“Home is the nicest word there is.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder
In the midst of the overwhelming horrors in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, etc, there are two things I’m especially thankful for this week: home and HONY.
Home has never been so precious to me as it is now, as I see so many people without a home to go to. Their homes have been abandoned to preserve their lives, destroyed in bombings, taken by those who think they have the right to steal the possessions, security, and humanity of others.
And I ache for the terrifying sense of displacement they must feel, the utter loss of belonging and community and security, the agony of separation from their loves, the deep fear as they look forward, not knowing where to go or what to do.
As I grieve for them from afar, feeling small, helpless, angry, and sad, I turn to the stories of HONY for comfort, hope, and assurance that even in the midst of cruelty, there is much goodness.
HONY is normally a site that captures the oh-so-relate-able humanity of people on the streets of New York City through poignant photos and moving stories. This week the photographer is in Iraq, bringing the griefs, joys, hopes, longings, doubts, questions, and fears of Iraqis to the light, revealing the common things that connect us all no matter where we’re from, no matter what we’re going through. If you can, visit the HONY Facebook page and see a side to this country that most of us have never seen.
Today Bear and I were out and about for appointments in different towns. As we drove around I kept thinking how lucky we were to have a home to go back to. A place that is ours, a haven of safety where we can rest, relax, be ourselves, and build whatever life we see fit.
I could hardly wait to get back, to be in our house, on our land, the place where we belong. We both spent the afternoon outside, giving cuddles to the dogs, laughing at the chickens, throwing extra pellets to the goats, wandering through the gardens to see what plants had shot up overnight.
I felt indescribably grateful, my breath catching at little vignettes of beauty around me: fennel fronds covered in water droplets glistening in the sun, frilly heads of kale pushing up through golden straw, our youngest chickens laying their first tiny eggs.
And this sense of belonging, safety, and connection is what I wish for all of us. ALL of us. Israeli and Palestinian, Christian and Muslim, Ukrainian and Russian, refugee and citizen. I have no idea how to make it happen, but maybe, by highlighting our shared humanity as HONY is doing, the divides between us will shrink, and strong, brave, powerful people will find a way to build peace.
I hope so.
As I hope for peace and healing in the broken places of this world, I will nourish kindness and generosity of spirit in my own heart and celebrate every bit of good I can find: the first stalks of asparagus in my garden, kind friends and neighbors, a country where I get to live in freedom and safety.
What bits of goodness can you see in your world today? xo
Oh so well put. Just the state of insecurity so many people are living in. And the “safe places” seem to be in less and less of a position to accommodate them. And as I always say when people complain about immigrants: you know how important your home is to you. How can any of us imagine that those flooding into other countries really WANTED to leave behind everything they know and love? Never thought this all would be happening in my lifetime. Once we were a more hopeful world.
Anyway, thanks for this post Krista and those pictures (and asparagus!) are just GORGEOUS! Especially the cabbage in it’s straw bed.
My gratitude/home moment? Lying in bed last nite listening to Paul McCartney coming through the window from Dodgers Stadium! Mind boggling and beautiful under a super moon.
Have a good week!
http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com
A poignant reminder of the dreadfulness going on in our world today, Krista… we are so lucky indeed… I always think back to my parents fleeing communist Hungarian during the uprising in 1956 and am ever so grateful that they raised their family in Australia, for we really are the lucky country.
Humans of New York is one of my favourite Facebook pages too! The posts this week certainly have bought home the human aspect of war. Thanks for the reminder for us all to cherish what we have.
Humans of New York is one of my favourite things to look for in the mornings when I sit down at the mac. Like Lizzy I’m grateful that when my orphaned Mum arrived in Australia with the help from the UN there was an uncle to welcome her and take her in. I just can’t imagine that happening today and it is sad beyond words. I don’t know what the answer is but whatever side your heart & head is on, bombs, guns and terror surely isn’t the answer.
A beautiful post Krista… we do have so much to be thankful for and many times we take our freedoms for granted. For me?? I’m thankful for the warm summer weather, the brilliant sunset through the clouds over the ocean and a warm puppy snoring on my lap. Life is good!
Beautifully written Krista, as always.
I think it’s so important to find goodness every day in small things. Lovely post Krista 🙂
We do take our everyday blessings and miracles for granted, don’t we? It is good to be reminded of how wonderful our homes are (and I needed this reminder as we have just come off a stretch of broken pipes, being ‘waterless in Seattle’ for a few days, then having another repair project jumble up our routine and leave us both grumbling. . . when you get right down to it, we should have been giving thanks! Lovely post and reminder.
Thank you for introducing me to HONY – what an incredible project! And what a beautiful post. People are naturally united; I saw that with my Russian, Chinese, Belarusian, Spanish, Taiwanese and Greek students, all learning, playing, talking, and even debating together, with far more compassion and understanding than their presidents and leaders. People don’t have these divisions naturally; it is power-hungry despots who seek to divide and conquer. It is so easy to feel helpless in the face of everything that’s happening at the moment, but we are all stronger than those who seek to destroy us. I believe, and I hope, that one day, it will be humanity which conquers all.
It’s so true that here in Australia, we have so much to be thankful for. I have found the news coming out of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Iraq and so many other Muslim nations horrifying beyond belief. There’s definitely a holocaust going on and being carried out by a very evil political ideology. I do love the peaceful and beautiful images in your post xx
Sometimes just the sheer appreciation of own security, love and shelter gives us the opportunity to reflect on just how blessed we are- thanks for sharing.
Great and lively colours! Thanks for sharing!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I too am Humans of New York fan. He seems to capture the best of what makes us human, wherever he goes.
So many gut-wrenching things going on in this world right now…it definitely makes me appreciate the little things we have that we take for granted!
It’s always good to see how tough things are for other people. I can’t imagine living through a war. I’m grateful my head doesn’t have cancer. 🙂
Yupp, i hope [eace gonna be happen soon i this fucked up world!!!
i love the kale photograph….
Dedy@Dentist Chef
Miss Krista, you really are a beautiful writer, another lovely post filled with the most wonderful pictures. We have so much to be grateful for. 🙂
I can’t watch the news – it is all too overwhelming and it’s becoming harder and harder to find the quiet stories of hope among the shouty headlines of horror.It makes me fear for the future of the entire planet. HONY is amazing, isn’t it? And I love that purple frilly kale 🙂