A Whiter Shade of Pale

 

20180726_170717-1

 

The Procol Harum song from 1967 is full of skillful instrumentation and some mystical lyrics. It is an iconic song as far as rock ‘n roll is concerned and many people know it well. I thought of this song as I searched for this photograph of Carson, our Westie, which I took in the summer of 2018. Carson was indeed white when clean, but took on various shades of pale, especially after digging in dirt which was almost a daily ritual for him !

The song’s meaning is full of conjecture and possibly some unpleasantness. My intent is only to focus on the title which fits the image I chose. Our world is full of questions and much conjecture due to the pandemic. We read and hear daily of one-sentence snippets of hope and encouragement for which I question their benefit. On the flip side are the purveyors of doom-and-gloom forecasts. I doubt these are helpful to anyone.

So, we exist in a time where there seems to be a lot of pale and very little white which I equate with truth and purity (not about skin color). This much I feel is certain…our world will not be the same once we are rid of this virus and its devastating effects. My purpose is to look at the positives that will come (and are currently taking place) out of this uncertain experience. Hope is an essential ingredient, as is a real dose of unbiased reality. Remain vigilant in staying engaged and find an anchor to hold onto to. Mine is Jesus. I hope you stay secure. Carson was.

 

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Iris Rising

Something about Spring awakens the deep senses within us. Beauty sprouts from a long Winter’s rest and the soul becomes renewed.

I think of Charles Dickens 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, and recall his famous opening paragraph wherein he states, ” It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”.

It seems to me that we are living in a somewhat similar time as Dickens’ described  London and Paris during the French Revolution. Rather than referring to cities and war, I suggest this pandemic has changed people everywhere. From immense generosity and sacrifice to political pandering and greed, all is exposed.

My hope is that we may see more generosity, sacrifice and kindness each and every day, and become such people ourselves.