(I've been trying to write this entry for months. Thanks, Mom, for reminding me to finish.)
I’ve written about this once before, but I wanted to remind yall to revisit Bright Wings if you haven’t in some time. Not to make with the serious, (I'll get back to being pithy and sarcastic soon), but because it's a good reminder to keep the little things in perspective as just those - the little annoyances of everyday life that take the shine off the fact that we are truly blessed and lucky.
Donel is a preacher in a church in Bellingham, Washington. From what I read of the sermons given there, he seems to be a completely tolerant, loving man in the ways that all the religious texts say our enlightened leaders ought to be. He says: "I do not see Christians as special in any way in God’s eyes. Every person is precious and loved..." It rings true and familiar all at once.
Donel was diagnosed with cancer around the time I started working for Six Apart. His son, Martin, wanted to get his dad a blog to document his journey through the disease. It’s been an instructive look into how to live well in the face of danger, and prepare for the inevitable end we all face.
The blog acts a strong thread to bond the whole family and the extended community around them. Each of the family members gets a chance to write in their own unique voice. Donel has introduced a whole new set of users to the online world. In the comments, you’ll find sweet notes of thanks and prayers for him and the family from people who've probably never heard the word "blog" before this. Martin says the of the greatest advantages to the blog is that the family can give everyone updates at the same time, decreasing the tension of phone calls and drop-by visitors. Instead, Donel can do what he does best – reach out to his family and community and give them their sermons and parables, and grace them with his good humor.
I don’t know if Donel’s church does what’s called the “passing of the peace”. Since I was a little girl, that’s always been my favorite part of the church service. The officiant says loudly “The peace of the Lord be always with you!” and we all answer back “And also with you!” and everyone shakes hands or hugs and smiles and says “Peace be with you.” That's kinda how the blog is.
I'll try to avoid falling into the cliche wrap-up I just set myself up for there, and instead repeat one of the poems Donel quotes, a writer we both admire, Anne Sexton:
"Next, my kinsman, you powdered your sorrow,
you gave it a back rub
and then you covered it with a blanket
and after it had slept a while
it woke to the wings of the roses
and was transformed."