Life Lessons From the Bottle

I started this post back in March but was sidetracked by school.  I'm posting it now!

I have a group of friends, a foursome, who I study with regularly on Tuesday nights.  We all bring individual work, study, and chat a bit.  Some nights we chat more than others.  Some Tuesday nights are more productive than the last.  The one constant of each week is that we split a bottle of wine amongst the four of us.  And thus, I give you life lessons from my journey in taking up wine.

1) To let life really happen, you've got to uncork it.  Some wines need to breathe, I learned that in the last two weeks.  I still don't quite understand the science behind it, but uncorking a bottle and allowing it to sit and breathe made it much more enjoyable.  So uncork your life.  Push your boundaries, take in new sights, smells, and ideas, blow off some steam. 

2) Sometimes you have a good year (or season, or month, or week, or day, or holiday, or you get the point) and sometimes you have a bad one.  I've seen in the movies where someone in a restaurant will order a bottle of wine and the server will say something to the effect of, "Ah, yes.  Very good choice (insert form of address), a very good year!"  What does that even mean?!  I'm new to the whole wine drinking arena, but I've yet to find something I find completely unpalatable. But I guess it means that we all have good times and we all have bad times. NOTE: what one person considers a bad time might not be something another person would consider a bad time.  I'm not making a blanket statement that compares one's position of comfort/despair to another persons. 

3) You get what you pay for.  If you want a really nice bottle of wine, you're likely going to need to spend more than $7.99 (not that $7.99 wines are bad, some are actually quite fine).  Anyway, in life you get out of something what you put in.  If you want that promotion at work, you'd best work your tail off and prove you want it (and have earned it)!

4) But at the same time, looks can be deceiving.  Cork or twist top? Dark intriguing label or the pretty bright one?  I'm a fan of the cork tops mainly because I have an affinity for using a corkscrew.  Call me weird, it's okay.  But I also know that I've had some fairly decent wines which came from a twist-off bottle.  This speaks to me about not casting someone off as useless based upon the exterior presentation.

5) Life is better when spent in numbers.  It is largely safer to share a bottle of wine among friends than to drink it alone.  I've experienced drinking an entire bottle on my own in a sitting.  I was not pleasant to be around the next day..  If you share the bottle with people, it also means you can make connections over a common interest...namely, drinking wine.

I'll wrap this up here...What have YOU learned from a bottle of wine?

You Can't Preach Love While Standing in the Camp of Discrimination

Today in chapel, the guest preacher spoke on portions of Paul's letter to the Corinthians.  My notes include some of the following:

-You are a building built upon a foundation.  You are a building which was developed on a solid foundation that someone else has put time, energy, and love into creating.  If you're a Christian, that foundation was built by God (in addition to your parents) as an ultimate act of love.  Your role as a building is to build others so that they may build.  

-To be of Christ is to be of love, hope, and the power of life.

-People come to church for Salvation and Resurrection.

-It's not easy to make God angry... give up trying. 

-We are all of Christ.

Overall, not too bad a list.  It's fairly Christian centric, but it speaks to overarching values of love, grace, and hope.  

Truth time, I debated whether or not I would attend Boston University School of Theology because I am openly lesbian and was concerned about the United Methodist's current doctrine in the Book of Discipline which claims that homosexuality is incompatible with God's teaching.  I thought for a long time about whether I would be fully welcomed into a community which held doctrine in opposition to a part of my personhood.  Delightfully, I chose to come to BUSTh because I truly felt God calling me here to build the foundation of my ministry, and I feel that I made the right decision.  Not once have I been made to feel like my sexuality places me as a second class citizen.  Not once have I felt like I had to hide who I was.  Every day I have felt welcomed, loved, and held up as a child of God and someone with sacred worth.  Until today.  

