Today, as with so many, my heart is with the Ukrainian people – the men turned fighters and their families turned refugees—the courage being asked of them, the resolve to persevere being required of them, and the love, yes, the love of home and country that must now sustain them. And I ask myself, not in the usual hypothetical sense, but, today, in a very real, palpable, way, “What would I be willing to fight for . . . to die for?” My family, first and foremost. And, of course, the opportunity to do my work and to serve those in my small corner of the world. Yes, I am blessed.
Still, to live these questions, as the Ukrainian people are now doing, often requires great courage—the courage to lift ourselves up and to keep going when fear, in all its forms, lurks ready to trip our gait and collapse our will. Ordinary men turned fighters must now, suddenly, steady their advance and galvanize their will for destiny does not cater to the fearful. It requires resolve—relentless, unshakable, resolve—to stay honed–in on that faint lighthouse beacon when our life’s rudder has broken, and night is falling fast. Mothers, now refugees, must drag exhausted children while carrying all they own on their backs, stepping one foot at a time, toward some unknown place. And, mostly, it requires love…the kind of love that, in the end, frees us, propelling us, in spite of the fear and the unknown, to rise up and meet our destiny . . . and, in the process, to, blessedly, discover our self to be what we may not have imagined.
As I’ve been sitting in communion with the Ukrainian people, I’ve been asking myself what I can do, being so far away, to support them? And I remember Chief Seattle’s reminder that we’re all bound together in this web of life. It’s a beautiful reminder that everything we do matters whether or not we may ever know or be able to see the results of our actions. It’s only important that we do act and offer our gift, our heart, our love.
So, whenever I want to offer something special to someone, one of the first places I look is on my altar and in my prayer bowl. In the past several years, the Holy Spirit, Great Spirit, has gifted me with the symbol of “3 Feathers” which has permeated my life. The picture below is from the three feathers that are now on my altar. Many Native American tribes believe that the white feather symbolizes peace, purification, faith and the heavens. I can think of no greater gift from my heart to offer the Ukrainian people at this time. In particular: one feather to honor their courage, one for their resolve and, finally, one for their love.
Perhaps there’s something special, sacred, in your life you’d like to offer our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. If so, join me in breathing it into this web of life where we are all one and, rest assured . . .
The Great Spirit will take it from there.
Stephanie Rutt 