How sad and joyous is my life?

How sad and joyous is my life?

 A holiday message.

How sad and joyous is my life?  I am so delighted in the everyday existence of people and things, thankful for the opportunity to be.  I marvel at the man who quietly accepts his fate and the young child who decides to fight hers.  I have seen the strong fall to their knees and a black man become president.  I was there when seeds turned to life and laughter filled every bit of space around me.  How amazing every breath, step, song, thought, and good deed done for others.   How glorious the vastness of a universe that most of us will never see.  How soft the stardust that falls upon us from a billion years ago and the light that traveled from the Sun just to meet us in a point in time.  How joyous am I?

How sad and joyous is my life.  How sad am I? to watch the World tumble into war and destruction in the name of Gods, safety and wealth.  To think the children who come after my children and theirs may not have clean water, polar bears, rainforest, gorillas, elephants or whales.  How tragic the devastation of hunger which kills children and adults.  How shameful, to allow myself to forget the faces of those who drag themselves through the streets because   they cannot afford a wheelchair or transportation.  Lest I forget, those with disabilities locked in institutions, trapped in poverty and disavowed by society’s unwillingness to accept them as full members of their community.  The grief is greatest when I forget.  How sad am I?

There is no middle moral ground on which to stand or knee; or crawl.  There is only action and inaction, only acknowledgement that we cannot run from truth.  There is acceptance of our wealth in relation to those that have nothing to give, but still manage to thank the lord for all they have.

Javier Robles

Copyright 2008