I listened to the preacher as (in my perception) his strong sermon crumbled.  This person told of how he believes that LGBTQ persons are people of sacred worth.  This person then told of how he upholds the Book of Discipline and the doctrine against full welcoming of LGBTQ people in the church; he cited his belief in the scripture as his reason for doing so.  This person said that he didn't care what the result of the 2016 General Conference of the United Methodist Church was pertaining to this critical issue.  His final premise essentially is that we are all people of Christ, no matter what the outcome of the conference will be. 

You can't preach love while standing in discrimination.  The two concepts stand in direct opposition to each other.  To love someone is to welcome them fully in their entire personhood in everything that encompasses.  To suggest that someone is welcome as long as they do not disclose a part of who they are is to hold them in a state of limbo.  It says, "you're almost human, but not quite."  It suggests, "you're worthy of my respect if you don't tell the truth about who you are."  It upholds the status quo of people being treated as second class citizens.  It says, "you're not good enough."  Enough is enough.  

Unsurprisingly, I am not the only person who feels angered, hurt, and offended by what happened in chapel today.  It was an invasion and a gross abuse of our safe space.  I have never felt so out of place and hit from left field here at STH as I did today.  I felt personally attacked, as did many of my brothers and sisters.  Some of us left.  Some of us stayed.  Some of us took Communion.  Some of us didn't.  MANY of us cried.  Many of us held hands in comfort and solidarity. 

The question now is, where do we go from here? How do we move forward from this pain in productive ways?  How do we heal the wounds and scars?  

I am so damn sick and tired of people holding onto prejudices and sanctioning discrimination in the name of God.  I am exhausted by the continual flow of shit that is poured on other human beings.  I am disgusted by the culture of status quo that continually withholds God's love for all people.  Bottom line, it's bullshit.  It's garbage.  It needs to end.  What the hell needs to happen for people to come to the recognition that God is love in full and human equality?  It's particularly disheartening when someone taking his/her own life is not enough of a catalyst to see where people have done wrong and committed such egregious acts of hurt and pain.  I say it again, what the hell needs to happen? People are dying (literally and metaphorically) and the status quo continues.  

Indifference because "we're all of Christ" solves nothing.  Indifference because you might see all people as sacred and children of God regardless of what society at large tells you does nothing for ensuring the full equality and personhood of all people in the ministry and love of God.  ALL PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE!  ALL PEOPLE! To say otherwise is to be a church of exclusion.  To be a church of exclusion is to not truly be a church of Christ.  Christ worked with the people on the margins; the people who were undesirable, the people who were looked down upon, the people who were kicked to the curb.  Your indifference because we're all equal in the eyes of God does nothing to help bring people comfort and equality.  Your indifference asks people to sacrifice who they truly are, people of faith and whatever else they might be. 

I  am so glad I am a member of the United Church of Christ where I can be truly, honestly, and unapologetically who I am.  "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here."  But the UCC takes it a step beyond simply welcoming all people.  The UCC says, "we value you, we do not simply tolerate you." Toleration is the low hanging fruit.  Reach higher.  Climb that tree and find what grows higher up in the branches.  

Let me close with this:  The BUSTh community is phenomenal.  Through discussion, hugs, and shared laughter, we can make it through.  When you're feeling down, there are people who care who help pull you through.  

I may come back and edit this later.  I may not.  I may put more information in.  I may write a secondary follow-up blog post. I haven't decided.  

Week 5... Can't Sleep

It's 2am on a Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and I can't sleep.  Sadly, this isn't atypical.  It's a fairly regular thing for me to see 2:00 or later before being able to fall asleep, only to have to rise at 6:30 or 7:00 to make it to school on time.  It's not as if I try to stay up either.  I do my evening routine of brushing the chompers, washing the face, saying prayers, combing out my long mane, and then when I snuggle into bed...BAM!  The mind races and the body says, "let's do something!" Or maybe it's the mind that says, "let's do something!" it's hard to determine who the culprit is.  Warm milk, decaffeinated tea, my usual tricks... nothing seems to help. 

