Solace and Refuge.

Japanese Sumac 

The Japanese Sumac in Prospect Gardens has turned a golden yellow, a reminder that autumn continues to unfold and winter is nearby. Meanwhile recent events caused me to reflect about  solace and refuge. Oxford dictionary defines the noun of solace as "comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness."  It can also be a verb. Refuge is "a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble."

I often feel intense sadness while watching PBS News Hour's coverage of Hamas’s vicious Oct. 7 attack that brutally killed at least 1400 Israelis and the footage of Palestinians of all ages killed or injured by Israel's intense air raids. Four of the 200 plus hostages held by Hamas have been released. Daily the number of Palestinians die as the world waits for the ground invasion of Gaza. Meanwhile the aftermath of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine continues but with less coverage. 

President Biden's prime-time Oval Office address linked the two wars. He also argued that we are at an "inflection point" in the fight for democracy throughout the world while chaos reigned in the House of Representatives. Republicans, after three tumultuous weeks, selected Mike Johnson, as Speaker.

A few days ago my friend Linda sent me an email offering an opportunity for another set of voices about the Israeli-Hamas War. She participated in a October 20th Zoom sponsored by Mediator Beyond Border International. 700 hundred from throughout the world participated in Holding on to Humanity & Hope - Combatants for Peace. The conversation was led by two Palestinian activists, Mai Shahin and Jamil Qassas, and two Israeli activists, Ayala Shalev and Chen Alon, from Combatants for Peace.

The 90 minute gathering stressing peace and humanity provided Linda solace and a refuge. Here's access to the YouTube . I intend to watch it before the week is over.  

I could mention other current events such as the continuous climate crisis. Instead, I share Wendell Barry's popular poem that provides me with some solace while suggesting a refuge for these dark times. 

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethoughts
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Prospect Gardens, a bit of nature along the Southwest Path, continues to provide solace and a refuge. This was especially so during the October 21st work session. Peace, chats, good fellowship, and laughter accompanied our work of preparing the Gardens for winter. We cut back plants while leaving some for their seeds or they were still blooming. The orange snow fences went up again in anticipation of winter snows .

Pictured are most of the crew. In the back row are members of the West High Leo Club: starting on the left is Gaon, Evan, Jerry and Rajeev. Vasu, a fifth Club member, is not in the picture. Rajeev is the Leo Club President and was instrumental in recruiting and convincing Leo Club members to show up on a Saturday morning at 9am. Thanks Rajeev for your leadership. 

Laura and Becky are behind me, followed by Joyce and Ann N. on the last row.  Ann B., my wife, took the picture, supplied the treats, and made sure we took a break. Thank you all for your generosity.   

Some of you know that I had to cancel the September 16th work session, which would have been three days after a week long visit with our daughter, Emily, in Oakland, CA. On the first day there, before going to her apartment, we went to check into our hotel. The cab from the San Francisco Airport pulled into the hotel's valet area. I stepped out of the cab and a passing car hit my right forearm. The car's mirror probably hit my arm resulting in a deep abrasion. No broken bones. The wound was in the early stages of healing at the time of the intended September session. The wound is still healing and there will be another scar on this aging body. 

Ann and I are grateful for the medical care provided by EMTs during the ambulance ride to Sutter Hospital's emergency room and by the emergency room staff.  We are also grateful for the positive interactions with the investigating Oakland Police Officer and for the actions of a hotel valet. She saw the entire incident and was one of the first on the scene. She assisted me with others to get off off the street, got me into the lobby and she called for the EMTs and the police. Oh yes, the fire department also arrived. I still can see all those faces around me.  Ann and I felt protected and cared for.  

In late September my email asked potential volunteers to clear the Gardens of white snakeweed. Ann N, Joyce, and Laura responded. On September 29 and 30 Joyce removed all the snakeweed, and Ann N joined her on 9/30 also to tackle the weed. After later arriving at the Gardens, Laura found no snakeweed. Undaunted, Laura found other weeds to remove on 10/1. Thank you Joyce, Ann N, and Laura.     

I was relieved and happy to join the October 21st crew.  Here are  a few pictures of some crew members in action.

