Turn. Turn. Turn.

"To everything there is a season and
a time for every purpose under heaven."
Eccl. 3: 1-8

I'm typing this post on a MacBook which I have had for almost 2 years. I won't say my arm was twisted but without my nephew's nudging, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I know how to turn it on, write/save documents, import/export pictures and scope out the world-wide web. Beyond that, I have no idea what an app is or does. I hate the way you can move your finger up or down across the screen to get to different screens. I had to have a pimply-faced but technically-savvy teenager at the Apple Store turn that feature off for me because I was continually hopping places like the Easter Bunny without a GPS. I never knew where I was going, how I got there, or how to get back to my document. I don't own an Iphone or Ipad. I don't want to depend on something smarter than me that isn't human. I had a friend once who would rather "fight than switch" from her beloved MACintosh computer. She could make that thing sing!

Yesterday the TV, radio and Internet were abuzz with the news of Steve Jobs' death. The world lost an innovator, entrepreneur and spokesman for creative heartsong. People openly mourned his passing. Indeed, his genius changed the way things are done around the world.

I also got this video from my friend Pam yesterday. She wanted me to envision her standing in the woods, under a canopy of trees, arms joyfully spread out to receive the beauty and music of the universe.

At first glance these are two different subjects but I saw their similarities in the cycle of life. Jobs lived and flourished and made a difference. Autumn is that time of year to accept that all living things come to us with a Divine expiration date. Our task in this life is to use all our gifts to make a difference, to add some color to our little corner of the universe and then when our time is over, to let go with grace like golden leaves dancing on a Fall breeze.

"A time to be born. A time to die."
Turn. Turn. Turn.

Yesterday's news is old news. When I turned on my computer this morning I was greeted not by mournful testimonials of a pioneer's life but by the faces of determined, brave, intelligent, women whose gift to the world is not technology but peace.

AP Photo

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing technology or men. My personal belief is that women were placed here by the Divine Creator to bring life and love to the planet, to nurture that life in a way that will reflect the divinity of all and it will be women of peace who make the biggest change to this world. I'm moved to see these women being recognized, not just in their own neck of the woods, but the world over.

"A time for war. A time for peace.
Turn. Turn. Turn."

To be fair I am a little disconcerted by some of the terms used to describe Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakku Karman. Words like activist, warrior, protester, Iron Woman, and Mother of the Revolution don't sound all that peaceful. But maybe when you are playing a man's game you have to play by a man's rules. Perhaps to get somebody's attention you have to be a revolutionary, a protester, or warrior. Do you remember from history class how a "shot heard round the world" started our the American Revolution of Independence? I'm sitting here at my desk, today, thinking another salvo has been fired, but not from a gun, or a rocket. Instead a community of "gogos" (Swazi for grandmother) dance arm in arm in the moonlight and sing a song of peace to their children and their children's children.

A time to break down and a time to build up.
Turn. Turn. Turn.

My prayer is that yesterday's energy devoted to remembering Steve Jobs will be used today to celebrate women in every land. May each of us commit to a higher vision and join together in peace.

Merry ME

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