Oma would say, "what are you thinking about when you lie awake at night?" The short answer is, "I wish I could sleep!" while the longer and more truthful answer is likely to be "there's so much work to do and not enough time to do it all."  Cue anxiety and panic.  We're in week five of the semester and I still haven't been able to find the groove which allows me to get it all done.  Okay, I know that's an illusion and that there's no way to get it ALL done, but a woman can dream, right?  Alternate reality?  Time warp? TARDIS? So here we find ourselves... me writing away well past my bed time (if I still have one) while I wait to fall asleep. And you're going to say, "well of course you won't fall asleep if you're sitting up and typing!" to which I respond, "Well, I'm up for some reason, let's write and see what comes of it.  Maybe I'll clear out some junk, discern what is trying to be communicated, and start getting some sleep.  It can't hurt."  So now onto the news...

Seminary is great!  I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying my classes.  Each day offers a plethora of learning opportunities for one to engage in, and there are a multitude of wonderful people to share the day and life events with.  All in all, it's a great community of spectacular people, and I am grateful each day for the opportunity to be in ministry, fellowship, and community with them.
My classes are not only intellectually stimulating, but they are engaging in a way that brings ministry into a different picture.  It's enjoyable to be able to make connections between two classes which you might not think are connected.  Perhaps a fuller description of my class content is necessary, but I'll hold that off for another time. As it's now 2:48 and I'm starting to feel drowsy, we return to what prompted this late night posting.... I'm awake when I should be sleeping.

I believe I'm awake for a reason.  I'd much rather be sleeping, but something is calling me away from the land of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, so I'll sit and ponder a bit, listen even more, and feel for the beating drum in my soul. As I close this up for now, I'll leave you with Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.  And when I figure out what it is I'm supposed to know, I'll likely let you know. 

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe —
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea —
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish —
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam —
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea —
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

  by Eugene Field

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
   The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,"
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!"
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15720#sthash.FcggyOyd.dpuf

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

  by Eugene Field

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
   The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,"
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!"
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15720#sthash.FcggyOyd.dpuf

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

  by Eugene Field

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
   The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,"
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!"
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15720#sthash.FcggyOyd.dpuf

Round 2

I haven't written in a while.  It's been far too long, in fact, but I know I'm forgiven. 

My first semester in seminary was a whirlwind of excitement, learning, and grappling with constructs and information.  I had a great semester, and my grades were all decent.  For someone who didn't grow up attending church, doesn't have an undergraduate degree in any form or theological or religious studies, and is all-in-all feeling like a newbie to this whole game, I fared quite well for my first semester.  And... I'm delighted to report that it was such a success that I'm getting ready to head into round two! 

My class schedule is as follows: BOLD is the class title, ITALICS is a discussion group

Monday: Nothing (which translates to library time)
Tuesday: 9:30 - 11am: Reading the World II
Tuesday: 11am - 12:30: Intro to New Testament
Tuesday: 1pm - 2pm Intro to New Testament Discussion Group
Wednesday: 10am - 11am: Reading the World II Discussion Group
Wednesday: 1pm - 5pm: Practicing Faith II and Discussion Group
Thursday: 9:30 - 11am: Reading the World II
Thursday: 11am - 12:30: Intro to New Testament
Thursday: 2pm - 5pm: Church in Late Antiquity
Friday: Nothing (which once again translates to library time)

In visual form, it looks like this:

It's looking to be a pretty favorable schedule, particularly when comparing last semester's Wednesday's to this semester's.

I'm looking forward to getting into the class work and seeing my friends again.  I'll post a life update in a couple days.

Thankful

I'm thankful.  I've not written in nearly three weeks... sorry about that.  Life has been busy.  Instead of catching you up on what we've missed, I'm just going to tell you about why I'm thankful today.

