs to the many who miss you.
And I extend this prayer to our community. Members of our blogstream, I implore you to go to your blog this day and post your heartfelt forgiveness to someone. No apologies, no ifs, no ands, no buts, no emoticons. Just your healing words of forgiveness. As Paradise, Pennsylvania heals from the greater tragedy so shall we from the lesser.
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I sincerely appreciate your comments but feel it would be inappropriate for me to respond. This post is about us and the comments are about you. I encourage your comments for others to see.
Excellent as always, and well thought out.
Thank you for the great perspective.
I hope you are well.
SMILE
R.E. Knowlton III
Sherry
Thank you for posting this.
I respect your willingness to take something constructive from the sad events in Pennsylvania, as well as those on blogstream - - no matter who you were/are/will be, that's an admirable trait.
I don't have anyone here I need to forgive - - no one did me any harm as I'd define harm - - but I'll apply your advice in my personal life. Have a great weekend, Lagniappe......
I have been reading your recent posts and personally I would have NOT taken *the one* down being as how you had been treated clearly though this is not my blog as well I have personal experience *a bone to pick* with one from one of the *witless* so perhaps I saw part of the exposure as a necessary evil...
This is NOT intended as an invite for people to come running to my blog to see who/what/which I am speaking of however I have a post there, the 2nd one down regarding which *one* harmed me, all one has to do is read between the lines. . .
Feel free to go if anyone's curiosity implores said. . .
With that being said I posted a poem of my *religion* before I retired this morning, it is about reaping what one sows so to speak. . .
It speaks about rights & wrongs, shoulds an should not's.
Perhaps the Ancients played a part in my early morning post?
Having lost a child, not by murder of course but a loss never-the-less. . .
I have NO CLUE how the Amish can be so forgiving NO CLUE as I have watched CNN these past couple of days I have watched in awe at what is being said about their ability to forgive, I cannot lie, as I could not do it, no way!
Suppose this is why I am not Amish. . .
I added you to my favs a couple of days ago, I hope you do not mind as many people do NOT understand what I am truly about and I sort of freak them out, or even worse they think I am a fool. . .
Crazy I would agree, fool I would not, yep. . .
I'm Crazy, Crazy Like A Fox...
~Hello Lagniappe~
Below the Angel is a/the picture I made for you that I spoke of...
I find your blog name quite intresting...
You are one of brightest spots on the blogstream. I respect your wisdom and your openness. It is my sincere hope that I have not done anything to offend you. I consider you to be a comrade (not in the communistic sense though). This was an absolutely wonderful post.
Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to air your dirty laundry in public? My guess is that your comment is an attempt to shed yourself in some gleaming light. Since you have chosen the public route would you mind if I fill-in any reader which may have gotten this far?
Lucy asked me to do an interview for her blog. I contacted you for a very specific reason. Your blog asserts a discussion of issues facing black males within this country. Unfortunately I have yet to see much of those discussions.
I see, instead, your various points of view. I thought your participation in an open interview would afford us all the opportunity to discuss issues which black males face in the United States, without your pontifical asides.
You did not respond to my Private Message asking you to participate in an interview. 24 hours later I sent you a second PM and again, silence. There was, of course, the possibility you were not available at your computer for those two days.
I commented on your most recent post and you responded. I knew you were there, Art, and sent a third PM regarding the interview. Again, no response.
Within your profile you say that you have been involved in higher education for 17 years. Moreover, you say you have been a college administrator at many colleges. Over all of that, is your saying that you maintain a high interest in the education of African American males.
So I ask you this, Art. In the venue of conflict resolution do you educate people that silence is the best method to employ? Do you have any validation to the notion that silence resolves any issue? My limited experiences have indicated the exact opposite in that silence tends to inflame.
I can’t even imagine what conflict you would have with me. It could be the squash business but I didn’t participate in that. Could it have been my post on the Blogwitches? Would you criticize me for defending myself? If you would have endured those sorts of allegations what would your course of action have been? More silence?
If you had sent me three Private Messages requesting my participation in some event and I refused to respond to any of them, for reasons unbeknownst to you, would you not tend to internalize that sort of childish behavior coming from an alleged adult? Would you not become offended if for no other reason than your being ignored?
Thanks a lot for your comment. This may surprise you but I enjoy comments that disagree or raise different issues. In this instance you have correctly deduced that people have brains and spinach doesn’t. No argument here, boywolfe, you got me.
The whole blog? C’mon, boywolfe, gimme a break. How about the whole post? But even at that your reasoning is flawed as well because this post wasn’t structured as an argument, it was formatted as a discussion. Arguing is so unproductive. Read through the comments, my friend. Everyone is discussing, no one is arguing.
Not that I don't think you aren't paying attention, boy, but this comment is on the wrong post as well. Matters little as no one is arguing on this one either.