Rajeev, Evan and Gaon pounding metal stakes that support the fences which prevent snow from being plowed into the Gardens. I watched, happy not to be lifting the heavy maul. 

  

 

Gaon enjoyed being the hammer man. Somebody dubbed him "strong man."  Gaon, like the other four Leo Club members are juniors and will be selecting universities to visit with their parents.  

Gaon wants to ultimately attend Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania while being well aware of the intense competition. I wish him well. 

Most of my high school classmates, including me, who planned to attend college never visited a campus. We applied and if accepted showed up on the first day of registration. 

Jerry and Vasu teaming up to cut back a section on the Regent side of the Gardens. Vasu insisted on working until noon. Both worked diligently preparing the section for winter. 

Leo Club members and their youthful teenage energy added so much to my experience of solace and refuge. Furthermore, I was pleased when Rajeev, before leaving, asked about the next work session. That will be in April 2024. He said that Leo Club members will be available and they will be welcomed.

In Spring 2024 the five young men, will be completing their junior year and onto the next phase of their lives. I overheard them discussing universities on their list of choices to visit. I have a feeling that the five will accomplish their dreams and continue contributing well  to our society.  

Becky pausing briefly from her labors. Meanwhile Laura ducked behind the plants. 

Sorry, no pictures of Ann B, Ann N, and Joyce working. They too contributed to preparing the Gardens for winter. 

 Here's a few Prospect Garden scenes along with quotations and a poem. They are offered in the spirit of prompting your reflections about your sources of solace and refuge. 

“Solace can be measured in the quiet silence between heartbeats.”  Anthony T. Hincks, American author 

I found the stone with the heart and "You Matter" text on a recent walk. The gray sculpture was donated by Marcia who once lived next to the Gardens. Marcia's sister created the piece. Marcia and her  husband, Jim moved to Appleton to be closer to their son.

"I always see gardening as escape, as peace really. If you are angry or troubled, nothing provides the same solace as nurturing the soil."  Monty Don, British horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer who is best known as the lead presenter of the BBC gardening television series Gardeners' World.

For Warmth: Thich Nhat Hanh

I hold my face in my two hands.

No, I am not crying.

I hold my face in my two hands

to keep the loneliness warm—

two hands protecting,

two hands nourishing,

two hands preventing

my soul from leaving me

in anger.

Written after the American bombing of  the village of Ben Tre, Vietnam. Source: Call Me By My True Names (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1999)

"I find solace in animals. I have got a stray dog at home called Candy. I picked it up while I was waiting at the airport one day. I always wanted to have a 'macho' dog but got this sweet little thing instead."  Randeep Hooda, actor from India.

"There is such solace in the mere sight of water. It clothes us delicately in its blowing salt and scent, gossamer items that medicate the poor soul "  Sebastian Barry, Irish novelist and playwright

I end with with a Clarissa Scott Delany's poem. She was an African-American poet, essayist, educator and social worker associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1901 she died in 1927 from kidney disease. 

Wingra Park Tree 

Solace

My window opens out into the trees

And in that small space 

Of branches and of sky 

I see the seasons pass 

Behold the tender green 

Give way to darker heavier leaves. 

The glory of the autumn comes 

When steeped in mellow sunlight 

The fragile, golden leaves

Against a clear blue sky 

Linger in the magic of the afternoon 

And then reluctantly break off

And filter down to pave

A street with gold. 

Then bare, gray branches 

Lift themselves against the 

Cold December sky 

Sometimes weaving a web 

Across the rose and dusk of late sunset 

Sometimes against a frail new moon

And one bright star riding

A sky of that dark, living blue 

Which comes before the heaviness

Of night descends, or the stars

Have powdered the heavens. 

Winds beat against these trees; 

The cold, but gentle rain of spring 

Touches them lightly

The summer torrents strive 

To lash them into a fury 

And seek to break them—

But they stand. 

My life is fevered

And a restlessness at times

An agony—again a vague 

And baffling discontent 

Possesses me. 

I am thankful for my bit of sky

And trees, and for the shifting 

Pageant of the seasons. 

Such beauty lays upon the heart 

A quiet. 

Such eternal change and permanence

Take meaning from all turmoil

And leave serenity 

Which knows no pain.