I'm thankful that I have a phenomenal family who loves me unconditionally.
I'm thankful that my siblings and I were able to mess with Mom's village today... I still want to put the tavern right next door to the church.
I'm thankful that my absolutely kick-ass awesome amazing girlfriend  traveled an hour, all the way down here, to spend time with me, even when she has to be to work at 7am in Syracuse.
I'm thankful for the laughter that filled this house and others today.
I'm thankful for Vivian hugs.  She's at the age where she is giving really good squeezes when she jumps into your lap and throws her little arms around your neck.
I am thankful for the absolutely amazing people I have come to know and cherish in seminary.  They are some of the most absolute top notch people.
I'm thankful for amazing opportunities to meet such amazing figures as Bishop Gene Robinson and Bishop Peter Storey.  Each had such enriching lives that they shared with us.
I'm thankful for the Campus Ministry program at the State University of New York at Cortland as it set me on the path to ministry.  I am forever grateful for the experiences and relationships built in those years.
I'm thankful for T.A.s and Professors who email even when we're on a mini break, because the work never ends.
I'm thankful for my parents who have helped me with car trouble over the years.
I'm thankful for the Walker Center, an amazing community in which I reside.
I'm thankful for presentations that go well.
I'm thankful for a warm bed and food in my belly, I know some are not as fortunate.
I'm thankful that I remembered to give thanks for the farmers when saying grace this year so that I didn't have to hear Grandma Knight complain. :)
I'm thankful for my church family at Homer Congregational Church AND East Side Congregational.
I'm thankful for the spider killers in my life.
I'm thankful for people who really get me.
I'm thankful for the wonderful adopted family God has blessed me with.
I'm thankful that I'm proofreading each line as I continually try to type "thanksfull."
I'm thankful for the Seminary Singers, and I am SO glad that I decided to join them!
I'm thankful that I was able to help Mom prepare the house and the meal yesterday and today.  It was simply nice to spend some time with her.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow in my faith, to consider new avenues of ministry, to push myself, to stand up when others sit down.
I'm thankful to be participating in a Mac and Cheese cook-off on Wednesday.
I'm thankful for the time I had with my great grandfather, an absolutely amazing man who we all still miss dearly.

I'm just, I'm thankful.  I am thankful for so much more in my life, people and places and experiences not on this list.  I'm thankful to love and to be loved.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to sit with people in light times and in dark, to be a presence of peace and justice, to challenge and criticize the status quo and the wrongs in our world.

I'm thankful.

Things I don't tell my parents...

There are things I don't tell my parents:
1) I don't tell my parents when I get home at an unreasonably late hour.
2) I don't tell my parents when I have to walk home late at night.
3) I don't tell my parents when my diet sucks, or I go a week without much sleep, or when I go to the bar and have just a hair more than I should to drink. 
4) I don't tell my parents when I forget to do laundry for two weekends in a row and am therefore forced to stay up after 1am on a Monday night to Tuesday morning because I have a meeting at 8am and I ran out of clean pants, socks, and shirts.

This list could go on.  And on.  But not too far because I don't really live a life in which there are things I feel I really need to keep from my parents.  No law breaking... nothing risque. 

There are things I don't tell my parents.  It's not as if I'm naive enough to think that they aren't aware, because they are.  They know that there are strings of nights where I get minimal sleep because of papers, quizzes/exams, and projects.  They know I go out with friends on Thursday nights.  They know that sometimes I don't leave campus until 11:30 which means I'm walking through my door at around 12:30.  But I don't tell them when it's happening in that moment.  Why?  I think it's two pronged...

1) I think it's my way of exerting my level of adulthood.  By keeping some things in my life to myself, no matter how trivial, significant, or just downright everyday experiences they might be, I'm establishing my life.  I think that as we all age, we strive to be seen as adults.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately for some) the terms and parameters that define adulthood are shifting and changing as our economy and culture continues to morph.  We each define adulthood in varying ways, and each personal perspective is worth merit and recognition.  But let me tell you, when you're a 25-year old seminary student who is relying on student loans and the generosity of others to get through school, when you're still on your parents' medical insurance, and when you don't have a job or other form of responsibility outside of school to hold onto, the concept of conventionally defined adulthood can kinda slip away.  So, by not telling my parents about aspects of my life (and I'm being truly honest when I say there really isn't anything unfit to share), I'm holding onto those few things that I can claim as my measure of adulthood. 

2) I don't tell my parents about everything in my life because I don't want them to worry.  I know they do anyway.  And I know that even as I grow and mature, I'll always be their daughter, but I somehow feel it necessary to shield them from the additional worry if they KNOW that in a specific moment I might be doing something that could potentially put me in danger.  I'm not certain it would fully play out like this, but I can guess that if I told my mom I was staying at the library until it closed at 1am and then had roughly an hour trek back to home, she'd ask me to call her cell phone or text and leave a message when I got home safely.  It's not as if these requests are overly challenging or too much to ask.  But I want to free my parents from some of the worrying that they already do and some of the worrying that they no longer need to do.  I think one sign of adulthood comes when you seek to protect your parents in ways that they protected you as you grew. 

Here are some things I do tell my parents:
1) Jokes and experiences from my adventures on the T
2) When I get good grades (or sometimes not-so-good ones)
3) Weekend plans
4) When my slippers start falling apart
5) When I'm just slightly overstressed
6) My holiday schedule (when I know it)
7) That I love them

We are infinite as the universe we hold inside.

So, I started Thursday with wanting to tell about my day in pictures, just pictures.  Between the time I awoke and entered my classroom, I had about 20 to 25 pictures for this montage.  Then a really crappy lecture and discussion took the wind out of my sails, and I decided to table the picture idea for a while.  I'll pick it back up at another time.

I then thought about writing about the absolutely horrible classroom experience, but I'm opting not to do that.  Because this is my blog and I can do that.  And because things are in process.  And I figure I'll spare you the content. 

So, I'm going to backtrack to last weekend when Oma and Momma B were here and how amazing the weekend was, because that's what I need for my soul right now.  Let's see, the weekend in a nutshell involved baseball watching at a bar, seafood in Copley Square, Sunday morning at First Parish Cambridge where we met Fred Small, sharing time in Marsh Chapel, listening to Ingrid Michaelson, and laughing like idiots.  We found this great little bar in Waltham which may or may not become a hang-out for me and some friends, time will tell. 

It's tough to tell what my favorite part was, I think I was just so darn tickled to have them come that we could have sat around reading newspapers all day and I would have been just as pleased.  Next time they promise to come for a bit longer period of time so that we can experience more together.  We never made it to the art gallery as planned, and there were a few other odds and ends we just couldn't squeeze into the short time.  But what is important to me is just that we had some really sweet time together.  One night we went to the bar with Jason and Tina.  Jason is a classmate, and he and Tina moved here from California.  They're absolutely wonderful people, and I am looking forward to spending more time with them in the future.  And I know Oma and Momma B were excited to meet some of my classmates and the people of my Walker Center community. 

I naturally felt sad when they left, but have been pondering something throughout the week.  Oma said in reference to my sadness, "you don't have family yet." She's right, and I've been turning it over in my mind.  I love Boston.  I love the Walker Center.  I love school.  I love my classes and my classmates.  But they aren't family yet.  I can't build in nine weeks what it took me five and twenty-five years to build in my life.  It'll happen, the foundation is being laid with some really amazing and exceptional people. 

Yeah, that's about all I've got.  I leave you with this ear-worm from Sleeping at Last, the song "Sun" because it is speaking to me today.

With golden string
our universe was clothed in light.
Pulling at the seams,
our once barren world now brims with life,
that we may fall in love
every time we open up our eyes.
I guess space, and time,
takes violent things, angry things
and makes them kind.

We are the dust of dust.
We are the apple of God’s eye.
We are infinite as the universe we hold inside.